CFB play-by-play man tempts announcer jinx, quickly regrets it

J.B. Long was the play-by-play man for truTV’s broadcast of Saturday’s college football game between UTEP and Colorado State. He went into the game not believing in the announcer jinx. During the game, his mind was changed.

Early in the third quarter, Long addressed analyst Mike Golic Jr. And while Long did not believe in the announcer jinx at this point, he was at least wary of it. While Long was being vague, a hint at what he was referring to came when right before he made his comment, Golic mentioned that Colorado State committed 10 penalties in its previous game, a loss to Colorado.

“I’ll hold my tongue,” Long said. “But there’s a noticeable box score statistic, Golic, that we may need to address here before too much more time passes.”

But even while being vague, Long had already said too much. Before he even finished his thought, Rams lineman Drew Moss was flagged for a false start.

“I’ll hold my tongue, but there’s a noticeable box score statistic we may need to address here before too much more time passes.”

J.B. Long with an amazing broadcaster jinx alongside Mike Golic Jr. on the UTEP-CSU truTV call. 🏈🎙️📺 pic.twitter.com/CrGJafZ3LC

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 21, 2024

“Oh, no,” Long said after the flags were thrown. ” I don’t even believe in it. The broadcaster jinx is not a thing. But. Oh, my gosh. The first penalty of the game. As if it were scripted. My bad.”

After Moss was called as the guilty party, Long continued his mea culpa.

“Drew Moss, that is not you, my friend,” Long said. “That is me — 2,000 career snaps and I walk into your house and I ding you for one.”

While more penalties were called after Moss’ false start, the two teams combined for only five for the game. It’s a fairly modest total, all things considered. So, while the announcer jinx gods did punish Long, they weren’t too harsh.

[Photo Credit: truTV]