College football season is underway, and what a wild ride it has been already. The Michigan Wolverines were nearly upset by the Western Michigan Broncos, but star quarterback Bryce Underwood (and some luck) saved the day. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes couldn’t help but react.

“No way man 🤣🤣🤣” posted Mahomes on X on September 5.

Mahomes’ reaction came after Michigan defeated Western Michigan 13-12, which had a chaotic end.

The Wolverines were at WMU’s 47-yard line with seven seconds on the clock when Underwood threw a pass to JJ Buchanan in the end zone. However, it was an incompletion, and time had run out. For the first time since 2008, it looked like Michigan had lost to a MAC school. Ann Arbor fell silent, and Broncos head coach Lance Taylor had already begun celebrating.

However, the officiating crew felt generous.

An extra second was added to the clock after the play was reviewed. Now on 3rd-and-10, Underwood did not disappoint. The 47-yard attempt was successful, and the Wolverines escaped a massive embarrassment.

“One for the history books right here,” Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham said. 

Multiple NBC replays of the first Hail Mary appeared to show that the ball did not come near Western Michigan’s Mike Davis, who had stepped out of bounds, until the clock hit 0:00. Yet, the Big Ten claims the clock still had one second remaining.

“I know when I looked up at the clock, it was past zeros before we touched it,” Taylor told the press after the heartbreaking result. “I knew that they would review it, it was the last play of the game. Because we defended it so well, wasn’t worried or concerned about our guys going out and defending it a second time. Unfortunately, we did not defend it as well the second time.”

Even though Michigan walked away with a controversial win, this game was Western Michigan’s. They were the better team.

Michigan had an extremely tough contest against the Broncos. They could convert only three third downs, while WMU posted eight conversions. Michigan passed for more (170 yards), but Western Michigan rushed more (132 yards). The Wolverines’ offensive line struggled, and the team also racked up nine penalties, while the Broncos recorded five.

Underwood was also struggling in the game. Before the final drive, he had only recorded 95 yards. After a strong opening drive, his play suffered, and he even ended up fumbling the ball in the 4th quarter. That gave the Broncos a chance to add a field goal and extend their lead by five points, until the miraculous intervention from the officiating crew.

As of now, the MAC reached out to the Big Ten and was provided with further clarification. With synced feeds of the play and the game clock in the stadium, the MAC believes there was indeed one second left on the clock.

“The Big Ten subsequently provided video and audio of the replay, which confirmed the explanation to us,” a statement from the conference read.

After the touchdown, it was like day and night compared to what happened only moments earlier. Michigan fans stormed the field, while Western Michigan sat back in disbelief. A victory like that would have pretty much made the season for the Broncos, and perhaps spelled a problematic something for Michigan.

This is Kyle Whittingham’s first year as the Wolverines’ HC, after yet another troubling season in 2025 that eventually led to Sherrone Moore being fired. The Wolverines are on shaky ground, and going 1-0 after the Broncos game saves them a lot of face.

Had it not been for the miracle, Underwood and Michigan might have had to face a troubling reaction.