Michigan Survives WMU on Hail Mary After Controversial 1-Second Review

Michigan appeared to lose to Western Michigan, but a replay review restored one second and Bryce Underwood's Hail Mary to JJ Buchanan won it 13-12.

Western Michigan players were already celebrating on the Michigan Stadium turf when the game appeared final. Bryce Underwood's Hail Mary from midfield with 9 seconds left sailed out the back of the end zone as the clock hit zero, with Western Michigan up 12-7 and seemingly securing what the Detroit Free Press notes was only the second-ever win by a MAC team over Michigan and the first since 2008. But officials reviewed the play and put 1 second back on the clock, ruling a defender touched the ball beyond the end zone before expiry. Given one more snap, Underwood heaved a second Hail Mary, and transfer receiver JJ Buchanan came down with it for a 13-12 Michigan win — sending thousands of Michigan fans rushing the Big House field instead of the Broncos.

The statistics told a story of a Broncos upset, not a Michigan escape. Western Michigan outrushed the Wolverines 132-106, ran more plays (67 to 48), committed fewer penalties (five for 40 yards to Michigan's nine for 80), forced three turnovers while committing none, and dominated time of possession 40:08 to 19:52, according to the Detroit Free Press. Michigan scored on its opening drive and then not again until after the clock technically expired. The USA Today adds a layer of irony: Michigan paid Western Michigan $1.5 million for the game, per MLive, a standard guarantee for a heavyweight hosting a Group of Six underdog — money that nearly bought the most humiliating loss of the Kyle Whittingham era before it began.

The ruling that a defender touched the ball with 1 second remaining is drawing sharp skepticism. The New York Times reports that NBC rules expert Terry McAulay was stunned by the decision, saying the ball was clearly still in the air when the clock hit zero on NBC's screen and that the Big Ten 'is going to have to tell a lot of us how did they get to one second on this play,' suggesting the Hawkeye review system may have had a sync discrepancy. CBS Sports likewise characterized the finish as a controversial review in its live coverage, noting the clock was at zero and the Broncos led 12-7 before the ruling gave Michigan one more shot. The decision transformed what looked like a program-shaking upset into a celebrated escape.

Michigan's mistakes nearly authored the upset. With 12 seconds left in the first half, Underwood threw a careless interception on a short out route deep in his own territory, per the Detroit Free Press, and Dillon Moore returned it for a touchdown before officials ruled he stepped out of bounds — Western settled for a field goal and a 6-7 halftime deficit. The Broncos also executed a staggering 20-play, 71-yard drive that consumed 13:40 and gave them a 9-7 lead with 10:25 to play.

The night was not without positives for Michigan. The Detroit Free Press named edge rusher Dom Nichols its player of the game, citing nine tackles including 2½ for loss and three drive-killing plays — a third-down sack forcing a punt, a second sack forcing third-and-long, and a tackle for loss on Jalen Buckley that knocked the Broncos out of field goal range. Teammate Blake Frazier said Nichols was going to 'terrorize people' this season. JJ Buchanan trended up even before his winning catch, hauling in a one-handed grab on a botched play and accounting for more than half of Michigan's passing production before the Hail Mary. But CBS Sports flagged clean-game concerns: a muffed punt, Underwood turnovers, and repeated illegal formation penalties under a coach, Whittingham, known for discipline.

The escape buys Whittingham a 1-0 start — his teams were 17-4 in season openers at Utah, per MGoBlue — but no time to fix the flaws. CBS Sports notes Michigan rushed for just 106 yards on 25 carries and hosts No. 9 Oklahoma next Saturday, Sept. 12 at noon on Fox, a rematch of a game Oklahoma won last season in Norman. The Detroit Free Press lists the rest of a schedule that includes Oregon, Penn State, Indiana and a Nov. 28 trip to Ohio State, with ESPN's SP+ model ranking Michigan's slate the fifth-toughest in the FBS, per MGoBlue.