Michigan-Western Michigan controversy, explained: How iffy clock decision allowed UM to escape upset

Like many power conference teams who faced lower-level competition this weekend, Michigan is 1-0. How it happened is unforgettable.

The Wolverines didn't romp their way to a Week 1 win. Michigan instead nearly suffered one of the biggest embarrassments in program history, stalling offensively and falling behind 12-7 before Western Michigan opened the door ever so slightly in the final minute.

After Bryce Underwood's Hail Mary pass sailed over the end zone and the clock hit triple zeros, the game appeared to be over. Western Michigan celebrated, and the Wolverines didn't appear to protest much.

Then, the officials announced a surprise: A second would be added to the clock, allowing Michigan to run one more desperation play from near midfield. The rest is history.

Here's a look at how it all unfolded.

Michigan-Western Michigan controversy, explained

Michigan faced long odds on its final drive, needing to cover most of the field with just 35 seconds remaining while trailing by five. A 28-yard strike put the Wolverines near midfield with nine seconds remaining, but nothing Underwood did after Michigan's opening drive indicated that some kind of miracle was waiting in the wings.

Underwood's Hail Mary attempt appeared to confirm that. The pass sailed over the heads of Wolverines pass-catchers and Broncos defenders, and the clock appeared to read triple zeros by the time the ball contacted another player.

Refs put one second back on the clock for Michigan to have another play in this game... pic.twitter.com/SF1U5BrEHb

Officials reviewed the play and disagreed. A second was added to the clock, and Underwood took advantage of it by finding JJ Buchanan for an improbable touchdown to turn a demoralizing loss into a 13-12 win.

Replay appeared to show NBC's clock at zero when the ball first contacted a Western Michigan defender outside the back of the end zone. NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay said the decision was wrong if the broadcast's clock is in sync with the stadium clock, which it is believed to be.

"The ball isn’t even close to touching a player when it goes to zero. Now their Hawkeye system, apparently, either had a different sync or whatever, and they came up with one second when it touched the player. I don’t see how that happened," McAulay said. "Assuming our clock is correct, it is clearly not touching the player. The ball is clearly still in the air when the clock goes to zero on our screen. The Big Ten is going to have to tell a lot of us, how did they get to one second on this play?"

Here's a look at Michigan's successful Hail Mary touchdown.

Final play of Michigan-Western Michigan

Underwood found Buchanan in the end zone for the unbelievable game-winning touchdown:

Michigan fans stormed the field after the win, which isn't something anyone in that building envisioned before the game started with the Wolverines entering as 28-point favorites.