Forde: How Clemson Football Mastered the (Totally Legal) Art of Signal Stealing
A 2020 article from Pat Forde for Sports Illustrated discusses Clemson's penchant for signal stealing (using techniques that the NCAA deems to be legal). A good read for context. One relevant excerpt:
Of greater insight might be the game that preceded the loss to LSU. That’s when Clemson eked past Ohio State in the CFP semifinals, 29–23. In that game, the Tigers fell behind 16–0 before slowing the Buckeyes down and rallying.
In Ohio State’s first five possessions, it produced four scoring drives and 290 offensive yards on 35 snaps, 8.29 yards per play. The next eight possessions led to one scoring drive, 243 total yards and 4.86 yards per play. Did Venables’s support staff crack the Buckeyes’ play-calling code during the game? A couple of staffers at other schools suggested it.
In a sport rife with espionage and intrigue, figuring out what’s coming before the snap—by any means necessary—is just part of the game.
Michigan, of course, is being accused of something that the NCAA deems illegal -- sending a staffer or friend in person to scout opponents' games.
October 19th, 2023 at 3:35 PM ^
They apparently have the evidence from one team last year and three teams already this season.
October 19th, 2023 at 4:11 PM ^
No, they don’t.
October 19th, 2023 at 6:03 PM ^
link?
October 19th, 2023 at 3:01 PM ^
”Well, then, I guess there’s only one thing left to do. Win the whole fucking thing.”
October 19th, 2023 at 3:02 PM ^
They have to have physical proof that Michigan knowingly sent a staffer. If they do not have that then this is nothing. IF they can prove a staffer went to games and was stealing signs, I still don't think the punishment will be anything crazy . Maybe I'm wrong but this feels like a fastball being thrown at someone head, just to back up the batter
October 19th, 2023 at 3:06 PM ^
Score 100 this weekend.
October 19th, 2023 at 3:17 PM ^
Since apparently the “sign stealing” allegation is merely having someone affiliated with the program scouting future opponents in person, I imagine this is how the NCAA’s conversation with Michigan is going to go:
October 19th, 2023 at 3:20 PM ^
The whole team needs to take the field wearing masks to filter out the smell of the NCAA's shitpile Saturday night. Send a message right back. And then proceed to blitzball MSU back into the Stone Age. I want bombs flying with the score 59-0 in the 4th quarter. No fucking mercy.
There is no 'coincidence' here, it's just plain fuckery.
October 19th, 2023 at 3:22 PM ^
To make amends, Michigan needs to do this:
October 19th, 2023 at 3:34 PM ^
Yes, one of these articles (Yahoo or the Atheltic, I don't really care to note the difference) notes the amount of schools that have been accused of this - also, nothing ever happened with any of them. So I am not sure why Michigan would be any different OTHER THAN our penchant for actively and agressively falling on our sword.
I will say, as one of the non-Warde haters - I would be a bit frustrated if he doesn't stand out there and tell the NCAA to F-off (in polite terms).
October 19th, 2023 at 3:58 PM ^
Don't hold your breath.
October 19th, 2023 at 3:43 PM ^
Is the timing of this an attempt by the NCAA to stop the contract extension that was supposed to be announced soon for Jim Harbaugh? Earlier, it was rumored that a contract extension would be announced now that Harbaugh's suspension was over with, but now with the announcement of this investigation, that would seemingly be on hold. What I'd love to see Michigan do is announce the extension tomorrow as a giant F U to the NCAA.
October 19th, 2023 at 3:43 PM ^
I don't buy it. Maybe it's that I don't want to buy it, I can't see myself from the outside. But it makes no sense that we would do this with our schedule of inferior opponents. Plus I just don't think Jim is a cheater or believes in cheating to win; he's a devout man who's family has spent their lives in football. The fact that this is coming up during Michigan St. week is another weird thing. Somebody (the NCAA) has a personal vendetta going against Harbaugh and somebody else (identity unknown) is trying to create a big distraction and shed doubt on our accomplishments to date.
Unfortunately in this day and age with misinformation everywhere it might work. Damn the torpedoes, Go Blue!!!
October 19th, 2023 at 3:50 PM ^
I was at a holiday party last December and Rick Minter (Jesse's father) was there, we got to talking and he told me that OSU are notorious sign stealers and that UM put in a whole new system for the OSU game last year.
October 19th, 2023 at 3:54 PM ^
Gotta temper the emotions a bit.
A good witch hunt could prove a benefit. It may ultimately backfire by providing additional motivation for future contests against plaintiffs and providing the present team with increased focus and cohesion by materializing an "us against the world" environment.
I for one hope this is investigated thoroughly and concludes Greg Schiano, Ryan Day, Frames Janklin and other prominent individuals likely cooked this up ad hoc and someone ran with it hastily providing them with a lot of egg on face, M with a lot of increased motivation and public good will, and an orphaned Rutgers with a massive a legal bill and an invitation to the PAC 2.
Never know how this will play out.
October 19th, 2023 at 4:11 PM ^
Maybe it's the defensive signs that we tipped; as in, every time we lined up to run power we knew what the defense was going to run and ran it up the gut anyway?
October 19th, 2023 at 4:24 PM ^
Here's another article detailing the paranoia around the sidelines of a CFB game. By the sounds of it, the idea of teams stealing signs is pretty much ubiquitous:
October 20th, 2023 at 12:21 AM ^
So, I recall the bowl game (Alamo? Outback?) against South Carolina following the 3-starting-QB year of 2017. I missed the game because I was driving south to take our son back to school, but I recall the South Carolina players saying that they knew what we were going to do on almost every snap. Did anyone investigate them for this? Is it not possible that this is all simply the result of good players being well-coached? It's not like Indiana's offense was setting any kind of positive records before last Saturday.
What a bunch of <bleep>.