Gus Johnson Credit: Fox Sports
College FootballFoxBy Sean Keeley on

There were plenty of things to argue about on Saturday when the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes took on the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions.

There was the decision by Fox to schedule the game for noon. Everyone had to choose if they were going to watch College GameDay or Big Noon Kickoff. There were questions over Ryan Day and James Franklin and which of them would screw this up. And of course, there was the one surefire thing that would lead to disagreements.

Gus Johnson calling the game.

Johnson, who called the game for Fox alongside Joel Klatt, has long been a divisive announcer. While there are plenty of people singing his praises over his epic calls, there are others who find his schtick tiresome. They were certainly both out on Saturday while Johnson got to work.

Gus was his usual exuberant self as the broadcast kicked off, fist-bumping Klatt as he noted that “conflict is drama, drama is conflict, we got plenty of that going around today.” And as the ball was kicked off, Johnson set the stage.

“I hope you’ve got your popcorn ready today folks, because this has the potential to be a classic,” he said. “BUCKEYES! NITTANY LIONS! HERE WE GO!”

Much like the game itself, things were fairly quiet until Penn State’s Zion Tracy snagged a pick-six for the first touchdown of the game. Johnson went full Gusgasm and there were suddenly concerns Johnson might lose his voice before halftime.

When Will Howard found Emeka Egbuka for a retaliation touchdown by the Buckeyes, Johnson brought out the gravely excitement once more.

Oddly, when Ohio State scored its next touchdown, Gus sounded downright sleepy, as if he’d decided to conserve himself for the many touchdowns ahead.

A particularly fun Gus moment came when Ohio State converted on 4th down with a bobbled pass from Howard to Jelani Thurman. Johnson’s “caught” got stuck in his throat as he wasn’t 100% sure whether or not it was a catch, and it ended up helping to tell the story.

After Ohio State took a 14-10 lead into the locker room, things settled down on the scoring front, but that didn’t stop Johnson from bringing his patented style to plenty of defensive stops. That includes his call of a fumble that didn’t count.

“He’s chopped down. Lost the ball. Is this free? I don’t know. We will see,” said Johnson in a sing-songy style.

Though Gus did leave a little bit of time to discuss women’s bodily autonomy in a roundabout way.

Johnson also brought the thunder when Ohio State’s defense denied Penn State on 4th down at the goal line.

Eventually, Ohio State’s defense did enough to clamp down on Penn State’s offense, securing the 20-13 victory. And Gus put the period on the statement win.

“Focused. Determined. Disciplined. THE world-famous Buckeyes win it 20-13, and Ohio State right back in the National Championship picture.”

As for whether or not you thought Gus did a good job calling the Big Ten showdown might just depend on which fandom you belong to. Also, if you’re sick of them referring to Ohio State as “world famous,” that’s probably a trigger as well.

[Fox Sports]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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