The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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26 THE WOLVERINE ❱ OCTOBER 2026 BY STEVE KORNACKI D esperation sets in for teams and their fans when only a glimmer of hope remains, and victory has pretty much become mission impossible. But there are those rare, crazy games when against-all-odds comebacks occur and miracles happen. Michigan had one such game in the 2026 season opener, Sept. 5 in the Big House against Western Michigan. JJ Bu- chanan caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Underwood, front and center in the north end zone, with six Broncos defenders clawing from behind on the game's final play. And, so, the Wolverines escaped with that sudden, unexpected 13-12 victory. That got us thinking about what other games in program history compare to the improbability and electricity of that one. Two Michigan wins claimed with fi- nal-play-of-the-game passes emerged as the most memorable. The first occurred when a 45-yard touchdown pass from John Wangler to Anthony Carter beat Indiana 27-21 at homecoming in 1979. A.C. scampered into the south end zone, ball held high in one hand, as a celebration broke out in Ann Arbor. The second was a 15-yard touchdown pass from Scott Dreisbach to Mercury Hayes that won the 1995 Pigskin Clas- sic 18-17, as the Wolverines overcame a 17-0 deficit against a Virginia team that included future NFL stars and twins Ronde and Tiki Barber. Hayes' clutch moment occurred in the same north end zone where Bu- chanan pulled the rabbit out of his hat. There are at least four other great winning finishes that came in the final minute – and sometimes final seconds – of games. Those were: John Kolesar's acrobatic 20-yard touchdown catch on fourth-and-3 from Demetrius Brown in the final minute of the Jan. 2, 1988, Hall of Fame Bowl victory over Alabama in Tampa. Jamie Morris rushed for a career-high 234 yards in this game, and Gary Moeller was the substitute head coach for Bo Sc h e m b e c h l e r, wh o wa s re cove r- ing from quadruple heart bypass sur- gery. There was plenty of drama to go around in the 28-24 victory, but the left-handed Brown going for broke to HAIL WOLVERINE Michigan Had A History Of Last-Second Football Heroics Even Before 2026's Season Opener Against Western Michigan Wolverines quarterback John Wangler drops back to pass against Indiana during the 1979 game in which he hit Anthony Carter for a 45-yard, game- winning touchdown as time expired in a 27-21 victory over Indiana. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY