Bryce Underwood, No. 16 Michigan Avoid WMU Upset Bid on Hail Mary, Big Ten Issues Statement on Clock

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood uncorked a 47-yard Hail Mary pass that landed in wide receiver JJ Buchanan's hands for a game-winning touchdown with no time remaining as the No. 16 Wolverines survived a tremendous upset attempt from the visiting Western Michigan Broncos and won 13-12.

However, Michigan got that chance because officials deemed there was one second remaining on the clock after Underwood's previous Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete. Initially, the clock ran out and showed zero, but one second was put back after an official review.

The Big Ten issued a statement on the matter, and the Mid-American Conference did as well.

Michigan was a monstrous 27.5-point favorite heading into this game, per FanDuel Sportsbook . However, the Wolverines' offense couldn't get anything going between the touchdown-scoring opening drive and the final play. That didn't matter, though, as the Wolverines ultimately came through with the big win.

This game won't be without controversy, however. On the penultimate play , Underwood threw a Hail Mary that went through the end zone and into a throng of players that was navigating out of bounds.

Upon further review, the game clock hit zero before the pass was deflected off any players, meaning the contest should have ended.

Sports journalist and writer Rodger Sherman of the Sports! newsletter slowed down and edited the video of the play , and the ball is just a few feet away from coming in contact with anyone on the field when the clock shows zeroes.

It initially appeared that Western Michigan won the game, and the Broncos began celebrating. After an official review, however, referees put one second back on the clock. That led to Underwood's Hail Mary miracle and Michigan's great escape.

NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay questioned how Big Ten officials arrived at the conclusion that there was one second left on the clock.

Ultimately, the Big Ten has stated that Western Michigan safety Micah Davis was out of bounds when he touched the ball, which stops the clock and results in an incomplete pass ruling. The clock the Big Ten showed had one second left, although it clearly was not in sync with the NBC broadcast clock, which showed no time remaining.

People will be talking about the final second of the game for years, but there were (officially) 59 minutes and 59 seconds of game action before then as well.

Michigan's offense looked crisp to start thanks to an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped by Underwood's one-yard touchdown leap on 4th-and-goal.

However, Michigan's offense went completely stagnant from there thanks in large part to a great WMU defensive effort. The Wolverines' next four drives went a combined 26 yards and ended in punts.

Michigan's last first half drive was calamitous. The Wolverines had the ball on their own 27-yard line with nine seconds left and little chance to score but decided to throw the ball. WMU linebacker Dillon Moore came up with a pick, and Kelly hit a 45-yard field goal with no time left.

Both teams traded punts to start the third quarter, but Western Michigan then engineered a 20-play, 71-yard drive that took nearly an entire quarter's worth of time (13:40 to be exact) off the clock. Kelly's 39-yard field goal gave WMU a 9-7 lead with 10:25 left.

Both teams traded punts again, but WMU was winning the field position battle and pinned Michigan on its own seven-yard line with 3:04 remaining.

Three plays later, Underwood ran for 13 yards to the Michigan 31, but WMU defensive back Joshua Franklin forced a fumble, recovered by teammate KJ Burley.

The Broncos had a chance to run the clock out on their next drive and had a 3rd-and-2 on the Michigan 12-yard line, but a fumbled snap (which they recovered) led to a two-yard loss. Kelly hit his fourth field goal, this time from 33 yards out.

Michigan's final drive started with two incomplete passes, but Underwood found Buchanan for a 28-yard strike on 3rd-and-10. He then spiked the ball, leading to the final two plays.

This game served as Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham's debut with the team. Whittingham, who was Utah's head coach from 2005-2025 before arriving in Ann Arbor, couldn't have scripted a more dramatic start.

He spoke after the game about the emotion of the moment, the issues Michigan encountered during the matchup and the infamous second left on the clock.

WMU head coach Lance Taylor took the high road when asked about what happened at the end of the game.

The biggest question, of course, is what the officials saw leading to there being one second left.

As of late Saturday night into early Sunday morning, there was no word, although reporters requested a pool report (i.e. a designated media member speaks with a game official regarding a matter).

It appears, though, that officials won't be speaking on the matter.

One can guess that the ending to this game will be much-discussed in the ensuing days. It'll certainly go down in history.

Michigan Stadium isn't immune to Hail Mary passes. In 1979, Michigan wideout Anthony Carter hauled one in to beat Indiana, 27-21. In 1994, Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart found wide receiver Michael Westbrook to beat Michigan, 27-26. It's not immune to major upsets either, as then Division I-FCS Appalachian State notably beat No. 5 Michigan 34-32 in 2007.

This time around, Michigan found itself on the right side of Hail Mary history while avoiding another historical upset.

Looking ahead, WMU and Michigan move along to Saturday's Week 2 contests.

The Wolverines will remain home next Saturday but will take on an extremely tough No. 10 Oklahoma squad, which opened the season with a 51-0 win over UTEP.

The Broncos will return home to host Monmouth.