The ending of the Michigan vs. Western Michigan game on September 5, 2026, became one of the wildest and most controversial finishes of the college football season. No. 16 Michigan appeared to have lost after its first Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete with the clock showing 0:00, and Western Michigan players began celebrating what looked like a historic upset. Then officials reviewed the play and put one second back on the clock. Michigan got another chance, and Bryce Underwood threw a second Hail Mary that JJ Buchanan caught for a touchdown, giving Michigan a stunning 13-12 win.
The final sequence was not simply about a last-second touchdown. The controversy centered on whether that extra second should have been added in the first place and why the officials believed time remained when the television replay appeared to show the clock reaching zero.
What happened on the final play?
Michigan entered the final moments trailing Western Michigan 12-7 and needed a touchdown to avoid a shocking loss at Michigan Stadium. After the Broncos kicked a field goal with 35 seconds left, Michigan had just enough time for one final possession.
Underwood moved the Wolverines into position for a Hail Mary and launched the first attempt toward the end zone. The pass did not produce a touchdown, and the ball went out of bounds with the game clock appearing to reach 0:00.
Western Michigan players thought the game was over. Some began celebrating on the field because it looked as though the Broncos had completed one of the biggest upsets in recent Michigan football history.
Why did Michigan get another chance?
The officials stopped the celebration by reviewing the final play. After examining the replay, they determined that one second should remain on the clock.
The key issue was what happened when Western Michigan defensive back Micah Davis went up to defend the Hail Mary. The Big Ten later said Davis began his jump from an established out-of-bounds position and touched the ball with one second still remaining. Under the applicable timing rule, that contact stopped the clock and meant Michigan still had another play.
That ruling completely changed the ending. Instead of Western Michigan walking away with a 12-7 victory, Michigan was given another opportunity from deep in its own territory.
What happened on Michigan's second Hail Mary?
Underwood took advantage of the extra play. He launched another long pass toward the end zone, this time finding JJ Buchanan.
Buchanan went up for the ball and came down with it in the end zone for the winning touchdown. The pass covered 47 yards, and Michigan suddenly had a 13-12 lead.
There was no time left for Western Michigan to answer. The touchdown immediately ended the game and turned what had looked like a devastating Michigan loss into a dramatic home victory.
Why was the ending so controversial?
The controversy came from the clock.
Viewers watching the NBC broadcast saw the game clock reach 0:00 during the first Hail Mary sequence. That made the decision to restore one second look extremely surprising. Replays circulated online showing the clock at zero around the end of the play, which led many fans to question whether Michigan should have been given another opportunity.
The criticism was especially strong because Western Michigan had already begun celebrating. From the Broncos' perspective, the game appeared finished and the upset appeared secured. Moments later, they were told they had to defend one more play.
The situation became even more unusual because the entire game had suddenly come down to a disputed one-second decision.
What did the Big Ten say about the decision?
The Big Ten later defended the officiating decision and released an explanation of the replay. According to the conference, the officials determined that Davis touched the ball while one second remained on the game clock.
The conference also said Davis's left foot was established out of bounds when he began his jump. Because of the timing of his contact with the ball, officials ruled that the clock still had one second left and that Michigan was entitled to another play.
The Mid-American Conference, which is Western Michigan's conference, also sought clarification from the Big Ten. The MAC said it received an explanation and video and audio from the review before accepting the league's account of what happened.
Why did the television clock make it look different?
This is one of the reasons the finish became such a major talking point.
The game clock seen by viewers on television appeared to reach zero before the play was fully over. That made the ruling difficult for fans to understand, especially because the difference involved only one second.
The officials were working from the timing evidence available to them during the review, while viewers were watching the broadcast presentation of the clock. The disagreement was therefore not simply about whether the clock was visible. It was about which exact moment during the play controlled the official timing decision.
What did the Michigan players say?
Underwood said afterward that he genuinely thought the game was over after the first Hail Mary failed. Seeing zeroes on the clock, he believed Michigan had run out of time.
That makes the final sequence even more remarkable because the quarterback went from thinking the game was lost to being given one final opportunity to win it. He made that chance count by throwing the winning touchdown pass.
Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham also took responsibility for how difficult the game had become. Michigan had struggled for much of the night, and the Wolverines needed an extraordinary finish to avoid a stunning defeat.
How close was Western Michigan to a historic upset?
Western Michigan was only seconds away from one of the biggest wins in the program's history. The Broncos had entered Michigan Stadium as heavy underdogs, yet they led 12-7 late in the fourth quarter.
They also managed to create problems for Underwood throughout the game, forcing turnovers and keeping Michigan's offense from producing consistently. Western Michigan intercepted Underwood in the first half and later recovered his fumble late in the fourth quarter.
The Broncos eventually took the lead on a 39-yard field goal by Dieter Kelly, his fourth field goal of the game. That kick came with 35 seconds remaining and appeared likely to be the winning score.
Why the finish is still being debated
The Michigan win officially counts, but the final sequence is likely to remain controversial because of the extraordinary chain of events. Western Michigan appeared to win, officials reviewed the final play, one second was restored, and Michigan then won on a Hail Mary immediately afterward.
There is also a clear difference between questioning the ruling and questioning whether the game was fixed. The controversial replay decision provides a legitimate reason to debate the officiating, but that alone does not establish that officials intentionally favored Michigan.
What is certain is that Michigan escaped with a 13-12 victory after getting a second chance that almost nobody expected to see. The Wolverines went from seemingly beaten to celebrating a walk-off Hail Mary in the span of a few minutes, while Western Michigan was left trying to process how a win that appeared complete disappeared on the final sequence.
What happened to the final score?
Michigan officially won 13-12. Bryce Underwood threw the winning Hail Mary to JJ Buchanan on the final play after the officials restored one second to the clock. Western Michigan's 12-7 lead effectively disappeared in the final moments, turning what looked like a historic Broncos upset into one of the most dramatic finishes of Michigan's season.
