Michigan Wolverines Survive Upset Scare With Hail Mary vs Western Michigan
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What happened
On Saturday night at Michigan Stadium, No. 16 Michigan defeated Western Michigan 13-12 when quarterback Bryce Underwood threw a 47-yard Hail Mary touchdown to JJ Buchanan after a review restored one second following an incomplete Hail Mary that television broadcasts showed as the clock hit zero. Michigan had been 27.5-point favorites in Kyle Whittingham’s coaching debut; Western Michigan led 12-7 after four field goals, the last with 35 seconds left, and forced three turnovers including a late Underwood fumble. Broncos players had begun celebrating an apparent historic upset—the program has never beaten a top-20 Associated Press opponent—before officials ruled time remained. The Big Ten later released review video it said showed the clock at one second when a Western Michigan defender who jumped from out of bounds touched the ball, stopping the clock under the rules; the Mid-American Conference commissioner said his office received that explanation.
Sourcing check · Mostly on the record · 3 articles
2 of 3 articles cite a named source for the story. It started with unnamed sources; a named source appeared within the hour.
What these terms mean and how they're counted
- On the record · names a source 2 of 3
- On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: Kyle Whittingham, Bryce Underwood and Big Ten
- Primary evidence · cites a document or data 0 of 3
- Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: None cited.
- Credits another outlet 0 of 3
- The article says the story comes from another outlet's reporting (“first reported by Reuters”). Those articles relay the story; they are not independent confirmation. Here: Each article presents its own reporting.
- Unnamed sources 0 of 3
- The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this.
- How it developed
- When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Sep 6, 03:28 UTC by Fox News, with no named source. First named source within the hour, from The Guardian.
- Not counted 0
- Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
The last-second extra play is left looking like a gift in left-leaning coverage, which never reports the conference's published reason for restoring time. The Guardian says television showed time expire before a defender touched the ball, after which officials still allowed another Hail Mary. Right-leaning coverage in the New York Post adds that the Big Ten, two hours later, said a Western Michigan player jumped from out of bounds and touched the ball with time remaining, stopping the clock under the rules.
The Guardian's headline treats Western Michigan as "minnows," while Fox News bills the same night as Michigan fending off a shocking upset.
None of the coverage asks why the on-air clock showed the game had ended if a defender touched the ball with time still to play.
Bottom line
Skip the New York Post and you never see the Big Ten's ruling that a Western Michigan defender jumped from out of bounds. The Guardian stops at television looking like the clock had already run out.
The receipts — 6 facts one side's coverage lacks
- The Big Ten determined Western Michigan No. 18 started his jump from an established out-of-bounds position (left foot) and made contact with the ball with one second remaining, which stops the clock.
- The Big Ten published a recording of the replay review showing the game clock at 1 second when WMU's Micah Davis touched the ball.
- MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said the conference contacted the Big Ten and received video and audio that confirmed the review.
- Kyle Whittingham said he was pretty sure there was one second left.
- Bryce Underwood said he thought the game was over because there were zeroes on the clock.
- Joshua Franklin forced Underwood's late fumble.
The Left View
The Guardian frames the result as Michigan denying “minnows” Western Michigan with a “controversial last-second Hail Mary,” stressing an “unlikely second chance” after television replays showed the clock hitting zero before a defender touched the ball. It presents the extra play as snatching away what would have been a historic upset akin to Appalachian State’s 2007 win over Michigan, and quotes Whittingham saying there was “not hooting and hollering” in the locker room because the Wolverines have “a lot of work to do.”
The Right View
Fox News portrays the game as Michigan fending off a “shocking upset bid” in an “early season thriller” and a “classic (with a bit of controversy mixed in),” saying the Wolverines “caught a break” on review. The New York Post calls it a “controversial ending to avoid [a] brutal upset,” quotes Underwood saying he “definitely thought the game was over because there were zeroes on the clock,” and reports that the Big Ten stood by the review while the MAC commissioner thanked the conference for a prompt video-and-audio explanation.
Our Take (balanced)
The left-leaning account’s strongest argument is that widely seen television replays of the clock at zero before contact made the extra Hail Mary look like an unearned reprieve for a heavy favorite against a historic underdog. The right-leaning accounts’ strongest argument is the Big Ten’s released review recording and rule citation—accepted by the MAC—that the defender contacted the ball with one second remaining after jumping from out of bounds, legally stopping the clock. The central unresolved tension is the conflict between the broadcast image of expired time and the officials’ determination of when the ball was touched.
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