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SportsQuiet 42h · day 5

Gus Johnson's flat Ohio State calls draw criticism, Carpenter weighs in

Fox broadcaster faces backlash for low-energy announcing during Ohio State's 59-3 rout of Kent State.

newest coverage 1d agosummary written 1d ago6 pieces MastodonNewswires

What to know

  • Gus Johnson, Fox's Big Noon Saturday announcer, delivered flat, low-energy commentary throughout Ohio State's 59-3 blowout of Kent State, contradicting his reputation for enthusiastic big-game calling.
  • Media critics speculated Johnson may have been protesting the uncompetitive game assignment, possibly wishing he had been assigned to FS1's Arizona State-Kansas broadcast in London instead.
  • The pattern has only been observed in non-competitive matchups, suggesting Johnson's demeanor may vary based on game stakes rather than exhaustion from a blowout.

“All we know is, love him or hate him, Big Game Gus Johnson makes things more interesting, and when he's lacking the energy or motivation to meet the moment, it makes things less so.”

Sean Keeley, Media critic, Awful Announcing · Awful Announcing ↗

Gus Johnson Fox Big Noon Saturday announcerSean Keeley Media critic, Awful AnnouncingBobby Carpenter Former analyst

Gus Johnson's flat Ohio State calls draw criticism, Carpenter weighs in
awfulannouncing.com

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in one hour at Sep 19, 3 PM; 6 pieces over 5 days (5 articles · 1 post) Sep 19, 3 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Sep 19, 4 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 19, 5 PM — quietSep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 7 PM — quietSep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 9 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 19, 11 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 1 AM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 3 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 5 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 7 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 20, 9 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 11 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 3 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 7 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 9 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 3 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Sep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quiet 123
Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 5:47 AM ET
  1. 3

    Bobby Carpenter criticizes Johnson's announcing tone

    Former analyst Bobby Carpenter offered criticism of Johnson's performance, characterizing his demeanor during the broadcast in unfavorable terms.

    “sounded like a sad clown…”
    — Bobby Carpenter
  2. 1 day quiet
  3. 2

    Sports Illustrated reports fan backlash over Johnson's broadcast

    Broader media outlets picked up the story, with Sports Illustrated noting Johnson faces backlash for his flat Big Noon Saturday calls.

    1. 1 outlet Fox College Football, Gus Johnson Under Fire for Ohio State Game Broadcast

      first by Sports Illustrated, 3d ago

  4. background

    Ohio State defeats Kent State 59-3 with Gus Johnson calling Big Noon Saturday broadcast — Fox's Gus Johnson provided commentary for Ohio State's dominant 59-3 victory over Kent State, but delivered notably subdued calls on multiple big plays throughout the game.

  5. 1

    Awful Announcing documents Johnson's flat announcing throughout the blowout

    Media critic Sean Keeley published analysis noting Johnson's low-energy calls on Ohio State's opening touchdown, touchdown receptions, and other major plays, contrasting sharply with his known broadcast style. The piece suggests Johnson may have been protesting the game assignment rather than being worn down by the lopsided score.

    “calling Ja'Kobi Jackson's game-opening score in a way that makes Al Michaels sound like Kevin Harlan.”
    — Sean Keeley

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets Bobby Carpenter: Gus Johnson ‘sounded like a sad clown’ calling Ohio State-Kent State blowout

    first by Yahoo Sports, 1d ago · also Awful Announcing

  2. 2 outlets Gus Johnson seemed pretty bored for most of Ohio State’s blowout of Kent State

    first by Yahoo Sports, 4d ago · also Awful Announcing