Have you grown tired of reliving Ohio State’s 2016 double-overtime win over the Michigan Wolverines? Neither has ESPN.
On Thursday, the sports network will be re-airing the game in a 4-hour presentation as part of their Throwback Thursday series of college football’s greatest games.
Beginning with a 20-minute pregame show at 7:00 pm Thursday, the program will feature additional commentary from those who covered the game, as well as those who were there on the field, most notably head coach Urban Meyer and quarterback JT Barrett.
Here is the full release from ESPN.
Throwback Thursday: CFB Classics – Encore Presentation of 2016 No. 3 Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State Airs This Week
- Two Overtime Mega-Tilt Filled with Dramatic, Highly Debated Plays and Moments
- Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard Conversation Added to Encore Presentation
- Throwback Thursday: CFB Classics to Continue in May
ESPN will air the 2016 rendition of Michigan-Ohio State, when both teams were ranked in the top 3, on Thursday, April 30 (7 p.m. ET), in the network’s latest installment of Throwback Thursday: CFB Classics. The Wolverines-Buckeyes encore presentation will be four hours, as the mega-tilt was filled with dramatic, highly debated plays and moments, taking two overtimes to decide a winner.
As fans re-live the showdown between the No. 3 Wolverines and No. 2 Buckeyes, additional musings from Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Desmond Howard will be interspersed throughout the presentation. Fowler and Herbstreit called the game, along with Sam Ponder and Tom Rinaldi, while Howard was in attendance with College Gameday Built by The Home Depot.
ESPN’s Throwback Thursday: CFB Classics will continue in May, which will include the encore presentation of the 2002 Florida State-Miami game. The air date of the Seminoles-Hurricanes matchup, as well as other encore presentations, will be announced in the coming weeks. In order to maximize the length of the classics, CFB150 elements will no longer air in conjunction, but remain available on ESPN+.
2016 Michigan-Ohio State: A Game of Inches
The 2016 Michigan-Ohio State showdown was voted one of college football’s greatest games, as both teams came into the game with one loss and shared Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff aspirations. After a scoreless first quarter, the Wolverines took the lead in the second quarter and would remain ahead until the Buckeyes forced overtime with a game-tying last second field goal in the final stanza. After trading touchdowns in the first overtime and a highly-debated Ohio State 4th-and-1 conversion in the second overtime, the Buckeyes would win the game on a 15-yard touchdown run.
Special Elements around Michigan-Ohio State Encore Presentation
- During the presentation, Fowler, Herbstreit and Howard will expound on the 2016 game specifically, but also the more than 115 year rivalry between the two schools.
- Leading into the game, Fowler, Herbstreit and Howard will join Maria Taylor for a special 20 minute social pregame show via the ESPN App and @ESPN Twitter handle.
- Personalities surrounding the game are scheduled to join ESPN shows and platforms, including former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer and then-Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett.
- ESPN’s College Football Twitter handle will also amplify the presentation
- ESPN’s BottomLine will add to the encore presentation, providing historical context and supplemental information throughout the night.
- On ESPN.com, Ivan Maisel will recounts his favorite moments from CFB’s fiercest rivalries over the past 20 years, while Bill Connelly and Mark Schlabach reminisce about their favorite games and moments of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry
ESPN Primetime Programming
Throwback Thursday: College Football Classics is one part of ESPN’s primetime slate which includes Monday Night Classics (NFL), MLB Encore Tuesdays, and NBA Wednesday Nights.
I was there and when Samuel broke into the open that was one of the most insane celebrations Ive witnessed in the Shoe. Even Urban hit the ground for a few seconds in relief!! That years offense was still feeling the loss of a lot of guys leaving a year early, and was still a year before Kevin Wilson came in and help retool the offense. Our WR group was very young and we basically had JT, Curtis Samuel and some Mike Weber. Noah Brown was inconsistent and Campbell, Hill McLaurin and Dixon were all very young. But that team was only a blocked FG miracle at Penn St from being undefeated leading into the playoffs. I still think that was one of Urban’s best coaching jobs with so many losses and a lot of uncertainty on the offense.
I will probably watch SOME of it, but I do find myself wishing it was Gus Johnson and Charles Davis, and not Fowler and Herbstreidt.
Something else I’ve noticed during 6 weeks of shutdown: Urban Meyer called a pretty conservative game compared to Ryan Day. And you can say it’s the personnel, or whatever. But it hurts to watch some of the play calling and Tressel-esque punt-heavy game plans after being captivated by Ryan Day for the last couple of years.
You can always watch the 60 minute version on BTN.
Your loss.
I would LOVE to watch that game again!
I would HATE to watch it on ESPN!
If I tried to endure MORE commentary from the E-SPiNists, I would have to clean up my puke on the carpet.
I would HATE that.
Nope, I refuse to give ESPN any airtime in my house whenever possible.
I will maintain THAT quarantine as long as possible.
im in! never re-watch games, but will make exception here…esp w/ commentary. incredibly game, and yes, it was a first down…but helluva tackle by the mich guy to stop barrett cold. damn close.