How Michigan Hail Mary changed fortunes of Bryce Underwood, Kyle Whittingham in one second

Michigan was supposed to re-establish an aura of stability with the arrival of veteran coach Kyle Whittingham in 2026.

In a round-about way, that might have been exactly what happened.

But first, there was dysfunction and controversy – a different breed than what has followed the program for the last five years off the field. A wild finish in Whittingham's debut that – right or wrong – will live on the montages forever at Michigan Stadium.

This all happened in one second that should not have been on the clock in the first place. In a stunning reversal of the "Miracle at Michigan," quarterback Bryce Underwood hit JJ Buchanan on a 47-yard Hail Mary that gave the Wolverines a 13-12 victory against Mid-American Conference preseason favorite Western Michigan.

Time appeared to expire on the previous play – when Underwood's first Hail Mary attempt sailed out of the end zone. Western Michigan players stormed the field. Yet an official review put one second left on the clock. It's as dysfunctional as it sounds.

"Fortunately we had one second left on the clock," Whittingham said on the NBC telecast afterward. "Bryce threw a perfect ball, JJ made a great catch and it's one for the history books right here."

Instead of an addendum to another upset loss between the 34-31 loss to Appalachian State in 2007 under coach Lloyd Carr and the 13-10 loss to Toledo under Rich Rodriguez in 2008 – the Wolverines escaped with a victory ahead of a Week 2 showdown against No. 10 Oklahoma.

Underwood – who finished 12 of 22 for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception – played the role of hero. Whittingham won his debut with the Wolverines. The Wolverines' all-maize uniforms went from retired attire to remembered forever.

Who knew one second could change those fortunes so fast?

Bryce Underwood's Hail Mary saves rough night

Underwood – the embattled five-star quarterback who struggled as a freshman – hit 5 of 5 passes for 61 yards and scored on a one-yard TD sneak with 9:40 left in the first quarter.

Everything afterward until that final second was brutal. Michigan could not run the ball with Jordan Marshall, who had 11 carries for 44 yards; or freshman Savion Hiter, who had five catches for 15 yards.

The Wolverines were 3 of 10 on third down. Underwood threw an interception late in the first half that set up a Western Michigan field goal and had a fumble on the next-to last drive on a scramble. The Broncos led 12-7 with 35 seconds remaining. The new-look offense under coordinator Jason Beck had a bad night.

For Underwood, a loss would have meant disaster. There were – and still might be – calls to get a look at backup Tommy Carr – the grandson of Lloyd Carr, who won a national championship with the Wolverines in 1997. Underwood had not lived up to the lucrative NIL deal that led him to flip from LSU to Michigan.

Instead, Underwood changed the narrative with that one throw to Buchanan, a slot receiver who made a leaping catch between Western Michigan defenders inside the goal line for the game-winning score.

"Hail to the Victors" played. Michigan students stormed the field against a MAC school.

Kyle Whittingham wins wild Michigan debut

Whittingham knows about spoiling Michigan coaching debuts. He led Utah to victories against the Wolverines in 2007 in Rich Rodriguez's debut and against Jim Harbaugh in 2015.

It was a different game on the other side. The Wolverines were disjointed. Michigan had nine penalties for 80 yards. The Broncos took a 9-7 lead in the fourth quarter on a 20-play, 71-yard drive behind quarterback Broc Lowry that ended with 13:40 left in the fourth quarter.

Western Michigan – led by coach Lance Taylor – outplayed the Wolverines up until the final second. Yet Whittingham's reaction afterward was telling. He's the even-keeled 66-year-old coach who was supposed to bring stability back to Ann Arbor and seemingly built to handle the theatrics that come with coaching at Michigan.

The Wolverines might drop in the AP Poll despite beating Western Michigan, and the controversy around that final second will linger. Michigan still has a tough schedule, and they did not look the part of a Big Ten or College Football Playoff contender. That is reality.

Yet that one second suspended reality in the moment.

Think about what that one second represents. A loss would have been a total embarrassment for the Wolverines.

This would have been the hammer that never dropped with the NCAA investigation into the sign-stealing scandal involving Conor Stallions at the end of the Harbaugh era during the 2023 national championship season. This could have been labeled as a side effect of the dysfunction after Sherrone Moore was fired at the end of the 2024 season and athletic director Warde Manuel stepped down this summer.

Yet you can't put an asterisk next to this victory either. Michigan got away with it again – and Whittingham avoided the fate of some of those wild finishes in Ann Arbor in the past – the ones that always went against the Wolverines.

Kordell Stewart. Cory Lynch. Jalen Watts-Jackson. Those are names that live in Michigan infamy.

Yet this resembled another lesser-replayed finish on Aug. 26, 1995. That is when Scott Dreisbach hit Mercury Hayes for a touchdown in the back corner of the same end zone for an 18-yard TD pass as time expired. That gave Michigan an 18-17 victory against Virginia in Carr's debut – and with it a mostly stable era followed until that Appalachian State upset.

Maybe that identity is back, after all. No matter what, the beginning of the Whittingham era will be defined by that one second.