clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

NCAA Changes Rule, Will Now Count Stats From Michigan-WMU Game

One of the oddest things about Michigan's weather-shortened season opener against Western Michigan this season was the NCAA's decision to not count the stats from the game. Despite the Big Ten and MAC counting the stats and the NCAA counting the score, it was decided the stats wouldn't count because the game lasted fewer than three quarters.

↵

Thankfully for the Wolverines, common sense prevailed and the NCAA reversed course. This week, it came out that the stats from this game now do in fact count after the rule was changed so that if the score counts, the stats from the game do as well.

↵
↵

"Across all four divisions of football in 2011, the Michigan-Western Michigan game was the only game so far this year that had inclement weather stop it in the third quarter," NCAA spokesman Cameron Schuh said. "Because of that, the board unanimously agreed the policy change should be retroactive to the beginning of this season."

↵
↵

While the score is the main thing that matters from this game, it wasn't fair to the players to have their accomplishments in that game wiped from the record books just because the game was shortened. Luckily, the NCAA made the right move for a change and reversed its original decision.