Eagle Aces First Test of Busy Football Season
Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge had a lot to do during the wild ending to the Michigan/Western Michigan football game on the NBC B1G Saturday Night telecast from Ann Arbor. And boy, did they nail it.
In case you missed it, the game ended on a Hail Mary touchdown pass by Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood with no time on the clock. And who could blame you if you had other plans?
Michigan was a 27.5-point favorite, playing at home. And when they marched down the field on their opening drive to score a touchdown, this game seemed destined to become an easy victory to start the Kyle Whittingham era.
But that’s not how the game unfolded.
“Upset Alert!” flashed on phones across the nation as the nationally ranked Wolverines trailed Western Michigan, 12-7, with nine seconds left in the game, the ball on the WMU 47-yard line. When Underwood’s first attempt at a Hail Mary went through the end zone, everyone thought the game was over. NBC rules official Terry McAuley showed the replay of the clock hitting :00 before the pass was touched out of bounds. But Michigan was mysteriously awarded one more play. Hours after the broadcast, the conference released video of the actual officials’ review, in which the replay displayed a clock that still read :01 when the football was touched out of bounds. So the game continued.
Here’s what Blackledge said next on NBC: “If you are Michigan, somehow you need to throw the ball in the area of JJ Buchanan. The best part of his skill set, the receiver who came over from Utah, is making the contested catches, the 50/50 ball. A Hail Mary is not really a 50/50 scenario, but he has got to be the guy that you try to shield and protect running down the field and then give him a chance to make a play on the football.” And then Blackledge circled Buchanan on screen before the snap.
This time, Underwood’s Hail Mary attempt floated to the goal line, and there was Buchanan, leaping above the crowd to secure a 47-yard touchdown catch that gave UM a 13-12 victory.
Eagle’s call: “JJ Buchanan! Touchdown! A miracle at Michigan Stadium!” That’s a replay that will live for years in Michigan circles. Almost as impressive, Eagle then laid out (industry term for staying silent) for more than a minute, letting the pictures tell the story of this incredible finish.
I caught up with the Syracuse grad via text Sunday morning and asked him about the finish. “As crazy an ending as I’ve been a part of,” Eagle wrote. “Still crazy thinking back on it the morning after. Very cool for me to be a part of it.”
For Eagle, this is just one stop on his busy start to his 2026 college football and NFL broadcast schedule. We are barely into September, and Eagle has already called all three LA Chargers preseason games and two college games.
From Ann Arbor, the 29-year-old who was raised in New Jersey, jetted 10,000 miles around the globe to Melbourne, Australia, where he and Luke Kuechly will call 49ers/Rams on Netflix Thursday night.
Eagle is excited at the prospect of working with Kuechly, a newly minted Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker.
“He’s got a chance to be really good at this,” Eagle texted about his new partner. “He has an elite football mind, naturally smart dude, and is extremely prepared. I think he’s going to showcase all the necessary skills and teaching abilities a top analyst is supposed to have right off the bat.”
The NFL’s first game Down Under, where women glow and men plunder, airs on Netflix at 8:35 p.m. ET Thursday, which will be 10:35 a.m. Friday morning in Melbourne.
“It certainly poses unique challenges, but ironically the long travel from Ann Arbor to Melbourne will be as much a distraction-free time to prepare as any,” Eagle said via text. “It is almost an entire 24-hour window for me to be in my own zone and lock in. The biggest change will be meeting times with each team based on everyone’s travel schedule.”
If you haven’t been keeping up, the 49ers and Rams have drastically different approaches to the challenge of playing a game on the other side of the globe. The 49ers flew out on Sept. 2, while the Rams won’t leave LA until Tuesday night, landing in Australia Thursday morning local time, around 24 hours before kickoff. The results of this game will be studied like a science experiment playing out in real time.
Eagle, who may have learned a thing or two about broadcast travel from his father, CBS and Amazon broadcaster Ian Eagle, has his own secret weapon he hopes will help to combat jet lag. “Nothing crazy. I am fortunate to be a fairly talented plane sleeper so I’ll try to rely on that ability best I can.”
This is not Eagle’s first international game, but Australia is a first for him. “I’m super excited,” he said. “I got a chance to do the São Paulo (Packers/Eagles) game in 2024, and it was an absolute blast. There’s a different energy in these international cities that haven’t gotten this experience before. In this case, there are expected to be around 100,000 fans in attendance, which will be remarkable. It doesn’t hurt that the matchup is an A+!”
I asked Eagle about his three top storylines going in.
1. It’s Super Bowl or bust for the Rams. They’ve gone all in with the additions they’ve made defensively with Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson. Not to mention the now extra add of Aaron Donald. How will they look to start the year?
2. The health of the 49ers. Kyle Shanahan is coming off arguably his best coaching job of his career. Can this team stay healthy enough to truly be a Super Bowl contender?
3. An early NFC West showdown. Maybe the toughest division in football with these two teams and the reigning Super Bowl champion (Seattle). You can’t afford to lose these division matchups … even in Week 1!
As the networks and streamers continue to position themselves for future TV rights negotiations with the NFL, the sharing of broadcasting talent is becoming less common. But Eagle was given NBC’s blessing to do this game.
“I’ve been incredibly fortunate that NBC has been understanding and willing to let me work on some properties outside the company. I’m exclusive to them, and whatever else I have done since joining the network has been approved by (NBC Sports President) Rick Cordella and (NBC Executive Producer/President of Production) Sam Flood. They’ve been overly gracious in that regard. I’m excited to get to do this game and have a great season on B1G Saturday Night.”
While the game in Australia is a business trip, I asked him if he would have any time to look around.
“My plan leading up to the game is to do my same work I would do on any game week. The game is early on Friday morning locally, so I’ll have the rest of Friday to see Melbourne a bit and then all of Saturday.”
When he returns to the States, Eagle will settle into his B1G Saturday Night duties with Blackledge. Notre Dame/Michigan State is up next, Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. on NBC/Peacock.