{
  "id": 7916499,
  "title": "NCAA acknowledges Michigan Hail Mary vs WMU should not have happened",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/ncaa-acknowledges-michigan-hail-mary-vs-wmu-should-not-have-happened",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-17T01:05:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ncaa-acknowledges-michigan-hail-mary-010529447.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The NCAA has recently come to an understanding that the final seconds of Michigan's football game against Western Michigan should have not transpired as they did. In a summary of their review on September 16, the NCAA disclosed that instant replay protocols were not correctly implemented following the apparent game-ending incomplete pass by Bryce Underwood. Had the proper procedures been executed, the result of the match would have been distinct, reads the NCAA statement. Michigan's victory transformed into a 12-7 triumph for Lance Taylor's Broncos over the once-16th-ranked Wolverines. The Big Ten later amended the clock by one second, with Underwood completing a Hail Mary to JJ Buchanan in the end zone for a 13-12 win on the game's final play. The NCAA's acknowledgement that Western Michigan should have triumphed in the game - following the Mid-American Conference's attempt to overturn the result - further states that it lacks the authority to alter the result of a game. The NCAA highlighted two rules in relation to the situation: Rule 1-1-3-b: When the referee declares the game concluded, the score stands. Rule 5-2-9: No rule decision can be modified following the subsequent legally snapped ball, legally free-kicked ball, or the end of the second or fourth periods.",
  "summary": "The NCAA acknowledged that instant replay protocol wasn't followed in the Michigan-Western Michigan game, and the Wolverines should have lost.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}