Western Michigan had Michigan on the ropes, and instead of a clean finish, the game turned into a mess of missed calls that left fans furious.
The biggest flashpoint came on the final play everyone now calls the “Bail Mary.” With the clock showing zero, the game should have been over.
Instead, the Big Ten officials put one second back on the clock, and Michigan got one more snap. Bryce Underwood found JJ Buchanan, and the Wolverines walked away with a win that had plenty of people convinced Western Michigan had already earned the right to celebrate.
That ending was the one everyone noticed, but it wasn’t the only officiating mistake that swung the night.
Late in the game, with just over 11 minutes left, Western Michigan faced 3rd-and-11 and ran the ball with Cole Cabana. Cabana got outside and was dragged down by what looked like a facemask, but no flag came out.
That should have meant 15 yards and an automatic first down. Instead, Western Michigan settled for a 39-yard field goal to go ahead.
Then came another missed call with a little more than three minutes left. Western Michigan was punting on 4th-and-7 while leading 9-7, and the punter was clearly hit. No flag was thrown for running into the punter, even though that penalty would have changed the down and distance and put head coach Lance Taylor in a very different spot.
The final sequence only made the frustration worse. The Big Ten later released a statement defending the decision to add time back, but the optics were ugly. Western Michigan players started celebrating because they believed the game was over - and by all appearances, it should have been.
Michigan is 1-0, but Western Michigan left with every reason to feel robbed.
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