Western Michigan had the celebration ready. Michigan was down 12-7, the clock had struck 0:00, and a massive upset appeared complete. Then the officials intervened, restoring one second and giving Bryce Underwood another chance. His Hail Mary to JJ Buchanan flipped the script entirely. Amid the controversy surrounding the ending, former Buckeye Garrett Wilson has now shared his thoughts.

As the former Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver gears up for the 2026 season with the New York Jets, he didn’t hold back when asked about Michigan’s controversial win over Western Michigan during a recent media interaction.

“I didn’t watch it. I was watching tennis, honestly. But it doesn’t surprise me. Them getting the nod on some BS,” said Wilson with a smile in the video posted by SNY.

Wilson’s words echo what many within the football community are thinking, and given Ohio State and Michigan’s longstanding rivalry, his comments make perfect sense.

The play in question occurred at the end of the game, with the clock showing 00:00 and Western Michigan holding a 12–7 lead. However, at that very moment, the Big Ten replay booth intervened.

Officials reviewed the play and ruled that Western Michigan safety Micah Davis jumped from out of bounds and touched the football in midair.

When replay officials reviewed the sequence again using the advanced Hawk-Eye tracking system, they determined that exactly one second remained on the clock when the contact occurred. As a result, the play continued, and the Wolverines got their chance to claim victory.

The Big Ten argued that Davis made contact with the ball while time remained on the clock, and the Hawk-Eye system reportedly showed the same. However, NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay was quite confused by the hubbub.

“Talking to a producer and he tells us our in-set clock is in sync – is the actual stadium clock,” McAulay said. “The ball isn’t even close to touching a player when it goes to zero. Their Hawk-Eye system either had a different sync or whatever, and they came up with one second when it touched the players. I don’t see how that happened, assuming our clock is correct. The ball is clearly still in the air when the clock goes to zero on our screens.”

Was the Hawk-Eye system out of sync with the on-screen timer? Well, the Week 1 game has been surrounded by so much controversy that Western Michigan brought the issue before the NCAA, appealing to have the situation overturned.

NCAA clarifies protocol as WMU takes its Michigan controversy to appeal

Seeking to have the outcome reversed, the MAC appealed on behalf of the Broncos, arguing that Western Michigan should be recognized as the actual winner of the game. However, despite its efforts, the NCAA upheld the Wolverines’ victory, stating that its rules provide no mechanism for overturning the final result of a completed game.

“The replay official’s decision will be based on the embedded game clock contained within the program feed. If the broadcaster is unable to provide an embedded game clock, the replay official will use the game-clock graphic displayed as part of the broadcast feed,” highlighted the NCAA in a memorandum shared with The Athletic’s Ralph Russo.

Acknowledging the glaring need for a standardized approach, the NCAA emphasized that timing procedures must be applied uniformly, declaring, “Moving forward, this timing protocol should be followed consistently at all institutions and game sites.” The organization noted that such a protocol was necessary because “replay technology and available broadcast resources may vary among institutions, conferences, and game sites.”

The Big Ten also said it is standing by the initial explanation provided by its replay officials and will have no further comment.

Western Michigan’s hopes were shattered, and the players looked shell-shocked after the game. And why wouldn’t they be? They gave everything they had and still went down fighting against a giant.

That said, despite the victory, the Wolverines dropped out of the AP Top 25 after initially being ranked No. 16.