For a few seconds Saturday night, Western Michigan had pulled off the kind of upset that lives forever.

The scoreboard at Michigan Stadium showed 0:00. The Broncos were celebrating a 12-7 victory.

Then the officials went to replay, put one second back on the clock, and gave No. 16 Michigan one final snap.

What happened next turned a grim season opener into instant college-football folklore.

Quarterback Bryce Underwood rolled away from pressure and launched the ball toward the end zone. JJ Buchanan climbed above the crowd and came down with it for a 47-yard touchdown, giving Michigan a 13-12 win on the final play.

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The Associated Press reported that Underwood’s first Hail Mary attempt had fallen incomplete as the stadium clock reached zero. Replay officials determined that Western Michigan safety Micah Davis touched the ball while out of bounds with one second remaining, which stopped the clock and created the second chance.

That ruling changed everything. Western Michigan went from a completed upset to defending the end zone one more time, and Michigan needed only that single snap to erase the result everyone in the stadium thought was final.

The Broncos had earned every ounce of the shock. They controlled the ball for more than 40 minutes, forced three turnovers, and held Michigan to just 12 first downs.

Michigan entered the night as a heavy favorite. Instead, it trailed 12-7 after Dieter Kelly kicked his fourth field goal with 35 seconds left.

The University of Michigan’s official game center lists the final sequence as a six-play, 75-yard drive completed in 35 seconds. Underwood finished with 170 passing yards and another 47 on the ground, while Buchanan accounted for 126 of Michigan’s receiving yards.

The same official record shows how thoroughly Western Michigan dictated the pace. The Broncos ran 67 plays to Michigan’s 48 and outgained the Wolverines 132-106 on the ground.

Michigan committed nine penalties for 80 yards and converted only three of 10 third downs. Western Michigan converted eight of 18, another measure of how close the Broncos came to controlling the game all the way through the final horn.

But none of those numbers could protect a five-point lead from one untimed-looking, disputed, breathtaking final second.

Underwood did not pretend the night had gone according to plan. Afterward, he described the last throw in simple terms: give his receivers a chance.

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The Western Michigan athletic department credited its defense with forcing three turnovers and noted that Kelly went 4-for-4 in his first game as a Bronco. Linebacker Dillon Moore led the team with six tackles and an interception.

Its recap described the ending without editorializing: the Broncos held a 12-7 lead, and Michigan connected on a Hail Mary as time expired.

That restraint does not make the loss any less brutal. Western Michigan was one disputed second away from its first win over Michigan in nine meetings and one of the biggest victories in program history.

For Michigan, the escape saved Kyle Whittingham’s debut as head coach and preserved a remarkable home-opening record. The Wolverines are now 103-15-2 in home openers and 38-1 against Mid-American Conference opponents.

For everyone else, the finish is a reminder of what makes college football impossible to quit. The clock can read zero and one team can be celebrating.

The other can look beaten.

And then one second can turn the whole stadium upside down.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

 

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