As hysteria descended into disbelief throughout Michigan Stadium Saturday night as a last-ditch Hail Mary saved coach Kyle Whittingham from an unimaginable upset in his debut, the television cameras quickly caught up with quarterback Bryce Underwood — as they had all evening.
Hours earlier, during a rousing pregame scene in Ann Arbor, the broadcast followed an emotional Underwood out of the tunnel and into a pregame huddle, during which he sang a rousing speech for his teammates. When Underwood ran to an open spot on the field for a final prayer before kickoff, cameras were ready and waiting to capture him pointing skyward.
Bryce Underwood threw for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception in Michigan’s win over Western Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The countdown to Michigan’s opener against Western Michigan was all Underwood, all the time.
And that’s exactly how the evening ended. Underwood’s 47-yard touchdown to wide receiver JJ Buchanan on what turned out to be the final play — a moment made possible only by a confusing and controversial review in which a mysterious second was added back to the game clock — averted an unthinkable upset that could have derailed Michigan’s season.
Instead, the Wolverines were given an unlikely new lease as a defiant air spread across Underwood’s face and fans filed onto the field.
“A blessing,” Underwood said during the postgame press conference. “That’s the only way I can put it, honestly. Just another opportunity for us to believe in our guys and put on a show.”
Although Michigan escaped the opener with an improbable 13-12 win over the Broncos, plenty of questions still remain ahead of the Wolverines’ high-profile showdown with No. 10 Oklahoma in Ann Arbor on Saturday (noon ET, FOX). That is, HOW.
as in, HOW can a Whittingham-coached side whose discipline and leadership have been lauded for decades put in a performance plagued by so many self-inflicted wounds?
like can Underwood, who spent the offseason working out with renowned quarterbacks coach Jordan Palmer, show so many of the same inconsistencies in technique and decision-making that plagued his uneven freshman campaign?
And finally, HOW Can an offense led by vaunted offensive coordinator Jason Beck, whose Utah team finished fourth in the nation in yards per game in 2025, outscore Western Michigan on the ground (132 yards to 106), on third down (eight to three conversions) and in the turnover battle (minus)?
Nothing about the first 59 minutes and 59 seconds of Saturday’s game should have filled the Wolverines with hope — let alone confidence — as Underwood prepared for the final pass.
“To my sick stomach is how I would describe the feeling of that game,” Michigan edge Dom Nichols said during the postgame press conference. “It should never have come to this. Obviously, I’m glad we went 1-0 up, but we have a few things to put right.”
Michigan’s Dom Nichols had nine tackles and 1.5 sacks in the Wolverines’ win over Western Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
It’s a far cry from how the Wolverines felt about themselves and their long-term outlook just over a month ago, right before fall camp began, when I spoke with several Michigan players by phone and in person at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago. Especially on the offensive side of the ball. At the time, the wide receiver corps felt like the combination of Beck’s innovative system and some notable improvements from Underwood could elevate the offense to college football’s top tier.
Sophomore Andrew Marsh, who has been open about his goal of becoming the first Michigan player to eclipse 1,000 yards since Jeremy Gallon in 2013, told me the new scheme is a “receiver-friendly offense and definitely an offense I’m looking forward to playing this year.” He caught two passes for 15 yards against the Broncos and was basically a non-factor.
Buchanan, the star transfer who followed Whittingham and Beck from Utah to Michigan, told me that Underwood has “every trait you want in a QB1.” And then Underwood turned the ball over several times Saturday night while completing just 11 of 21 passes for 123 yards before the Hail Mary, which – it has to be said – was a spectacular throw that traveled roughly 60 yards in the air.
Bryce Underwood connected with JJ Buchanan for a 47-yard touchdown pass that led the Wolverines to a win over Western Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
But before that impressive stretch of play by Underwood and Buchanan, who was arguably the Wolverines’ best player with six catches for 126 yards and the game-winning score, a home crowd of more than 110,000 at Michigan Stadium was left frustrated amid more than three full quarters of offensive abuse. Whatever hope they harbored during an 11-play, 75-yard drive to open the game was long gone when a field goal with 35 seconds left gave Western Michigan what felt like an insurmountable five-point lead.
And who can blame them?
An offensive line that Whittingham had repeatedly blasted in the build-up to Saturday’s opener struggled to generate drive at the line of scrimmage. A double-team of Jordan Marshall and five-star freshman Savion Hiter, who many around college football expected to make an immediate impact, combined for just 59 yards on 16 carries. Buchanan and Marsh were the only wide receivers to catch passes for a position group that has been heralded as the program’s deepest and most talented in years.
“I feel like we just have to come out and dominate and be aggressive like we’re on the first kickoff (in) every game, you know?” – said Underwood during the press conference after the game. “We can’t get down, the energy can’t drop, we can’t get comfortable. That’s really what it’s all about.”
Surely Underwood should know that Michigan’s offensive dysfunction runs far deeper than any inability to sustain motivation through four quarters, especially when it comes to his performance. Many of the issues Underwood experienced against the Broncos were eerily reminiscent of his shortcomings last year, which should be alarming for Whittingham, Beck and quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer Jr. considering the caliber of the opponent.
Was it really just a slump in energy that led Underwood to make one bad decision after another, throwing balls in traffic until he finished with five career touchdowns at Pro Football Focus and the lowest overall grade of his tenure as Michigan’s starter?
Was it really just a lapse in energy that allowed Underwood’s ball security to expire on a critical fourth-quarter carry that resulted in a lost fumble?
Was it really just a dip in energy that caused Underwood’s mechanics to erode after an impressive opening in which analyst Todd Blackledge touted what he perceived as significant improvements in footwork, pace and timing?
And yet, while Underwood’s Hail Mary to Buchanan won’t erase the passing game woes that preceded it, it was the kind of spectacular, pressure-packed play that could change the way an offense views itself.
Underwood now has a defining moment leading into next week, and if the latest shot can inject some confidence into an offense that spent much of Saturday searching for itself, the Wolverines may have found something far more valuable than a way to escape.
But whether that moment can actually become a turning point — and whether Michigan can fix the problems that necessitated a miracle in the first place — are among the questions the Wolverines must ponder between now and kickoff against Oklahoma next weekend.
Because a Hail Mary, no matter how brilliant, can’t save Underwood from the CIA-level scrutiny she’s about to receive.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Whittingham said during the post-match press conference when asked about his message to the team. “The level of difficulty next week goes up a lot. And if we don’t play a lot better, it won’t be pretty.”
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Bryce Underwood’s Hail Mary saved Michigan from a stunning upset in one of college football’s wildest finishes in recent memory.
