As many readers know, I graduated from UM almost 5 decades ago. My Evansville family went to the UM opening game in Ann Arbor during their National Championship season 3 years ago. One of my grandson's Gibi, is also a devoted Wolverine!
Saying something is unprecedented is an often overused term/phrase.
Not this time. I'm glad my wife was home to watch the ending with me. I have never seen anything like this...........EVER in any football games, let alone regarding this regarding my Michigan Wolverines.
Funny thing is that I was telling my wife that our quarterback just blew the first Hail Mary pass attempt by throwing the ball completely past the end zone.
With time for just 1 more play and UM behind by 5 points but 50 yards from the end zone, the strategy was simple:
Send all your receivers into the end zone, with the opposition sending all their guys there, then have your quarterback throw the ball into the end zone IN BOUNDS and have a "jump ball" to see who can get lucky. The opposition only needs to bat the ball down OR come up with it. M had the better athletes but it was all for naught since our quarterback threw the ball completely past the end zone and the game ended because the clock ran out.
The Western Michigan Broncos had just pulled off an incredible upset by beating the much higher ranked Wolverines in Ann Arbor for the first time ever!
They were celebrating and overcome with joy!!! M fans were totally stunned with this outcome, all of us expecting this to be a blow out.
BUT HOLD ON!
Suddenly the officials indicated that there was 1 second left on their official clock. Where did this come from???
Just enough time for M quarterback Bryce Underwood to get another chance at a Hail Mary pass. This time, he threw it inside the end zone, where every eligible receiver and the coverage was clumped together waiting for the ball to come down.
This time, an M receiver leaped above all the other players and grabbed the football, held onto it and came down in the end zone for 6 points with time expired and a 13-12 win over the team that everybody thought had won just minutes earlier!
Now, WMU was extremely stunned. After winning the game, their win was suddenly turned into a loss.
We'll see what the Big Ten officials say today to explain it. It could have been legit and the clock we saw on tv was off from the official clock. That happens!
You had to be watching that game to appreciate the dynamic.
September 5, 2026 11:29 PM
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metmike: I'm the biggest UM fan on the planet, however the Western Michigan Bronco's apparently GOT ROBBED!!!!
This brings back the unpleasant memory of a previous, unprecedented upset on September 1, 2007.
AI Overview
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I know that date well because it's also when my daughter was married. My sister Patti's family was staying with us from North Dakota. I recorded the game and we watched it AFTER the wedding celebration was over.
Biggest shocking upset in history, made worse with my brother in law cheering for the opposition the entire time and rubbing it in!
Hey Mike,
Rumor has it that the MI fans were carrying the referees off on their shoulders in celebration!
Good one Larry
It was a tough loss for Western, however the tv clock everybody was watching was off by 1 second/faster than the official game clock as the Big Ten demonstrated below!
Very unfortunate and the most extreme example of how 1 second could make such a profound difference in the outcome of a game. See more posts below.
western michigan university football
They DID get it right!!! The TV clock was off by 1 second!
The Big Ten releases footage showing controversial call was CORRECT | Michigan Vs Western Michigan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miFs7KU4caA
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https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mac-commissioner-responds-big-ten-114228239.html
The Mid-American Conference is not challenging the controversial replay decision that gave Michigan one final play against Western Michigan.
MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said the conference and Western Michigan contacted the Big Ten after Saturday night's 13-12 Michigan victory seeking clarification about why one second was restored to the clock. According to Steinbrecher, the Big Ten subsequently provided video and audiofrom the replay process that confirmed its explanation.
"I commend Western Michigan for the outstanding effort and a well-played game, and I offer my congratulations to Michigan," Steinbrecher said in his statement. "I also appreciate the collaborative efforts of the Big Ten office and its prompt response in reviewing the play and providing the requested clarification."
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This response by the Big Ten and MAC commissioner is DEFINITIVE!
Thanks, Mike! Congratulations! I looked at what you posted.
This is a tough one as the clock that players and coaches see and thus go by was evidently too fast by one second. Depending on how MI ends up this season, this game’s ending could be forever talked about just like the 5th down game still is!
Tough for sure, larry!
Most people will believe that Western got robbed and even as a UM fan, I was feeling more bad for them than I was good for UM, especially since Western(from a weak division-and we tend to root for underdogs at times) played their best game in history and UM didn't deserve to win the game against the non ranked opponent.
It bodes well for the rest of Western's season against much weaker opponents and and very poorly for UM that has arguably, the toughest schedule in the country.
They have 6 games against top 25 teams, including #1 Ohio State, #2 Oregon and #6 Indiana.
And next week, they face the #10 Oklahoma Sooners!
The Week 2 slate is highlighted by a pair of massive Big Ten vs. SEC showdowns
No. 10 Oklahoma's trip to No. 16 Michigan will be a solid undercard as the Sooners bring their dominant defense to Ann Arbor to face a scuffling Michigan offense. In light of Michigan's struggles against Western Michigan in Week 1, the line on that game has already moved significantly in OU's direction