 With time running out, the Spartans frantically lined up to spike the ball; when they did so, the stadium clock showed a single second remaining.Michigan coaches, players, and the ABC broadcasters argued that the clock should have expired on the play and that the timekeeper, known as "Spartan Bob", purposely stopped the clock before the ball was grounded.Michigan commentator Frank Beckmann speculated that Michigan State had benefited from its home field advantage, even calling the unfolding controversy "criminal" on the air.