If you had written off Michigan football for dead on Saturday night, you wouldn't be alone.
The clock did strike zero after all. But after refs reviewed the final play and put one second left on the clock, Bryce Underwood and J.J. Buchanan snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a Hail Mary touchdown pass with triple zeros on the clock.
How it ended at the Big House: pic.twitter.com/OZwW5sEvD1
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 6, 2026
Michigan 13, Western Michigan 12. Just like we planned it all along.
A win is a win. Western Michigan is a very good team, too. The Broncos probably won't lose many games this season, but the best team in the MAC shouldn't be the measuring stick.
The Wolverines were pushed around. Bryce Underwood played poorly, and Kyle Whittingham's staff looked like it was in over its head.
It's always better to have something to learn after a win than a loss, and Michigan football is 1-0 in the most unlikely way possible.
Here are three instant takeaways from the 13-12 win.
Bryce Underwood hasn't improved
Underwood delivered a great ball on the final play of the game. He threw the ball to Buchanan, who should have been the target. On the previous play, Bryce overthrew it badly.
That salvaged a win, which is certainly better than a loss. Hopefully, this will be a wake-up call and we will see a completely different team, as well a completely different quarterback next week.
It's hard to believe that at this point. Underwood can improve, but the massive leap in development didn't happen, judging by the season opener, at least. He completed 12 of 22 passes for 170 yards. He had two touchdowns and two turnovers.
It wasn't the kind of performance that would earn a passing grade.
Kyle Whittingham didn't look like an upgrade
All the things we expected to see from Whittingham's team, we didn't see. The defense was tough, but there were way too many penalties. The special teams were terrible. Underwood looked worse than he did at any point last season, at least on every drive that wasn't the first or the last, and the offensive line got pushed around all night.
The Wolverines allowed 132 yards rushing and gained 106. That was as shocking as anything we saw in the Big House. It was as worrisome, too.
The defense was a bright spot
Even before the miracle touchdown, even if Michigan had lost, the defense would still have been a bright spot. Western had the ball for 40:08, so it wasn't surprising that the run defense wore down a bit in the fourth quarter.
Michigan still allowed just 132 rushing yards and 221 total. Western scored 12 points, and didn't find the end zone, despite three turnovers that gave the Broncos the ball inside the Michigan 40.
The Broncos put together two solid drives. Outside of that, the defense was stout. It was actually the only part of the Michigan football team that lived up to the preseason hype.
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