For a long time, the home team held a solid lead over the visitors: 7 to 3. “Time” would eventually prove to be the key factor in this historic match. Then, the impossible happened: the score flipped as the Broncos caught up to the Wolverines, taking a 12-7 lead. The clock ran out, the Broncos and their fans celebrated, and the Wolverines were left heartbroken. Since they are one of the strongest teams in college football, losing to a weaker opponent was a tough pill to swallow for the players and their supporters.

But then came the first “miracle”. Time wasn’t actually up. Upon review (through some electronic wizardry, I assume), officials determined there was one second left to play. Okay, what can you really do in one second? Enter the second “miracle.” J.J. Buchanan made a mid-air catch of a massive pass downfield by Bryce Underwood for a touchdown – a play TV commentators widely dubbed a «Hail Mary touchdown» («il gol dell’Ave Maria» in a loose Italian translation). The miraculous last-second catch earned Michigan six points, bringing the final score to 13-12 for the Wolverines. This left local viewers, TV audiences, and sports commentators in total shock. I’ll leave it to you to imagine how the Broncos’ supporters felt; from riches to rags in just one second.

I was rooting for the Broncos, who were the underdogs in this scenario, so it ended badly – terribly, in fact. It was one of those unfair, almost fatal defeats, dictated by fate and a spectacular flying football player. The crowd of Wolverines’ supporters went absolutely wild, leading to an epic field rush that will go down in the history of U of M. The aerial view of the stadium (captured by numerous drones) was almost unsettling, but undeniably and utterly spectacular. I am still convinced that American football isn’t for me. I’d rather “suffer” with my hometown soccer team, Fiorentina, through its 100-year tale of dust and glory. Still, this is certainly one game you don’t easily forget.