Announcer Gus Johnson delivered a peculiar and somewhat controversial line during Michigan’s 13-10 upset victory over Ohio State on Saturday. The Wolverines clinched the win after kicking a field goal with just 45 seconds left on the clock, taking a 13-10 lead over the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Michigan’s defense then stepped up, forcing a turnover on downs to seal the upset over the 10-2 Buckeyes.
As FOX broadcasted the aftermath of the game, cameras captured Michigan’s first-year head coach, Sherrone Moore, celebrating following the decisive defensive stop. It was at this moment that Gus Johnson delivered a line that immediately raised eyebrows.
“Sherrone Moore says we didn’t cheat this time,” Johnson stated, a remark that many viewers found both strange and unexpected.
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Johnson’s comment was a reference to the controversy that had enveloped Michigan the previous year, involving former staffer Connor Stalions.
The scandal revolved around allegations of improper scouting tactics, and it had cast a long shadow over the Wolverines’ successes in recent seasons. However, the timing and phrasing of Johnson’s comment left many puzzled.
The question on many fans’ minds was why Johnson chose to bring up the cheating scandal in this context—especially in such an awkward and direct manner.
While there might have been a valid point to make about Michigan winning four consecutive games against Ohio State, and this time without any controversy looming, the explicit nature of Johnson’s statement seemed to imply that Michigan had indeed cheated in the past. It was a bold assertion, one that likely wasn’t Johnson’s intended message, and it ultimately made his line come off as clumsy and misplaced.
Johnson’s comment overshadowed the celebratory moment for Moore and his team, raising questions about whether it was appropriate to reference the scandal so bluntly.
The awkward delivery seemed to suggest that Johnson was attempting to highlight Michigan’s triumph in a clean and controversy-free manner, but it ended up sounding like an inadvertent accusation.
As a result, the moment has since sparked debate among fans and analysts alike, with many wondering if Johnson could have found a better way to acknowledge the context without explicitly framing it as “we didn’t cheat this time.”
In a game filled with emotion and drama, Johnson’s peculiar choice of words became one of the unexpected talking points.
Instead of simply celebrating Michigan’s hard-fought victory and Moore’s impressive leadership in his first year as head coach, Johnson’s remark left viewers dissecting the implications of his words long after the game had ended.
