The Aporia · Michigan deny minnows Western Michigan with controversial last-second Hail Mary

Michigan defeated Western Michigan 13-12 on Saturday night with a last-second Hail Mary touchdown pass from Bryce Underwood to JJ Buchanan. The clock had initially expired, but officials ruled there was still one second left to play, allowing for the game-winning throw. This marked a potential upset for the Broncos, who kicked four field goals and forced three turnovers against heavily favored Michigan. Western Michigan has never beaten a top 20 team in the Associated Press poll since joining major college football in 1962.

Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-06, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

Story summary

The Western Michigan Broncos were on the verge of pulling off a massive upset against the Michigan Wolverines, but a clock controversy changed the course of the game. The Broncos thought they had secured a historic win when Bryce Underwood's Hail Mary attempt sailed out of bounds with zero seconds left on the clock. However, officials reviewed the play and determined that there was still one second remaining, allowing Michigan another chance to score.

In the end, Underwood connected with J.J. Buchanan for a 47-yard touchdown pass, lifting Michigan to a 13-12 win over Western Michigan. The decision to put one second back on the clock has been widely criticized, with many calling it a "cover-your-ass" move by the Big Ten league office.

The incident sparked controversy and debate among fans, officials, and analysts, with some questioning whether Michigan would have been given another chance to score if they had missed the second Hail Mary attempt. The game was marked by a series of bizarre events, including Michigan fans storming the field in celebration after the win.

Written for “Michigan-Western Michigan Controversy” on 2026-10-23, grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Clock controversy allows Michigan Wolverines to avoid massive upset against Western Michigan same event · 100%

Fox News

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 36 📰 publisher trust 67

“Both articles describe the same game between Michigan and Western Michigan, with a Hail Mary pass being the pivotal moment, on the same date (September 6, 2026)”

Michigan fans called out on social media for rushing field after Wolverines steal win over Western Michigan same event · 100%

Fox News

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 13 📰 publisher trust 67

“Both articles describe the same game between Michigan and Western Michigan, with a disputed Hail Mary attempt and its aftermath”

Michigan-Western Michigan clock controversy leaves players, fans and a rules analyst puzzled same event · 100%

Fox News

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 2% hedged 1 of 41 📰 publisher trust 67

“Both articles describe the same game, teams, and outcome, with a focus on the controversy surrounding a Hail Mary pass in the final seconds of play.”

Group of refs, officials call explanation of controversial Michigan ending ‘pile of garbage’: College football analyst same event · 100%

New York Post

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 12 📰 publisher trust 66

“Both articles report on a specific game between Michigan and Western Michigan, with a focus on a controversial ending where a Hail Mary pass was reviewed to put one second back on the clock.”

Both report: Both articles report on the controversial ending of a game between Michigan and Western Michigan, where a Hail Mary pass was reviewed to put one second back on the clock.
This one adds: The Guardian article reports that the final score was 13-12 in favor of Michigan, with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Underwood to JJ Buchanan. This detail is not present in the New York Post article.
The other adds: The New York Post article quotes a college football analyst who describes the Big Ten league office's explanation as a "pile of garbage", and suggests that they are trying to cover up their mistake. This criticism is not present in the Guardian article.
Framing: While both articles report on the controversy surrounding the game ending, the Guardian article frames it more neutrally, simply reporting on the events without explicit criticism or opinion. The New York Post article, on the other hand, has a more sensational tone and explicitly criticizes the Big Ten league office's handling of the situation.

Luke Weaver's third touchdown pass lifts San Jose State over Eastern Michigan 27-21 different event · 80%

Toronto Star

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 12 📰 publisher trust 64

“The articles report on two separate college football games, one between San Jose State and Eastern Michigan, and another between Michigan and Western Michigan.”

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

No reporter is named on this article, beyond the feed's “Agencies”.

Given an unlikely second chance at a game-ending Hail Mary, Bryce Underwood connected with JJ Buchanan for a 47-yard touchdown pass that lifted No 16 Michigan over Western Michigan 13-12 on Saturday night. asserted

that → give → night

The Broncos thought they’d secured a historic upset when Underwood’s first Hail Mary sailed out of bounds with the clock expired. asserted

clock → think → bounds

WMU players were already on the field celebrating when officials called for a review. asserted

officials → celebrate → review

TV replays showed the clock hitting zero before the ball hit the hands of a Western Michigan defender, but officials ruled there was a second still to play. asserted

officials → show → defender

“I was pretty sure there was one second left,” Whittingham said. asserted

Whittingham → be → ?

Underwood heaved another throw, and Buchanan leaped to snag it and came down with it in the end zone. asserted

Buchanan → heave → zone

“One for the history books right here,” Whittingham said. asserted

Whittingham → say → books

Western Michigan was threatening to hand Michigan perhaps its biggest upset since a season-opening loss to Appalachian State in 2007, when the Wolverines were 33-point favorites. asserted

Wolverines → threaten → 2007

The Broncos kicked four field goals and forced three turnovers, including a late fumble by Underwood. asserted

Broncos → kick → Underwood

WMU went ahead for the first time early in the fourth quarter on Dieter Kelly’s 39-yard field goal that capped a 20-play drive that took 13:40 off the clock. asserted

that → go → clock

Underwood lost a fumble at his 31 with 1:50 left after throwing an interception in the first half and nearly getting picked off two more times. asserted

Underwood → lose → half

“There was not hooting and hollering in the locker room because we have a lot of work to do,” Whittingham said. asserted

Whittingham → be → work

Kelly, a junior-college transfer from College of San Mateo, made his fourth field goal with 35 seconds left to force the Wolverines to score a touchdown to win – and they did in dramatic fashion. asserted

they → make → fashion

Western Michigan, which has played major college football since 1962 in the Mid-American Conference, has never beaten an opponent in the top 20 of the Associated Press poll. asserted

which → play → poll

Michigan deny minnows Western Michigan with controversial last-second Hail Mary

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