Bryce Underwood watched his pass sail out of bounds and thought he knew what it meant for No. 16 Michigan. "I definitely thought the game was over because there were zeroes on the clock," he said. [1] So did Western Michigan. So did most of the people watching. Given a second chance by a disputed replay decision, Underwood and the Wolverines took it: JJ Buchanan pulled in the 47-yard second-chance heave for a game-ending touchdown, and Michigan escaped with a 13–12 win over the Broncos on Saturday night in Kyle Whittingham's Michigan debut. [1]
On what seemed the final play, Underwood chucked a Hail Mary that sailed beyond the end zone and into a Broncos defender's arms. [1] TV replays appeared to show zeroes with the ball still in the air. [1] The officials ruled otherwise: one second remained, because Western Michigan's No. 18, Micah Davis, started his jump from an established out-of-bounds position — left foot — and touched the ball with one second on the clock, and the clock stops on such contact by rule. [1] That is why Michigan got one more play after the Hail Mary fell incomplete. [2] A Big Ten crew, led by former PAC-12 official Jim Wharrie, made the call; the zebras' reconstruction notes Western Michigan had carried a 9–7 lead late into the fourth before the sequence. [3]
Two hours after the game, the conference published its defense: a statement standing by the review plus a recording of the replay as officials saw it, showing one second on the clock at Davis's touch. [1] Mid-American Conference commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said his conference and school contacted the Big Ten seeking clarification and received explanation with video and audio. [1] He thanked the Big Ten for its prompt response. A published review is not an apology. It is the league showing its work — frame, foot, second — and daring the aggrieved to find a different rule.
"We were flirting with disaster, and that would've been an epic loss," Whittingham said. [1] The ghosts were specific: a season-opening loss to Appalachian State in 2007 as 33-point favorites, replaying in real time for fans who watched Western Michigan celebrate at Michigan Stadium before the review made the winning score possible. [1] This year's margin was nearly as obscene — 27½-point favorites needing a second miracle to survive the directional school. [1] The fans stormed the field anyway. The team declined the mood: "Sick to my stomach is the way I explain my feelings about that game," defensive end Dom Nichols said. [1]
Whittingham said he thought a second remained; Broncos coach Lance Taylor had not seen a replay before facing reporters. [1] Underwood, redeeming a poor night, noted the redundancy had been rehearsed: "We practiced it three or four times over the last month," calling the restored second "a blessing." [1] The context around the debut is heavier than one game. Whittingham was hired to stabilize a program reeling from Sherrone Moore's firing and arrest after just two seasons — following Harbaugh's 2023 title with its spying scandal and NCAA sanctions baggage. [1] Next week brings No. 10 Oklahoma to Ann Arbor. [1] "If we don't play a lot better, it's not going to be pretty," Whittingham said. [1] A rule correctly applied, a game barely won, and a season's worth of questions arriving a week early.
-- AMARA OKONKWO, Lagos