Michigan escapes, but hail, hail to Western Michigan

We had the story written. Western Michigan, 0-33 all-time against top-20 teams, had just walked into the Big House as a 27.5-point underdog and taken No. 16 Michigan behind the woodshed. Dieter Kelly kicked four field goals — 52, 45, 39 and 33 yards. The Broncos led 12-7 with no time on the clock. The biggest upset of the college football season was complete.

Then the Big Ten refs found a second.

A review put one tick back on the clock. Bryce Underwood, under heavy pressure and hit as he released, heaved a 47-yard prayer toward the end zone. JJ Buchanan outleaped the WMU secondary and snagged it a yard inside the end zone. Touchdown. Michigan 13, Western Michigan 12. The Big House stormed the field to celebrate one of the most improbable escapes in program history — against the defending MAC champions.

The national reaction was immediate: If the power 4 can’t beat ‘em, cheat ‘em.

The aftermath played out predictably. The MAC sought clarification. The Big Ten cited NCAA rule 4-2-3-a — a Western Michigan defender who started his jump from out of bounds touched the ball with one second remaining, stopping the clock. The MAC accepted the explanation. The conferences exchanged statements. Everyone was professional.

Lance Taylor had not seen the replay when he met with media. He did not complain. “I thought our guys did an excellent job” defending the first Hail Mary, he said. “Unfortunately, we did not defend it as well the second time.” He pointed out that the first attempt went toward the back of the goal line and the second toward the front pylon — and his defense adjusted to the wrong spot. “That’s a good lesson for our defense. We can’t just box out the back of the end zone. We’ve gotta make sure that we’ve covered them up at the front pylon as well.” That is a coach who is teaching, not litigating. File that away.

But whether the clock should have read 0:01 or 0:00 is not the point. The point is what Western Michigan proved in the 59 minutes and 59 seconds before it.

Michigan was fortunate to survive Saturday night. Western Michigan gave them no quarter. The Broncos carried the fight from the opening possession, dominated the second half and held a Big Ten offense to a single rushing touchdown for 59 minutes and 59 seconds. If one official sees that clock differently, this is the biggest win in Western Michigan history.

The loss does not change what we saw. Western Michigan is a legitimate contender for the Group of 6's College Football Playoff bid — something we pegged from the start.

We ranked the Broncos No. 4 in the Diehard G6 Top 25, higher than most prognosticators bothered to place them. The reasoning was straightforward: WMU went from 0-3 to 10-4 last season, won the MAC championship and the bowl game for the first time in program history and returned virtually the entire roster. The only starter who left through the transfer portal was long snapper RJ Todd. That level of retention does not happen in college football anymore — especially not in the Group of 6, where portal raids can strip a contender bare overnight.

The reason everyone else overlooked them was sitting right there on the schedule. Week 1, at Michigan. Automatic loss. Why bother projecting Western Michigan into the CFP conversation when they are going to drop a game before September is over? That was the logic, and it kept WMU out of nearly every serious G6 playoff discussion.

Saturday night exposed that logic as lazy. Western Michigan was not just competitive in the Big House. The Broncos were the better team for most of the game.

The evidence was in how they controlled the clock. WMU rushed 46 times and threw 21. Broc Lowry, last year's MAC Offensive Player of the Year, completed 15 of 21 passes for 89 yards and ran 15 times for 35 more. Jalen Buckley, the MAC Championship Game Offensive MVP, carried it 19 times for 62 yards. The Broncos finished with 221 total yards and zero turnovers. None of those numbers scream upset. They scream a team that executed a game plan built to win ugly — and did, until one reviewed second changed the outcome.

The fourth-quarter drive told the whole story. Twenty plays. Seventy-one yards. Thirteen minutes and 40 seconds. WMU's veteran offensive line — the same group that powered last year's championship run — wore Michigan's defensive front down. That is not a fluke drive. That is a team imposing its will on a Big Ten program in its own building.

The defense was just as decisive. WMU lost MAC Defensive Player of the Year Nadame Tucker (14.5 sacks) and defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary to the Los Angeles Chargers. The front seven was supposed to need time to rebuild. It held Michigan to seven points for 60 minutes.

Lance Taylor is the reason this program is built the way it is. He is from Mt. Vernon, Alabama — walked on at the Crimson Tide, earned a scholarship and played 38 consecutive games as a wide receiver. His father played running back at Alabama under Bear Bryant. Taylor started coaching as a graduate assistant for Nick Saban. He coached Christian McCaffrey at Stanford and Kyren Williams at Notre Dame, where he helped guide the Irish to the College Football Playoff. This offseason, his name surfaced for bigger jobs — including UAB in his home state. He signed an extension through 2030 and stayed in Kalamazoo.

What he has built there deserves national attention regardless of Saturday's final score.

This result also fits a pattern building across the Group of 6. Tulsa beat Oklahoma State. UMass stunned Rutgers as a 28.5-point underdog. Boise State took No. 2 Oregon to seven points. Programs with stable coaching and intact rosters are competing with anyone. The programs that churn through the portal every offseason are the ones getting pushed to Hail Marys at home against MAC opponents.

Now the calendar turns to the game that will define Western Michigan's season. Sept. 26: Boise State visits Kalamazoo. No. 1 in our G6 Top 25 against No. 4. People will remember how close WMU came in the Big House. The Broncos will remember they had it won. That kind of fuel does not go away in three weeks.

The schedule was supposed to be the disqualifier. Instead, it might be the thing that makes Western Michigan dangerous.