There wasn’t a game on Saturday’s slate, and perhaps in all of college football in recent memory, that ended with more controversy than Michigan’s matchup against Western Michigan.
Trailing 12-7 with nine seconds left, Michigan had the ball at midfield with quarterback Bryce Underwood preparing to attempt a Hail Mary.
Underwood heaved the pass toward the end zone, but it fell incomplete as the clock appeared to hit 0:00. Many assumed the game was over and that Western Michigan had pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent college football history.
However, the referees saw things differently. After reviewing the play, they put one second back on the clock, giving Michigan another chance at a Hail Mary.
The Wolverines took advantage of the opportunity, with Underwood connecting with wide receiver JJ Buchanan on the second attempt to give Michigan a stunning 13-12 victory.
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Underwood Makes Statement After Michigan Win
After the game, Underwood, who didn’t play particularly well until the final play, addressed Michigan’s victory.
“We had one second, and the thought was get my guys an opportunity, and that’s what I did,” Underwood said via Clayton Sayfie of The Wolverine on On3.
Bryce Underwood: “We had one second, and the thought was get my guys an opportunity, and that’s what I did.”
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) September 6, 2026
Underwood made it clear that the offense needs a lot of work after its performance.
“Offensively, we have a lot of work to do,” he added. “There were a few plays that could’ve cost us the game… I had a few MAs [missed assignments], and a few MAs could’ve cost us the game, so I need to be better.”
The second-year QB finished 12-for-22 with 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception while rushing nine times for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Whittingham’s Postgame Comments
Whittingham is now 1-0 in his Michigan tenure, and he had a blunt reaction to the team’s victory.
“This game will go down in Michigan history,” Whittingham said. “I don’t know if it’ll be positive history. We have a lot of things to fix. We didn’t stop the run, run the ball well or win the turnover margin, get enough first downs. All of that is squarely on my shoulders.”
“We were not a good football team tonight, and Western Michigan was. We were flirting with disaster. They’ll be talking about this game for years, I’m sure. Credit the crowd, most of the crowd stayed.”
Bryce Underwood Makes Statement After Michigan’s Controversial Win Over WMU