Sep 7, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Referees meet prior to the start of the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the McNeese State Cowboys at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images
Earlier this season, the Michigan Wolverines benefited from a controversial replay decision that put one more second on the clock, allowing for one last heave at the end zone, only for governing bodies to later conclude that protocol was not correctly followed. A similar situation happened this week at the FCS level.
During Friday night’s game between the winless Idaho Vandals and FCS No. 1 Montana State Bobcats, Idaho pulled off an upset with a touchdown on the final play of the game after the team was granted one additional second. However, one prominent rules analyst now claims that it never should have happened.
Upset of the Weekend
Facing the top-ranked team at the FCS level, Idaho got the ball back at its own 20-yard line with 49 seconds to play and no timeouts, needing a touchdown and an extra point to tie the game. With the clock winding down, Vandals quarterback Joshua Wood connected with tight end Noah West-Baranco for a first down at the Montana State 25-yard line, which seemed to end the game.
While the first down was supposed to stop the clock, the clock kept running and hit 00:00 when West-Baranco was called down. After a moment, the officials put one second back on the clock, allowing one last play for Idaho. Montana State coach Brent Vigen then took a timeout to set his defense.
ICYMI:
Idaho ends Montana State’s 19-game win streak and upsets the Bobcats in epic fashion a with late TD and 2-point conversion https://t.co/DVFb889soP
— ESPN (@espn) October 3, 2026
With one second left, Wood snapped the ball and found wide receiver Ryan Jezioro in the end zone for the score, and on the ensuing two-point conversion, called his own number with a run through the line to win the game.
It was the biggest upset of any level of college football this weekend, but it shouldn’t have happened.
It shouldn’t have happened
Longtime rules analyst Terry McAulay took to social media this weekend to explain that the play never should have happened because the officials should not have been able to put one second back onto the clock according to the rules.
“Not going to comment on the timeout aspect, but it seems the officials reset the clock to :01. They are not supposed to do so,” McAulay wrote in a post on X. “Replay rules only allow the clock to be reset when the clock starts on the ready for play and there are 3 or more seconds remaining and the offense has no timeouts. The reason is that the rules makers believe it is impossible for them to snap the ball from :02 or :01 before the clock hits :00 if the ready for play is correctly given and the clock starts accordingly. Onfield officials are instructed not to reset here and let it go to replay. Replay would have allowed the game to end at that point.”
Like Michigan’s win over Western Michigan earlier this year, however, the win is still going to count in the books for Idaho, regardless of whether protocol was properly followed.
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