Michigan Wolverines fans embarrass themselves even worse than Bryce Underwood after controversial win over Western Michigan
The Michigan Wolverines got lucky in the craziest way on Saturday night and it changed the way many think about the program.
Saturday night at the Big House produced one of those “where were you” moments, though not the kind Michigan Wolverines fans would want to remember. The Wolverines avoided the upset against the Western Michigan Broncos with a 13-12 win on a Hail Mary that required an extra second added to the clock on a very controversial call.
The finish was wild, as it gave quarterback Bryce Underwood another opportunity to throw it. On that second Hail Mary attempt, Underwood threw it shorter than the first, and tight end J.J. Buchanan hauled it in with a Richard Rodgers-like catch. If you remember the Hail Mary the Green Bay Packers hit against the Detroit Lions back in 2014, that’s the visual.
The call that made it possible
There wasn’t much validity to adding another second unless the clock in the stadium was different from the game clock, which can happen but does not happen often. It was an absurd call, and if the roles were reversed with the game at Western Michigan, there may have been beer bottles thrown onto the field. The Broncos were robbed of what should have been a signature win, and the controversy surrounding the final sequence will linger all season long.
The numbers paint a staggering picture. Earlier in the drive, Western Michigan had a 99.9% chance to win the game. At the time of the final play, the Broncos still held a 98.7% win probability. Michigan’s escape ranks among the most improbable finishes you will see in college football.
Because the finish was improbable, it makes sense on the surface that fans would storm the field. However, context matters. Michigan fans didn’t storm the field after an exciting win over a ranked opponent or a rivalry game. They stormed the field after barely avoiding a massive upset. Think about that for a second. The Wolverines were 27.5-point favorites, and the fan base rushed the field as if they had just won a national championship.
That in itself is embarrassing, and Michigan fans got absolutely roasted for it.
When you’re supposed to boat race a team, and you need a controversial clock addition plus a Hail Mary to survive by a single point, celebrating like you pulled off the upset of the century is not the look you want. The win goes in the column, but the optics from Saturday night at the Big House told a far different story.
