Gus Johnson did not exactly sound like Gus Johnson calling a game of the No. 1 team in the country on Saturday.
The veteran announcer Johnson was on the call for FOX during this week’s contest between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 17 Illinois. During the second quarter at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill., the Buckeyes scored a touchdown off a 17-yard screen pass down the sideline from Julian Sayin to Bo Jackson.
Unfortunately for Ohio State fans, Johnson seemed less than enthused on the call. Take a listen.
Definitely not Gus Johnson's most electric touchdown call. #CFB pic.twitter.com/rNBLZ2fOQB
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 11, 2025
Social media users quickly criticitized Johnson for his uncharacteristically low-energy delivery there.
A true freshman scores a touchdown on a great individual effort and bro can't even get excited
— Kyle (@BucKylez) October 11, 2025
He's seriously lost his fastball over the past few years.
— Dan (@thedlen85) October 11, 2025
Big time.
Gus sounds surprised that a football game is happening in front of him… https://t.co/h12CguzXy3
— Jonathan Smith (@DegenerateTBone) October 11, 2025
Can’t stand Gus Johnson anymore https://t.co/HtPGF2Zz1D
— Buckeye Realm (@BuckeyeRealm_) October 11, 2025
Johnson was most likely unsure if Jackson had broken the plane there or if he had stepped out of bounds before doing so. But his monotone “and a touchdown …” call even after finally seeing the signal from the referee didn’t do much for anybody.
The play-by-play man Johnson has become an icon over the years for his many exhilarating calls from the booth. But in more recent years, Johnson has drawn criticism over his calls of other Ohio State games in the past. That continued on Saturday with Johnson reacting to a Buckeyes touchdown like he was narrating the Yellow Pages.
