One of the final games of the first full Saturday of the 2026 college football season came with what will undoubtedly be one of the year’s most dramatic — and controversial — finishes.
With one second remaining and his team trailing by five, Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood unleashed a 47-yard heave that ended up in the hands of JJ Buchanan to help the No. 16 Wolverines avoid a massive upset with a 13-12 victory against Western Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 5 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The fact the play even occurred will be the subject of intense debate.
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previous play, Underwood had another Hail Mary attempt, which went out of the back of the end zone as the clock at the stadium had no time remaining. Western Michigan coaches and players ran onto the field in celebration, thinking they had just notched a signature win against the state’s preeminent football program, but were sent back to the sideline by officials as they reviewed the play to make sure time had expired.
After a video review, they added one second back on the clock, giving Underwood just enough time to find the 6-foot-4 Buchanan in a crowd of players in the end zone.
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) September 6, 2026
Following the end of the game, NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay was confused by the decision to not declare the game over, though he acknowledged that the officials may be using a different video review system than what NBC had on hand.
“The ball is clearly still in the air when the clock goes to zero on our screen,” McAulay said. “The Big Ten’s going to have to tell a lot of us how they got to one second on this play.”
Michigan entered the game as a 27.5-point favorite. A win over the Wolverines would have been the first in the history of Western Michigan, which fell to 0-9 against Michigan.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Western Michigan robbed? Officials add 1 second as Michigan Hail Mary helps Wolverines win
