It's a good thing that Kyle Whittingham brought JJ Buchanan with him from Utah, because without the talented wide receiver, Michigan wouldn't be 1-0.
Many people are treating the Wolverines as though they are 0-1, even though the Big Ten explained, with video and audio of the live review, how there ended up being a second on the clock.
The idea of a conspiracy is silly. Michigan football was awarded another chance at a Hail Mary pass, something that is rarely completed. The last time a game-winning Hail Mary was hit at the Big House it was thrown by Kordell Stewart back in 1994.
That one broke the hearts of Wolverine fans. Saturday night, Buchanan took his turn breaking hearts, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat with one of the greatest catches in Michigan football history.
JJ Buchanan deserves a game ball from Michigan's win
Regardless of everything else that happened in the game, Buchanan was a stud. He caught six passes for 126 yards and made an incredible catch two plays before the touchdown to help the Wolverines get into range. That was on top of a one-handed snag in the first quarter, on Michigan's other scoring drive.
The 6-foot-4 sophmore garnered a ton of buzz during fall camp. That looks like one of the things that was true. Buchanan is a future pro. He already looks like Michigan's No. 1 wide reciever after the Wolverines struggled to get the ball to Andrew Marsh.
Hopefully, that will be solved this week. It has to be, if the Wolverines are going to have any shot at upsetting Oklahoma, a touchdown favorite to win in the Big House on Saturday.
Brent Venables is going to load the box like Western Michigan did. Bryce Underwood will have to figure out how to stand in the pocket and deliver the football. Buchanan will make that easier. He's a dude and someone who can win jump balls, even against a team like Oklahoma.
The problem is that Oklahoma knows that, too. It will make it harder to get the ball to Buchanan. Underwood should be able to rely on Marsh, but the offensive line needs to protect better. The coaching staff needs to ditch the Rhino package until Andrew Babalola is healthy enough to play, and it also needs to run Underwood 20 times in this game, like OU did with John Mateer last season.
Regardless of what happens this coming Saturday, Michigan is 1-0 for now, thanks in large part to the efforts of Buchanan, who gets our game ball from the 13-12 win.
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