In a dramatic turn of events, Bryce Underwood connected with JJ Buchanan on a 47-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass, lifting No. 16 Michigan to a narrow 13-12 victory over Western Michigan on Saturday night.
The Wolverines entered the game as heavy 27-and-a-half-point favorites in head coach Kyle Whittingham’s debut, but the Broncos believed they had secured a historic upset when Underwood’s initial Hail Mary attempt sailed out of bounds as time expired.
Western Michigan players were already celebrating on the field when officials called for a review. Television replays indicated the clock had hit zero before the ball reached a defender, yet officials ruled that one second remained on the clock.
“I was pretty sure there was one second left,” Whittingham remarked.
Underwood launched another desperate throw, and Buchanan leaped high to snatch the ball, securing it as he landed in the end zone.
“That’s one for the history books right here,” Whittingham added.
Western Michigan was threatening to deliver Michigan its most shocking defeat since its season-opening loss to Appalachian State in 2007, when the Wolverines were 33-point favorites. The Broncos kicked four field goals and forced three turnovers, including a late fumble from Underwood.
Western Michigan took the lead for the first time early in the fourth quarter behind Dieter Kelly’s 39-yard field goal, which capped a grueling 20-play drive that consumed 13 minutes and 40 seconds off the clock.
Underwood struggled throughout the game, losing a fumble at his own 31-yard line with 1:50 remaining after throwing an interception in the first half and narrowly avoiding two other potential picks.
“There was no hooting and hollering in the locker room because we have a lot of work to do,” Whittingham noted.
Kelly, a junior-college transfer from the College of San Mateo, drilled his fourth field goal with 35 seconds remaining, forcing the Wolverines to score a touchdown to win—a feat they accomplished in spectacular fashion.
Western Michigan, which has competed in major college football within the Mid-American Conference since 1962, has never defeated a top-20 opponent in the Associated Press poll.