Michigan escaped with a 13-12 win over Western Michigan in one of those endings that instantly turns into a full-blown internet argument.
The Wolverines looked like they were done when the first Hail Mary fell incomplete after the broadcast clock had already shown zeros. Western Michigan thought it had survived. Then officials put one second back on the clock, Bryce Underwood got one more shot, and JJ Buchanan hauled in a 47-yard prayer to send Michigan home with the win in Kyle Whittingham’s first regular-season game on the sideline.
The sequence was enough to set off social media, and Jomboy Media’s full clip of the finish spread fast. The controversy centered on whether there should have been any time left at all. NBC’s Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge, and rules analyst Terry McAulay talked through the ending, and McAulay said he wasn’t sold on the replay explanation.
“The ball isn’t even close to touching a player when it goes to zero,” he said. “Their Hawk-Eye system apparently had a different sync. I don’t see how that happened, assuming our clock is correct.”
That line became the fuel for the wave of “rigged” reactions that followed. Fans piled on with posts calling the finish shady, accusing the referee crew of needing to be investigated, and flat-out saying the game was fixed.
One fan wrote, “Shadiest sequence in a long time. Western Michigan got absolutely screwed,” while another posted, “The most blatantly rigged game I’ve ever seen holy shit man.”
Another message simply read, “Michigan Wolverines still cheating.”
The Big Ten issued its explanation early Sunday. According to the conference, Western Michigan’s No.
18, Micah Davis, jumped from an established out-of-bounds spot and touched the ball with one second left. The league said it used a side-by-side look at the play along with a direct shot of the stadium clock.
It also noted that cameras had been strobe-synced 85 minutes before kickoff. NCAA rule 4-2-3-a says the clock stops when a loose ball hits a player who is out of bounds.
Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor said he expected the play to be reviewed. “I knew that they would review it,” he said. After the extra second appeared, he told his team to give Michigan an opportunity.
MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher later praised both programs and thanked the Big Ten for quickly explaining the ruling.
The result still landed like a gut punch for anyone wearing Western Michigan colors. Michigan entered as a 27-point favorite and still needed a second-chance heave to put away a MAC opponent at home. Fans stormed the field after the final whistle, while the broadcast clock and the stadium clock told two very different stories.
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