Kyle Whittingham Admits Ohio State Collapse Surprised Him

The Michigan Wolverines beat the Oklahoma Sooners 17-10 on Saturday afternoon and improved to 2-0 on the season. With the game in the afternoon, Kyle Whittingham’s team was able to watch archrival Ohio State in prime time against the Texas Longhorns. Ohio State had a 23-3 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Then the Buckeyes collapsed. Texas scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and won 24-23, dropping Ohio State to 1-1 on the season. Plenty of Wolverines fans loved watching it happen. Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports certainly did, and on Monday morning he got to ask the Michigan head coach about it directly.

Kyle Whittingham Congratulates Sark on the Comeback

Whittingham joined the Wake Up Barstool show on Monday. Portnoy, a famously loud Michigan fan, asked the coach whether he got any joy out of watching Ohio State choke away a 20-point fourth-quarter lead.

Whittingham laughed at the question, then gave Texas coach Steve Sarkisian the credit. “I did see the fourth quarter; it surprised me. And congrats to Sark and his crew. I know Sark very well, and that was amazing. That comeback was amazing, and I didn’t see that happening. I thought the game was in the bag after three quarters,” he said.

The Game Is Still Months Away

Michigan’s head coach is not gloating over an Ohio State loss. He sounded as surprised as everyone else. The rivalry game is still a long way off, and both teams have lighter work this week: the Wolverines host the UTEP Miners on Saturday, Sept. 19, and the Buckeyes host the Kent State Golden Flashes the same day. Texas, meanwhile, is the new No. 1 team in the AP Poll.