The No. 16 Michigan Wolverines scraped by Western Michigan 13-12, but honestly, “scraped by” doesn’t even begin to cover the chaos. Kyle Whittingham’s coaching debut for Michigan on Saturday night looked like an absolute disaster for 59 minutes and 59 seconds, with the heavily-favored Wolverines trailing 12-7 inside the final minute and their offense looking straight-up stagnant. The Broncos were about to pull off a massive upset, no question.
That “Extra” Second And The Hail Mary Heard ‘Round The League
Then, things got weird. Like, *really* weird. After Bryce Underwood threw a Hail Mary that didn’t connect, the refs inexplicably gave him one last shot, claiming there was still one second left on the clock even though it looked like double zeroes had already hit. Seriously, what was that call? On the second try, Underwood launched another desperate heave, and boom, it connected for the touchdown and a 13-12 Michigan win. You can’t make this stuff up! Look, a win is a win, right? But barely beating a Group of 6 team at home, with a huge assist from the clock operator and the zebras, doesn’t exactly scream confidence. Michigan finished the night with a measly 12 total first downs and just 276 total yards of offense. Even worse, Western Michigan actually out-gained them on the ground 132-106. That’s not the kind of opening statement you want from a Top-16 team.
Rocky Starts Are A Michigan Tradition?
If you’re a Michigan fan, you gotta be breathing a huge sigh of relief, but also probably doing some serious head-scratching. While Whittingham’s debut was rough, he’s actually far from the first Michigan head coach to have a less-than-stellar opener. Sherrone Moore, the coach Whittingham replaced in 2024, had a smoother debut, beating Fresno State 30-10, but even that offense struggled, with only two offensive touchdowns, the rest coming from a pick-six and field goals. Back in 2015, Jim Harbaugh kicked off his era with a 24-17 road loss to Whittingham’s Utah team, with QB Jake Rudock throwing three picks. Rich Rodriguez in 2008 also lost to Whittingham’s Utah, falling 25-23 in a close one where Michigan had three fumbles and a late two-point conversion to tie it failed. So, yeah, this Whittingham guy has a knack for giving Michigan fits in season openers, whether he’s coaching against them or for them. Brady Hoke in 2011 and Lloyd Carr in 1995 both had better debuts against Western Michigan and No. 18 Virginia, respectively, pulling out solid wins.
This controversial victory means Michigan starts 1-0, but man, you gotta wonder how much confidence they’re actually carrying into the next game. That performance, especially the stagnant offense and that wild ending, is definitely something they’ll be looking to clean up.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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