Michigan football news: Wolverines player confesses he was ‘sick to stomach’ about Western Michigan game

The Michigan Wolverines escaped with a 13-12 win over Western Michigan on Saturday night, but the celebration inside the Big House masked genuine frustration from a locker room that knows it dodged a bullet in Kyle Whittingham’s coaching debut.

MICHIGAN HAIL MARY WIN!

JJ BUCHANAN OH MY GOODNESS. pic.twitter.com/Ic48vnm7t1

— TheWolverine.com (@TheWolverineOn3) September 6, 2026

Edge rusher Dominic Nichols didn’t sugarcoat how the night felt after Bryce Underwood’s 47-yard, second-chance Hail Mary to JJ Buchanan saved the Wolverines from what would have been one of the program’s most stunning upsets since the 2007 loss to Appalachian State.

“Sick to my stomach is the way I would explain the feeling of that game,” Nichols said. “It should have never came down to that.”

Western Michigan, a 27.5-point underdog, controlled much of the night, winning the turnover battle 3-0 and outgaining Michigan through most of the contest. The Broncos took a 12-7 lead early in the fourth quarter on Dieter Kelly’s fourth field goal of the game, capping a 20-play drive that ate 13:40 off the clock.

Michigan’s offense had managed just a single touchdown through nearly 60 minutes before Underwood’s final desperation heave appeared to sail incomplete as time expired, only for officials to place one second back on the clock. Underwood then found Buchanan in the end zone for the winning score, prompting thousands of fans to storm the field.

Nichols, who finished with nine tackles and 1½ sacks, was also asked about the field-rushing scene that followed, a celebration that drew national criticism given the opponent.

“That wasn’t a moment we really wanted to be living in, to be honest,” Nichols said. “I mean, it’s Western Michigan.”

Despite the discomfort, Nichols and his teammates were quick to acknowledge the result still counts. Michigan opens Whittingham’s tenure at 1-0, but Nichols made clear the performance demands correction before the Wolverines host No. 10 Oklahoma next.

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