Western Michigan HC Lance Taylor takes high road after controversial loss to Michigan

Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor, center. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Western Michigan HC Lance Taylor takes high road after controversial loss to Michigan

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Sep 6, 2026 6:49 PM ET

Many will argue the refs robbed the Western Michigan Broncos of an upset win over the Michigan Wolverines on the road on Saturday. Broncos fourth-year head coach Lance Taylor isn't feeding that narrative.

Taylor spoke to the media on Sunday after the officiating fiasco. Trailing 12-7, the crew awarded Michigan one more second in the fourth quarter, even though it appeared time had expired after Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood missed on a Hail Mary. On the following play, he tossed a 47-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver JJ Buchanan.

Taylor used his Sunday news conference as a coaching opportunity instead of lambasting of the officials.

Lance Taylor talks controversial ending

"Ultimately the refs did not cost [Western Michigan] this game and if we make the mistake of making it an excuse it allows us to be bitter instead of getting better, and I think that's [not] where we want to go as a football team," Taylor said, via Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press.

Lance Taylor takes the high road: "Ultimately the refs did not cost this game and if we make the mistake of making an excuse it allows us to be bitter instead of getting better, and I think that that's (not) where we want to where we want to go as a football team."
— Tony Garcia | Detroit Free Press (@RealTonyGarcia) September 6, 2026

Western Michigan president Russ Kavalhuna agreed with Taylor that Saturday's loss could be a valuable lesson for the team, saying he wouldn't deem the result as "unjust" after speaking with Big Ten officials.

"[Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti] was gracious enough to let me talk with some of his staff who are over this issue," Kavalhuna said. "And it is just a discrepancy. What the viewing public sees and what the reviewing officials see are different, and that's clear."

WMU president discusses the discrepancy between the time on the clock the review officials saw and the time on the clock the viewing public saw. pic.twitter.com/t9MaXifkYD
— Tony Garcia | Detroit Free Press (@RealTonyGarcia) September 6, 2026

The Big Ten released a statement on X after Saturday's stunning ending. It showed Michigan's stadium clock had one second remaining when Western Michigan safety Micah Davis caught Underwood's pass out of bounds. NBC's broadcast, meanwhile, showed time had expired. The clocks in the stadium and on the broadcast camera should've been synced, and the league didn't explain how they became unsynchronized.

A statement regarding the results of tonight's game between Michigan and Western Michigan. pic.twitter.com/DzJVN2ZLTc
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) September 6, 2026

Regardless, Taylor and Co. aren't wallowing in self-pity after the heartbreaking loss to Michigan (1-0). The Broncos (0-1) will instead use it as motivation as they prepare for a Week 2 home game against the Monmouth Hawks (1-1).

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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