The Michigan Wolverines fans might already want to erase the September 6 date from their memory. Sherrone Moore’s boys took a 24-13 blow at the hands of Brent Venables’ Oklahoma Sooners. Despite the home team’s best efforts to keep the game close, the Wolverines never did enough to put points on the board and make things interesting. While it’s a moment of heartbreak for Moore and co., it’s a merrymaking mood in the ESPN office. Cashing in on the craze between Moore vs Venables’ program showdown, the broadcasting platform has hit a 9-figure milestone. Not just this, the Oklahoma vs Michigan big face-off helped them break a 19-year drought.

When it comes to Moore’s squad, the Wolverines already hold a record for giving ESPN a historical viewership record. Thanks to the 2024 National Championship. But this time, ESPN would not have been able to achieve success without the craze of playing against Venables’ boys. Their first, which also turned out to be their last match-up before this season, was on January 1, 1976. Moore’s program and Venables’ squad met after almost five decades. So, ESPN was bound to be exploded by the viewership rise.

On September 9, ESPN PR posted a screenshot on their IG story. The caption read, “@espncfb fans are showing up BIG.” The screenshot came with a viewership report card. The headline read, “ABC Scores 3 of Top 4 Games in Week 2 ESPN Network Off the Best 2-Week Start for CFB Since 2009 (3.2M Viewers) ABC Off to Best 2-Weel Start for CFB Since 2006 (7.5M Viewers).” The three top games were Michigan vs Oklahoma, Ole Miss vs Kentucky, and San Jose State vs. Texas. 

No brownie points for guessing, Moore and Venables’ face-off was at the top. The Michigan vs. the Oklahoma game drew the biggest audience, with 9.7 million viewers (peaking at 10.9 million). The last time the broadcasting platform saw such success was 19 years ago, in 2006. But what made viewers tune in for the big showdown and stick to it throughout?

There have been some big moments of celebration, an absolute delight to watch, no matter who the fans rooted for. Against Moore’s squad, the Sooners broke their 651-day drought of allowing 270 yards to an FBS opponent. The last time they did it was on the day after Thanksgiving in 2023, when Dillon Gabriel threw for 400 yards in OU’s regular-season. Panning the focus to Michigan, fans had their eyes on Moore’s $12 million bet, quarterback Bryce Underwood. However, the Michigan passing offense was stuck in the mud, as Underwood threw for just 142 yards. All these might have left the viewers on the edge of their seats. While ESPN and Oklahoma celebrate their success, Moore is now nursing fresh wounds.

Regrets creep into Sherrone Moore’s tone

Even though Moore shows that he is the owner of a big heart by praising rival quarterback John Mateer, he and his boys will need some time to recover from the trauma. On September 6, George Stoia III tweeted, “Michigan coach Sherrone Moore says John Mateer’s legs were a big difference maker. ‘He’s a tough kid… We saw that on tape.’ #Sooners.”

The redshirt junior became the hero of Memorial Stadium, completing 21 of his 34 passes for 270 yards and three total touchdowns. Moore’s Michigan capitalized on a muffed punt but settled for only a 42-yard field goal, cutting it to 21-10. On top of that, the Wolverines’ tight end room started to crumble down, falling prey to injuries. For instance, Marlin Klein was spotted pregame on the field with a large wrap around his right ankle. On the other hand, Hogan Hansen is yet to be deemed fit after recovering from knee surgery. But no heartbreak is bigger than losing trust in your own players. And Moore is walking that path. 

Turns out that Moore is already filled with regrets. As James T. Yoder noted, there was a slight change in the head coach’s tone. “Sherrone Moore’s postgame press conference sounded A LOT like a Rich Rodriguez Michigan press conference… Basically, they claimed the coaches did their job and the plan was the right one, but the players didn’t execute (reading between the lines). Not what I like to hear,” he wrote on X. 

Not to forget, even though Sherrone Moore was not in charge of Michigan when they won the Natty, they had hit ESPN records. ESPN platforms’ full slate of college football bowls that season averaged 4.6 million viewers across 40 total games, up 5% year-over-year. The big question now is, when will Moore’s Wolverines make ESPN history again?