The college football world witnessed a stunning and wildly controversial finish between Western Michigan and Michigan on Saturday night in Ann Arbor.
Despite Western Michigan holding a 12–7 advantage with less than a minute remaining, a highly debated officiating decision ultimately changed the course of the game and swung the momentum back toward Michigan at the very last second.
The dramatic last-gasp victory was certainly not the ending many expected, including Barstool Sports CFB analyst Brandon Walker. Following the controversial finish, Walker did not hold back as he went after Dave Portnoy, the founder and owner of Barstool Sports, mercilessly criticizing him for celebrating the victory.
Brandon Walker Unloads on Dave Portnoy After Michigan’s Controversial Win
Western Michigan had never defeated an opponent ranked inside the top 20 of the Associated Press poll. Yet on Saturday night, the Broncos appeared to be on the verge of making history. WMU dominated possession for more than 40 minutes, putting itself in pole position to pull off a massive upset.
Unfortunately for the Broncos, the final moments did not go their way.
Shortly after the shocking result, Portnoy openly celebrated Michigan’s improbable comeback and posted several times on X expressing his excitement over the Wolverines’ dramatic win.
However, Walker quickly took aim at Portnoy in a video, expressing his frustration over what he considered an embarrassing ending for college football.
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“It’s one of the weirdest. It’s unbelievable what happened tonight,” Walker said. “I was texting, I was FaceTiming. Dave wouldn’t answer, he wouldn’t answer. Finally, he FaceTimes me back and I just say, what a coward. What a piece of [expletive] coward. What an absolutely embarrassing, embarrassing turn for college football.
“Those guys should never work in college football again. Those officials should never work in college football again. The replay officials should never work in college football again. Unbelievably pathetic by Michigan that they are celebrating this victory.”
“What a coward. What an absolute piece of shit.”
–@BFW on @stoolpresidente
“Those officials should never work in college football again.” pic.twitter.com/mGHGjbSKQt
— Brandon Walker College Football Show (@BFWshow) September 6, 2026
As the clock was winding down, Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood heaved a desperate Hail Mary toward the end zone. The pass appeared to fall incomplete and sailed beyond the end zone as the stadium clock reached 0:00.
Western Michigan players and staff immediately began celebrating on the field. However, their celebration was abruptly interrupted when officials stopped the proceedings and initiated a replay review to determine exactly when the final play had ended.
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Following the review, officials ruled that a defender had touched the ball beyond the back of the end zone with one second remaining on the clock. The controversial ruling gave Michigan an unexpected second opportunity.
Michigan made the most of it, with Underwood finding JJ Buchanan for a 47-yard touchdown that dramatically turned a potential Western Michigan upset into a 13–12 Michigan victory.
