"They said the kid couldn't throw the deep ball!" - The Poetry of Gus and Klatt
An early holiday present to you all: a transcript of Gus and Klatt during key moments of this year's Game.
Last year, we had the instant classic: "O Ja Bo!" from Gus.
This year, Gus had a couple of pretty great lines. The best was probably about JJ:
They said the kid couldn't throw the deep ball!
I also really liked the call during Donovan Edwards's second TD run, it's almost a little poem:
Donovan Ed-WARDS!
(voice rising)
Whoa!!
Can they catch him? No!!
I believe he also coined the awesome nickname "The Don" but I could be wrong.
I also love how Gus and Klatt go back and forth. Gus is the hype man; he brings the adrenaline during the big plays, all excitement, poetry on demand. Klatt wisely says not a word in those moments. But then, he chimes in (so quickly, too) with a "what just happened" explanation. He also is prescient at times, hinting at what might be coming. I think they are currently the best pairing in football.
And now, the full transcript, to be read while drinking your morning coffee, and reminiscing about The Game.
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CJ's First TD
GUS
3rd down and 9...
McCarthy...
under pressure...
back shoulder throw...
Caught!
Cornelius Johnson...
Breaking it!
Still on his feet!!
Cornelius Johnson, sprinting!!
Touchdown, Michigan!
69 Yards.
(long pause, perfectly done, to appreciate the players, fans, fight song)
KLATT
Ohio State brought the house.
Everybody on the blitz.
And McCarthy just calmly stepped back, threw a little fadeaway.
Hits Cornelius Johnson.
And then it's the mistackle.
When you send everybody, there is nobody to help.
Cam Brown misses the tackle.
And it's a touchdown for Michigan.
My how the tables turn, on one snap.
Ohio State had played *brilliant* defense so far today.
And in one snap of the football, it all changes.
CJ's Second TD
GUS
1st down at the 25.
Donovan Edwards the pistol back.
McCarthy to throw it.
McCarthy looking...
Throws deep!
Got a WIDE open receiver!!
Cornelius Johnson!
Sprinting!
Touchdown, Michigan!
75 Yards!
They said the kid couldn't throw the deep ball!
KLATT
Well, he did it there.
And perfect route from Cornelius Johnson.
And all of a sudden, Michigan lights it up on two long touchdown passes.
Beautiful job by McCarthy, Gus, of stepping up in the pocket.
And Johnson was wide open.
He made an excellent move at the top of his route.
Totally created separation.
And he was wide open deep.
Loveland TD
GUS
1st down and 10 at the 45.
Play Action.
JJ McCarthy...
Lobs it, wide open!
Caught at the 10...5...
Touchdown, Colston Loveland!!
45 Yards.
And Michigan reclaims the lead.
KLATT
Ohio State has not adjusted.
They're sticking with that man coverage to try to stop the run.
Safety's going to be man-to-man on Loveland.
He's going to come up, and then he's going to wheel onto the outside.
Watch as he breaks this route.
They get caught up, he and Johnson.
But then he's able to get some space,
as Ransom overplays it, and then he's wide open.
Beautiful throw.
And then he dives for that front pylon.
And it's a touchdown for Michigan, on another big play.
Gus, that man defense, it's not working for the Buckeyes.
McCarthy TD
KLATT
They'll bring the speed players back on the field.
Three wide receivers entering the game; Edwards also entering the game.
If they spread it out here, Gus, watch for the Quarterback draw.
Michigan had a play earlier in the game, they sent four receivers one way, one the other.
That's when that draw opens wide up.
GUS
3rd down and goal at the three yard line.
Can Michigan pay it off?
JJ McCarthy, he'll run it.
With a LANE! ...
Touchdown, Wolverines!
JJ McCarthy.
What a day!
Three touchdown passes. Now he runs one in, and the Wolverines take a 30-to-20 lead.
KLATT
He actually ran *right* past his offensive lineman.
When you're a ball carrier near the endzone, sometimes you just gotta be your own blocker.
Watch as he passes Keegan, 77, and he's just like, "get me in there".
Lowers his shoulder, that one was against Hickmann, it looks like.
And he's able to get the goal line.
And it's a Touchdown Michigan.
Sainristil's Swat
KLATT
Well, I talked about those 4-point plays.
And Jesse Minter, the defensive coordinator, talking about, "how do I have my 4-point play calls?"
That means, I've got a chance for them to force a field goal here.
And he's got to pull something out of the bag, that Day has not seen, that Stroud has not seen.
Some sort of blitz, pressure, or coverage that is unique to this Game.
GUS
3rd down and 4 at the 9.
Stroud under center this time.
Stroud looking..
Stroud...
In the EndZONE!
Incomplete!!
Stover was the intended receiver, but Mike Sainristil, the converted wide receiver, breaks that up!
And that brings up 4th and 4.
KLATT
They were trying to sneak the tight end from the right side all the way back to the left.
And he had a lot of space.
But Mike Sainristil, with the make up speed.
And then at the catch point...
Look at him play the ball *perfectly*.
Goes after it with his hand and just knocks it away from Stover in the endzone.
Edwards' First TD
KLATT
Well, this Michigan team, they're playing a little bit with house money here.
Blake Corum, not available today, after those first couple of plays in the first.
Won it last year, they're on the road, they're the underdog.
You get the feeling that something's coming.
A specialty play of some sort.
Which means Jim Knowles has to have to the best series
as a defensive coordinator maybe he's had in his life.
First year here at Ohio State.
This is why he's here.
They have to get a stop.
GUS
No turnovers in the game so far.
First and 10 at the 25.
Here's Edwards, with a LANE!
Donovan Edwards, down the sideline!
Gets past Ransom!!
Donovan Edwards!
Touchdown, Michigan!
The Don!
(long pause)
75 Yards!
KLATT
Michigan has torched Ohio State in man coverage all day long.
Watch this.
Ronnie Bell ... er, Cornelius Johnson there can just run off his defender.
Which means there's no one left.
And all they gotta do is seal the linebacker.
Oluwatimi, the best center in college football, gets it done on Tommy Eichenberg.
He gets to the second level, and then it's just Edwards, and he's in a footrace.
Upshaw Interception
GUS
3rd down and 10 at the 16 yardline.
4:27 remaining.
CJ Stroud.
Goes through his progressions.
Strou-OUD... (voice rising)
Just ... throws it forward!
And it's intercepted!!
Taylor Upshaw... just plucks it out of the air.
And the Wolverines have the football.
That's the first turnover of the game!
KLATT
This is a defense that has not gotten a lot of takeaways this year.
But none bigger than that one.
As Taylor Upshaw is gonna take a picture with his teammates with the turnover buffs on the sideline.
Stroud, as he steps up in the pocket, he knows that a sack is just, it's a killer in this situation.
He's trying to make a play.
Watch as he tries to flip it to Xavier Johnson.
But it's just behind him a little bit.
Xavier Johnson bats it up in the air.
And that's what allows Upshaw to take that ball away.
And Michigan has come in here and just quieted the crowd.
Edwards's Second TD (director's cut)
KLATT
I mean, what a great game this has been.
And Michigan, in this second half, Ryan Day has gotta be feeling like
he's witnessing the same game all over again.
Because this feels *so* similar to a year ago in Ann Arbor,
Gus, when the run game just started to churn it out,
and the defense was just able to make enough plays,
in particular in the redzone.
And that's happened here again in the second half.
GUS
They'll run it again with Edwards.
It appears that the team with the most rushing yards
is going to win this game for the 21st consecutive time.
Michigan really *plowing* through the Ohio State defense in the second half.
KLATT
Look at what they've done in the last two years.
This offensive line, last season, 188 yards in the second half, over 9 a pop.
Today, 152 yards in the second half, over 8 a pop.
And this is what's gone on.
And it started with a 4th quarter speech from Mike Sainristil, the converted wide receiver.
8 minute drive, punched it in, that was 10 rushes on that one.
Sainristil himself, with an incredible play, to knock that one away from Cade Stover,
and then this was the lightning strike, Gus, Donovan Edwards, the long touchdown run,
that really, Michigan hadn't gotten a long run all day until that carry from Edwards.
And here we are.
GUS
The Wolverines doing it without their star, Blake Corum.
Here's the run again...
Donovan Ed-WARDS!
(voice rising)
Whoa!!
Can they catch him? No!!
Donovan Edwards again.
85 yards!
The Don!
Two Huge touchdowns!
And the Wolverines go up 44-23!
KLATT
What a second half.
GUS
Wow.
KLATT
I tell you what.
GUS
Complete domination for the Wolverines, over their archrivals,
the Ohio State Buckeyes, here in the second half.
(pause)
Extra point good.
45-23.
(pause)
Another look at Donovan Edwards.
KLATT
Gus, when you've got nobody deep, you have got to be gap sound.
And when you're not gap sound, this is what happens.
Oluwatimi hooks the tackle.At that point, boom, it's gone.
That's what a *great* offensive line can do.
December 23rd, 2022 at 9:43 AM ^
I know for sure Gus called Edwards 'The DON' during the Penn State game, I don't know if it happened before then.
Back to back plays starting @23:19 and again @23:27:
December 23rd, 2022 at 9:47 AM ^
I like Klatt. Gus is a more palatable version of Musburger, as in he's the melodramatist. But I'd much prefer calm announcers who don't try to instruct the emotion of the viewers. I prefer radio announcers. OSU actually has a pair of amazing announcers.
December 23rd, 2022 at 12:41 PM ^
You've gone too far BB pointing to OSU radio guys. I will check them out for the Georgia game however. There is nothing like real time schadenfreude in a radio-homer's voice.
December 23rd, 2022 at 6:10 PM ^
Do you really like them? They sounded like robots from what I heard and didn’t add much in the way of color or insight. Didn’t listen too long however, just on one YouTube video.
December 26th, 2022 at 12:48 AM ^
Keels has a great, steady solid voice for PbP. One of the best around.
The OSU color guy sounds like a typical not-so-bright tongue-tied jock, a definite homer, but he's got some good football insights.
OSU's radio guys are so boring. It's agonizing. I was trying to find "great radio calls" for a podcast intro. I needed an Ohio State call and they were terrible. I don't think Gus is trying to "instruct the emotion" at all. I think he's being himself and letting the moment carry his emotion, but everybody has their preference.
December 23rd, 2022 at 9:59 AM ^
All good, except I’d call the second Johnson TD a lob pass deep and the Loveland TD a perfect deep pass to Loveland.
December 23rd, 2022 at 3:52 PM ^
Yes, he didn't exactly hit Johnson in stride. It was more a throw to the open side of the field so that Johnson could chase it down.
December 26th, 2022 at 3:45 PM ^
Something JJ wasn’t doing earlier in the season. His passes were more line-drives that went over the receivers outstretched hands. He missed by a half yard sometimes. Missed by more with the lob, but that allowed for the receiver to adjust. Good coaching!
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:07 AM ^
Heck of a job Swayze, thanks for posting.
I'm with you. Gus and Joel are my favorite broadcast team right now. Like you said they're poetic, they've got chemistry, and they compliment each other extremely well. So many play by play guys are stuck in the mud, boring. On the big plays Gus is like a loudspeaker of genuine excitement and creative banter reacting in real time. And Klatt is very insightful and prescient.
They are a great duo.
December 23rd, 2022 at 9:47 PM ^
The best thing about Klatt (there are a lot of good things) is he patiently waits for Gus to do his thing before chiming in.
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:47 AM ^
I really love when Gus says that someone is sprinting. Like, yes. It’s almost like last year he used “blazing speed” for Corum a bunch but then he got caught from behind in The Game so Gus switched to just using “sprinting” every time instead.
December 23rd, 2022 at 11:02 AM ^
It's especially good on the CJ td's because by the time Gus says "sprinting" CJ is just coasting the last ten yards into the end zone.
December 23rd, 2022 at 11:07 AM ^
Excellent post, thank you! Yes, Johnson & Klatt are also my favorite duo. They call a great game.
Joel Klatt is, I believe, the originator of the term, "arominating". That's right up there with "physicality", originated with Herbstreit? More learned word historians can correct me.
Edit/add: Klatt also described Corum as a "rolling ball of butcher knives" during the Maryland game. 👍
December 23rd, 2022 at 11:38 AM ^
Klatt: That was a call from Mars.
#1 all time
December 23rd, 2022 at 12:29 PM ^
I don't like personality over players. The call in this game was biased to OSU until it was decided. I really don't like Klatt between the Saturdays either...blah blah blah.
All that out of the way, these were Michigan moments immortalized by Gus and Joel. They are in-game professionals who know their business.
We, through the luck of the ESPN/CBS/FOX/NBC duke out, got an incredible slate of Fox coverage this year that paired the best the B1G had to offer with the reigning best CFB sportscasting crew. It is going to be an uphill battle fighting the coverage to come.
Live All22 with alt crowd only cameras and fan directed isolation will be cool (assuming they offer this like last year) is a trade I am willing to make. All CFB should require live All22 with unit level fields of view if not 1:1 isolations.
It's too bad the higher seeds can't choose their announcers. If so Gus and Joel would get their votes. I would prefer Bob Ufer like homers who could make the game call echo in my memory. The OP does a good job capturing the calls. Thanks for this.
Reminds me of the Moeller-went-for-it-all cast from Musberger, or Ufer's call of Indiana-AC-FTW. The Don indeed!
December 23rd, 2022 at 6:20 PM ^
I found Ufer audio files on Spotify. Brought back - mostly - great memories of my childhood, well before you could see every Michigan game on TV. I was at the 1979 Michigan-Indiana game with Wangler to Carter as time ran out. I didn’t hear Ufer’s call until later, but it perfectly captured the ecstasy of the moment. The call on Lantry’s missed FG is classic too. Ufer sounds as defeated as you could ever be, but still arrogant enough to call out the cheers of OSU fans as 10,000 alumni and 74,000 truck drivers.
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:52 PM ^
Ufer talked about Michigan emotionally. His announcing described my feelings about Meeechigan to a tee. This was some heavy-duty brainwashing as a kid. I take loses a bit better than back then, but I've had a bit too much practice to gloat. I still feel the wins just as bad.
December 26th, 2022 at 3:14 PM ^
I was at the 1979 Indy game too. Afterwards, when I got home, my brother was telling me he had left the room with the radio on to check out something on TV and came back in a minute with Ufer talking about Fielding H. Yost, Valhalla, etc. and couldn't understand what had happened, until Ufer repeated the events a few minutes later, step by step.
I believe Ufer thought the kick was at first good and announced so (for Lantry's kick) and then he goes it's NO GOOD and was never more mournful. The best audio is hearing him call the 1980 Ohio game (You tube) with TV coverage. That turned out to be his last ever Ohio game to our shock. But it was a winner!
December 23rd, 2022 at 2:39 PM ^
Thanks for transcribing this poetry.
"Which means Jim Knowles has to have to the best series
as a defensive coordinator maybe he's had in his life."
December 23rd, 2022 at 5:06 PM ^
Yes that was kind of hilarious.
Series of his life, Touchdown The Don.
December 24th, 2022 at 8:50 PM ^
Oh no.
December 26th, 2022 at 3:15 PM ^
I believe The Don's 75-yarder happened just seconds after Klatt's commentary about Knowles :>)
December 23rd, 2022 at 3:09 PM ^
Did we ever get details on the Sanristil speech? I've been hoping an interview or a recording would break, but if it has, I missed it.
December 23rd, 2022 at 4:30 PM ^
Tommy Two Thumbs Eichenberg works for the the One Armed Don.
December 23rd, 2022 at 5:57 PM ^
Gus, that man defense, it's not working for the Buckeyes.
December 23rd, 2022 at 9:36 PM ^
Thank you. An early Christmas gift
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:07 PM ^
It's better if you imagine it's poetry, like Beowulf or something
Well, he did it there, and
perfect route from Cornelius Johnson.
And all of a sudden, Michigan
lights it up on two long touchdown passes.
Beautiful job by McCarthy, Gus,
of stepping up in the pocket.
And Johnson was wide open, he made
an excellent move at the top of his route.
Totally created separation.
And he was wide open deep.
December 24th, 2022 at 9:01 PM ^
What a delight!
December 26th, 2022 at 3:06 PM ^
A rare but special trait of the LEAD TV announcer is the ability to be silent, perhaps for 30+ seconds after a huge play happens, just to allow the crowd noise and player and fan reaction to be experienced by the viewing audience.
Keith Jackson had this down to a tee, whether on the Howard and Woodson PR TDs (good memories) or the Kordell Hail Mary (bad memory).
Vin Scully was great for this too in baseball. Check out after Gibby's HR in 1984 and also BEFORE and after Gibby's 1988 HR off Eckersley.
Gus has learned well!
December 26th, 2022 at 3:41 PM ^
Great write up! Especially the directors cut. Appreciate you pulling this together,
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