Michigan Got One Second Back—Then Bryce Underwood Threw a 47-Yard Hail Mary to Win 13–12

Western Michigan’s players were already celebrating on Michigan’s field. The clock showed zero, the first desperation pass had fallen incomplete, and one of college football’s biggest opening-week upsets appeared complete.

Then officials reviewed the final play, restored one second and gave No. 16 Michigan another chance.

Bryce Underwood used it. The Michigan quarterback launched a second Hail Mary, and JJ Buchanan came down with the 47-yard touchdown that turned a looming upset into a 13–12 Wolverines victory Saturday night in Ann Arbor.

Why officials put one second back on the clock

The controversy began with Michigan trailing 12–7 and attempting a Hail Mary as time expired. Underwood’s first pass sailed out of bounds, the clock reached zero and Western Michigan players poured onto the field believing they had won.

Replay officials then examined when Western Michigan defensive back Micah Davis first touched the ball. The Associated Press reported that Davis began his jump from an established out-of-bounds position and made contact with the pass while one second remained.

Because touching the ball from out of bounds makes it dead at that moment, officials ruled the clock should have stopped with one second showing.

The Big Ten released video and replay-center audio after the game and stood behind the decision. Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said his conference and Western Michigan sought clarification and received video and audio supporting the ruling.

Underwood acknowledged that the ending surprised him, too.

“I definitely thought the game was over because there were zeroes on the clock,” he said, according to AP.

Underwood and Buchanan made the extra second count

Michigan still needed to convert an extremely low-percentage play. On the untimed-looking final snap—but with one official second remaining—Underwood evaded pressure and threw deep toward the end zone.

Buchanan rose in traffic, secured the ball and came down with the game-winning touchdown. The official scoring summary carried by ESPN lists the play as a 47-yard pass from Underwood and the final score as Michigan 13, Western Michigan 12.

Buchanan finished with six receptions for 126 yards and the decisive touchdown. Underwood completed 12 of 22 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also scored Michigan’s only other touchdown on a one-yard run during the opening drive.

“One for the history books right here,” new Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham said after winning his debut.

Western Michigan controlled most of the game

The spectacular finish obscured how close Michigan came to a damaging loss. The Wolverines entered as 27½-point favorites but committed three turnovers and possessed the ball for only 19 minutes, 52 seconds. Western Michigan controlled possession for 40:08 and limited Michigan to 276 total yards.

The Broncos never reached the end zone, but kicker Dieter Kelly made all four of his field-goal attempts—from 52, 45, 39 and 33 yards—to build a 12–7 lead. His final kick came with 35 seconds remaining.

According to Western Michigan’s official recap, Broc Lowry completed 15 of 21 passes for 89 yards, while Jalen Buckley led the rushing attack with 62 yards. The Broncos’ defense forced three turnovers and appeared seconds away from the program’s first victory over a top-20 opponent.

A win that still raises questions for Michigan

The final score preserved Michigan’s undefeated start, but the performance exposed immediate concerns. After scoring on its opening possession, Michigan went scoreless for nearly the entire remainder of the game. Western Michigan repeatedly extended drives, and the Wolverines converted only three of 10 third downs.

Reuters’ Top 25 roundup described the result as Michigan surviving a “huge scare” in Whittingham’s first game as head coach.

For Western Michigan, the loss will be remembered less as a routine defeat than as the upset that seemed finished twice: once when the first Hail Mary failed and again when the clock displayed zero.

One replay review changed that. One restored second created one more throw. And one 47-yard catch delivered the defining moment of college football’s opening weekend.