Staff Writer: Brett Hamilton
The Michigan Wolverines, a school in the Big 10 Conference looking to appear in the college football playoffs after last appearing in 2023, where they beat the Washington Huskies to win the National Championship. With the AP Top 25 College Football Preseason Poll released, the Wolverines were placed at rank 16, a fair placement for a team that can have success, but must outweigh their concerns. One major concern was their quarterback, Bryce Underwood, a sophomore that was praised in his freshman year as the best incoming freshman quarterback in the country. However, his freshman stats would show differently, as his performance was underwhelming compared to how people praised him. Nevertheless, it is a new season for the Michigan Wolverines, and they are looking to start off hot as they have an easy matchup against their baby brother, the Western Michigan Broncos. The Michigan Wolverines would use this easy matchup as a way to make sure their team was fit and concentrated for future opponents, especially their quarterback. Michigan was a 27.5- point home favorite against the Broncos, so it’s safe to say the Wolverines won this game easily…right?
To put it simply, no, the game wasn’t won easily, far from it. The Michigan Wolverines started off hot however, scoring on their first offensive drive with a 1-yard QB Sneak rushing touchdown from Bryce Underwood. Afterwards, the Wolverines would never score again…at least not until the end. Western Michigan themselves also had difficulties getting into Michigan’s endzone, luckily, they were close enough to kick four field goals.
While the Broncos’ offense was slowly taking the lead, their defense was making sure the Wolverines couldn’t reclaim the lead. Western Michigan was able to force six punts out of Michigan, while also forcing three turnovers, one being an interception from Underwood, another a muffed punt turnover from Michigan’s punt returner, and a crucial late-game fumble from Underwood while scrambling. The Broncos’ offense also made sure to drain the clock, as they realized that scoring anything other than field goals seemed hopeless. They had possession of the ball for over 40 minutes, compared to Michigan having possession for just under 20 minutes.
With time draining, and Michigan’s chances growing slimmer, this seemed like a major upset for the Broncos. That was…until the final play of the game.
With Western Michigan leading against Michigan 12-7, the Wolverines had one final drive to try stealing the win. With 34 seconds left, Michigan was moving slow and sloppy, quickly allowing a third down before converting with 11 seconds left. With time winding down, Bryce Underwood would attempt a hail mary to win it all, only for it to go out of bounds. The Western Michigan Broncos would upset the rank 16 Michigan Wolverines 12-7 in their own stadium! Or would they? After fans and WMU players erupted in victory, Michigan’s head coach would talk with some referees, afterwards, the final play would be under review to see if the game clock fully expired. Surely it did, the clock says zero, but after further review, the referees concluded that there was one final second left on the clock, one final play for the Wolverines. On 3rd and 10, the final play of the game, Bryce Underwood would attempt a second hail mary…and it was caught this time! 47-yard touchdown to seal victory for the Wolverines as they beat Western Michigan 13-12. Wolverines’ fans and players erupted in victory, while others were stunned and rightfully so.
This game immediately gathered controversy, most people claiming it was rigged, the officials adding one more second to give Michigan an extra chance. Fans felt deceived, and didn’t know what to believe from college football after this game. Officials tried to provide reasoning for their decision, but it was mostly shot down with counterclaims from fans. With many opinions about this game spread about the internet, I ask you specifically, the reader, what do you think? Do you believe the Michigan Wolverines won fair and square, or do you think the Western Michigan Broncos had their upset victory outright robbed from the higher ups of college football?