Announcer Gus Johnson delivered a strange line as Michigan pulled off a 13-10 upset win at Ohio State on Saturday.
The Wolverines kicked a field goal with 45 seconds left to take a 13-10 lead over the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday. The Wolverines’ defense forced a turnover on downs to secure the upset win over the 10-2 Buckeyes.
As FOX showed Michigan first-year head coach Sherrone Moore celebrating following the defensive stop, Johnson added in a bizarre line.
“Sherrone Moore says we didn’t cheat this time,” Johnson said.
Sherrone Moore waves goodbye to Ohio State fans after that Ohio State play pic.twitter.com/N6EtxiEa2h
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 30, 2024
Johnson was referencing the scandal from last year involving Connor Stalions.
What was the reason for even invoking the mention of cheating? And why did Johnson present it in such an awkward way? You could talk about it in the context of winning four straight over Ohio State, and this time without the Connor Stalions scandal hanging over the game. But to say “we didn’t cheat this time” explicitly states that Michigan cheated the other times. That’s probably not the message Johnson wanted to convey, which is what made the line so odd.
