Michigan edges Western Michigan 13-12 on last-second Hail Mary after video review

Touchdown pass decides opener

No. 16 Michigan avoided an upset in head coach Kyle Whittingham's debut, defeating Western Michigan 13-12 on Saturday night at Michigan Stadium. The Wolverines entered the contest as 27.5-point favorites but trailed inside the final minute after failing to score since their opening drive. With time running out, quarterback Bryce Underwood connected with JJ Buchanan on a 47-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass into the end zone. Buchanan leaped among a crowd of defenders to secure the catch, prompting spectators to pour onto the field to celebrate.

The controversial review

The winning touchdown occurred only after officials added one second back to the game clock following a video review. Underwood's initial Hail Mary pass had sailed out of the end zone as the clock appeared to run out, prompting Western Michigan players to rush the field in celebration. Replays on television showed the clock displaying zero before the ball touched a defender, but officiating crews determined that a Western Michigan defender touched the ball beyond the back of the end zone with one second remaining.

I was pretty sure there was one second left.

Television rules expert Terry McAulay questioned the decision, noting discrepancies between the broadcast feed and officiating systems.

The ball isn't even close to touching the player when it goes to zero. Now their system, their Hawkeye system, apparently either had a different sync or whatever and they came up with one second when it touched the player. I don't see how that happened assuming our clock is correct. It is clearly not touching the player, the ball is clearly still in the air when the clock goes to zero on our screen. So the Big Ten is going to have to tell a lot of us how did they get to one second on this play.

Western Michigan's defensive stand

Western Michigan controlled large stretches of the second half by generating three turnovers and executing long scoring possessions. The Broncos took their first lead early in the fourth quarter when kicker Dieter Kelly, a junior-college transfer from College of San Mateo, converted a 39-yard field goal. That kick concluded a 20-play drive that consumed 13 minutes and 40 seconds of game clock. Kelly added his fourth field goal of the night with 35 seconds remaining to extend Western Michigan's lead to 12-7.

Underwood faced persistent pressure throughout the night, throwing one first-half interception and losing a fumble at the Michigan 31-yard line with 1:50 remaining in regulation.

Whittingham's debut and program context

The outcome spared Michigan from what would have been its most significant upset since falling as 33-point favorites to Appalachian State in 2007. Western Michigan, a member of the Mid-American Conference since 1962, sought its first victory against an Associated Press top-20 opponent. Whittingham acknowledged after the game that his team had substantial room for improvement despite the winning finish.

There was not hooting and hollering in the locker room because we have a lot of work to do.

Whittingham termed the final sequence "one for the history books right here" as Michigan escaped with the victory ahead of its upcoming schedule.