Surprises are par for the course on College GameDay.
Desmond Howard, an analyst on ESPN College GameDay, faced criticism on Saturday morning for seemingly throwing his colleague, ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel, under the bus. Howard took issue with Thamel conducting his pregame segment from inside Michigan Stadium rather than amidst Michigan fans outside.
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Expressing his surprise, Howard stated, “So we’ve been doing this for 12 to 13 weeks, and Pete’s always been in the crowd giving his reports. I’m like, ‘What in the hell is Pete in the stadium for?’ That kind of threw me off. Put your big boy pants on, do it in the crowd like you usually do it. I was surprised by that; I thought he would be out here.”
Howard went on to remark about the amiability of the fans outside the stadium, emphasizing their friendliness.
Former ESPN Radio host Ryen Russillo was among those who criticized Howard on social media, describing the situation as “kind of crazy.”
The Ohio State and Michigan matchup was set to kick off at noon E.T. on Saturday afternoon, with the Week 13 rivalry game airing on FOX.
