There’s one thing you can absolutely guarantee every time Gus Johnson calls a game — many fans will be unhappy with his performance, no matter what he does.
The Fox Sports play-by-play announcer called Saturday’s biggest game, undefeated No. 3 Michigan at No. 10 Penn State. Johnson haters were all over X/Twitter before the game, complaining he was slated for the broadcast. After the game started, fans hammered away at the broadcaster for a number of perceived faults: He’s a Michigan lover, his calls are too animated, his player nicknames are silly, etc. There were even complaints about his outfit Saturday.
We’ve heard all the complaints before. But one play in particular showed the depth of fans’ passionate dislike for the announcer.
Late in the first quarter, Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar lofted a short pass on a fade route intended for Dante Cephas in the end zone.
Johnson called the play, “Quick fade…in the COR-NER… CAUGHT! ….incomplete …looked like he caught it.”
"Quick fade…in the COR-NER… CAUGHT! ….incomplete …looked like he caught it." – Gus Johnson 😐 pic.twitter.com/ihullPZtJZ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 11, 2023
Johnson corrected the call a split second later. By any measure, it was a tough play to call, with the wide receiver and defender going out of bounds and out of view of the Fox Sports camera and almost everyone in the stadium.
So fans cut Johnson a break on that play, right? If you’ve read this far, you know many did not, criticizing him on X/Twitter as if he’d just made an egregious mistake.
Gus Johnson SUCKS
— Jason Oldham (@Jason_Oldham) November 11, 2023
Yet some fans actually had Johnson’s back on that call, which anyone could have made.
Gus Johnson is overhyped but how can u see he didn’t catch that before a replay?
— Elongated Muskrat (@elonatedmuskrat) November 11, 2023
No matter how you feel about Johnson’s broadcasting work, you can always be sure to find a recap of his latest game all over X/Twitter.
