No. 16 Michigan turns the ball over 3 times in a shocking 12-7 loss to 28-point underdog Western Michigan

Kyle Whittingham’s first game as Michigan’s head coach was an unmitigated disaster.

The No. 16 Wolverines turned the ball over three times in a shocking 9-7 home loss to Western Michigan. The Broncos were a 28-point underdog entering the game and became the second team getting four touchdowns to win straight up against a Big Ten team in Week 1 after UMass beat Rutgers on Thursday as a 29.5-point underdog.

The third turnover was absolutely devastating to Michigan’s chances of getting the win. As QB Bryce Underwood ran for a first down with less than two minutes to go, he was stripped by defensive back Joshua Franklin and defensive end KJ Burley recovered.

Michigan had all three timeouts after the turnover, but Western Michigan quickly got a first down before forcing Michigan to use the rest of its timeouts to keep the Broncos to a fourth field goal.

By the time the Wolverines got the ball back, they needed to go the length of the field after the kickoff in just over 30 seconds. And they didn’t. Underwood’s Hail Mary from midfield went out of the back of the end zone as time expired.