October 23rd, 2023 at 12:03 PM ^
I just finished listening to this. Says what the world needs to hear. The boys are here to dominate. They don't care who's in the way.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:29 PM ^
"They don't care who's in the way."
Bingo. To your point, if my memory serves correctly (and I make no guarantees), Brian said something similar after a game in mid september, about how it was starting to look like a lot of the things this team builds its success on might prove to be opponent-invariant.
Klatt hits the same nail with the same hammer - they rely on the things that are reliable: Effort, Discipline, and Toughness...and oh by the way, they've got a legit Heisman-contending QB who can murder you with his efficiency sitting in the pocket, and can burn your house down with his improv skills and accuracy. How do you stop that?
Like Brian said early in the year, when this offense is executing, it's enough to make most defensive coordinators consider dropping their clipboards and walking into the sea.
At one point late in the 2nd quarter as M's offense took the field, the camera panned to MSU's DC and I could swear the look on his face when he saw JJ was "Please, not in the face."
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:14 PM ^
Nice summation of the on-field stuff, but I disagree about the seriousness of the sign stealing nonsense.
When the NCAA prohibits something not because it's inherently damaging to the game itself but because some schools don't want to spend money to do it, breaking the rule is not truly serious. If it was Notre Dame or LSU or USC that was accused of the same thing, nobody would be getting the vapors about it.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:17 PM ^
The problem is that it can as serious as those deciding if it is serious want it to be.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:25 PM ^
That's the problem, isn't it? The NCAA has a pickle up its ass about Harbaugh.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:29 PM ^
Yes. And I don’t care if other people think it is a “conspiracy” or not. I think Harbaugh has enemies and they are doing their best to break him.
The problem they have now is now is that everybody jumped on the Michigan bandwagon Saturday and nobody wants to hear this nonsense anymore.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:43 PM ^
I also believe that the more people like Klatt, Finebaum etc publicly call it the joke it is, helps Michigan. if everyone was quiet about it, I think the NCAA would ram it in dry and without notice.
October 23rd, 2023 at 2:14 PM ^
Yes. As far as Klatt goes, though, he's not calling it a joke. He says the allegations are very serious, even though he is not making a judgment on what the final outcome will be.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:43 PM ^
I also believe that the more people like Klatt, Finebaum etc publicly call it the joke it is, helps Michigan. if everyone was quiet about it, I think the NCAA would ram it in dry and without notice.
October 23rd, 2023 at 2:42 PM ^
Oh, wow....they should have that looked at.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:19 PM ^
If it was Notre Dame or LSU or USC (or OSU) we'd be getting the vapors about it. Breaking the rules is breaking the rules. I'm with Klatt: let's see how the investigation plays out.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:22 PM ^
I absolutely would not be. I thought, and still do think that nearly every team in the country has somebody at their next opponents game and I care 0% if they do. This isn’t 1985. In my opinion, it is about as serious as the SEC short made it out to be.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:29 PM ^
Urban Meyer admitted that when he was at OSU, he had a staffer whose sole job was to keep an eye on Michigan. If anybody thinks there was nobody from OSU's side attending Michigan's games and reporting back with copious notes and videos, I've got sinkhole-ridden property in Florida to sell them. And I wouldn't give a shit if there was, nor do I give a shit about the certainty that every major program in the country does the same damn thing.
October 23rd, 2023 at 1:03 PM ^
There's a reason you can no longer watch practices from the Stadium Blvd bridge.
October 23rd, 2023 at 2:25 PM ^
I 110% assumed this was par for the course and would have been disappointed if Michigan wasn’t doing the same.
Now that apparently “everyone knows” it’s illegal, the only thing that’s changed is that I 110% assume any school that denies it is lying.
October 23rd, 2023 at 4:48 PM ^
When Urban Meyer is doing his pregame show at a Michigan game, it would be pretty hard to not believe he is doing in person scouting for the Buckeyes.
Also, our tickets are in Section 40, which gives a decent view of the Michigan bench. During either 2021 or 2022 someone sitting next to us recorded the entire game on their phone, and they were pretty dispassionate about the game. I didn’t think much of it until now…
October 23rd, 2023 at 1:48 PM ^
You wouldn't if the all the alleged violations are true? Like people not affiliated with the university are paying hundreds of dollars for good enough seats to see the signals and then actually filming them and then compiling them and sending them to an analyst on staff? I find that very hard to believe we'd be collectively brushing it all away as nothing. And I feel like I shouldn't have to add this, but I am NOT saying nor do I think all of it is true.
October 23rd, 2023 at 1:56 PM ^
I admit I hadn't previously given it much thought, but I generally assumed all this was already happening. There are tens of thousands of people at these games, personal video recorders have been a thing for decades, press boxes are full of people well beyond the coaching staffs of the two teams on the field. Teams get video of their opponents' games - I only learned through this "scandal" that those films don't include sidelines. Having seen coaches hide their mouths when speaking for years it's been clear that everyone is aware of and taking pains to avoid sign stealing. If the NCAA really cared, they'd be taking much more active measures to shield sidelines from each other so as to keep signs safe and secure. They're not so it's clear they don't care.
October 23rd, 2023 at 2:00 PM ^
I find that very hard to believe we'd be collectively brushing it all away as nothing.
Collectively? We're also not collectively saying this is NBD at Michigan. Some people here say they will be very upset if it's true.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:37 PM ^
Sparty's whole season depends on this decision. It's always about Michigan with Sparty.
October 23rd, 2023 at 5:47 PM ^
I'm not spending energy being all upset about spying on other sidelines in a conference that's been riddled with some disgusting immoral crap over the past decade or so. It's not that it doesn't matter, it's just that I only have so many F's to give and I do not have any for this. I legit do not care about this, despite the possible punishment. (Which apparently is a firing squad or nuclear bomb or whatever it is that satisfies the hard-on that these people have for Harbaugh) I hope we didn't break any rules, but if we did, there's nothing I can do about it other than feel bad for our players who are kicking ass and deserve better than this stupid bullshit. So I'm looking forward to the end of the investigation, and I suspect the results will be that Jim Harbaugh is an evil mastermind criminal and Warde Manuel is just the best AD ever.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:30 PM ^
Klatt has been called a Michigan homer for a couple of years now just because he likes how Michigan plays football. He's supposed to be unbiased of course since he calls games for various teams and he/Fox are obviously sensitive to that. Along comes Michigan SpyGate. I am sure Klatt has decided to take this approach since to defend Michigan would make him appear to be more of a "homer". Notice he doesn't really address the allegations at all and instead just calls them "serious". He doesn't even deep-dive into what is alleged and whether it's a common practice or not. He just punts, really. This is the perfect balance in that he doesn't criticize a program he covers and Fox relentlessly promotes, while at the same time he doesn't minimize the "allegations". I wouldn't read much into it at all. He blows Michigan for 95% of this video after his "it's serious" stance which I really don't think he believes. My two cents.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:40 PM ^
Its not “serious” in that it dramatically affects the outcome of games, except maybe rarely.
Its “serious” in that it goes in the “WTF are we doing” category — its against the rules, its largely unnecessary, its at best tangentially helpful. Why would a program flirt with this and do it?
If we were doing it, it suggests a callousness and arrogance that is a problem. I would be really bothered if it turns out the staff was doing this — not bc we got an unfair advantage, but bc we didnt need to so why flout the rules that way? Yeah, I get it, if you aint cheatin you aint trying. Well, unless everyone else was ignoring this rule, as dumb as it may be, I would have a real concern if a decision was made to violate this rule.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:45 PM ^
I agree but Harbaugh just served a three game suspension for a completely unserious issue. The NCAA is evil and corrupt with a vendetta against Harbaugh and willing to abuse its dwindling power in any way to serve that vendetta.
October 23rd, 2023 at 6:25 PM ^
This is wrong. This is EXACTLY what happened to USC. They were too good, were too deep, and the NCAA wanted to put them in their place, and did so.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:15 PM ^
Best analyst in college football.
Gus can get annoying, but don't hold that against Klatt.
Just imagine a Gus broadcast without Klatt . . .
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:20 PM ^
Gus is awful. He was great years back, but he really leaned into the over enthusiastic calls too heavily as time went on and Flanderized himself into what he is now.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:52 PM ^
Gus needs to be run over by a Maserati (a red one with a number 18 painted on it). He has truly become insufferable (IMO).
October 23rd, 2023 at 1:40 PM ^
You want a man to get run over by a car because you don't like the way he calls football games? A bit much there, Francis? lol
And don't say you weren't being serious. It doesn't matter. Some things just don't need to or shouldn't be said.
October 23rd, 2023 at 2:00 PM ^
I'll admit, I'm jealous of you - this response indicates you had better things to do on Saturday AM then hear Gus talk about a certain football player and a car (100 times over).
October 23rd, 2023 at 7:58 PM ^
You're right, I didn't hear any of that. Only college football-related media I watched on Saturday was Corso make his pick (something I always like to watch just because his enthusiasm is nice to see) and the Michigan game.
Looks like I missed the joke here. Whoops.
October 23rd, 2023 at 2:11 PM ^
Dude, your pearls are getting sweat stained...
October 23rd, 2023 at 3:26 PM ^
October 23rd, 2023 at 1:33 PM ^
Gus is evolving into the football equivalent of Dick Vitale.
October 23rd, 2023 at 3:25 PM ^
That is a good analogy. Both became caricatures of themself- basically doing a shtick
October 23rd, 2023 at 1:53 PM ^
GJ has gotten annoying. You can tell he gets a little woody (no pun intended) for osucks. "Thee world famous ohio state buckeyyyyyeeeessss" and he's always gushing over MHJ.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:54 PM ^
I'd like a Klatt broadcast without Gus
October 23rd, 2023 at 1:14 PM ^
I think Gus and Klatt are the perfect foils for each other and make a helluva duo. I like Gus a lot less when my team is getting beat but that is because when he gets into those calls they are only enjoyable when your team is the one being emphasized. I can't imagine the last 2 OSU beatdowns without "GUESS WHO? AIDAN HUTCHINSON", "O-JA-BO", "McCarthy throws deep, GOT A WIDE OPEN RECEIVER" or "DONOVAN EDWARDS, WHOA, CAN THEY CATCH HIM? NO!"
October 23rd, 2023 at 1:31 PM ^
We have been beating Ohio State since Gus and Klatt have been calling the game. That's good enough for me.
October 23rd, 2023 at 1:20 PM ^
Never will I ever understand the Gus Johnson slander…
Dude is a broadcasting treasure.
October 23rd, 2023 at 1:35 PM ^
The only time Gus Johnson is "annoying" is when he's a calling a game where your team is losing. For example, I haven't watched an ounce of the latter portion of the second half of the 2021 MSU game since the actual day of the game, where he spent nearly every second of that half gushing over Kenneth Walker (understandably so) and made these comments about MSU having a championship mindset because when push comes to shove, they are not the ones who flinch while Michigan has.
Can't stand to listen to it when my team is losing, but I don't hold that against Gus Johnson. Its part of his shtick. He's a joy to listen to when your team is winning. His emotion and passion for the game are so infectious, and honestly he's given us so many iconic lines over the last two years:
"Throws deep, GOT A WIDE OPEN RECEIVER, CORNELIUS JOHNSON, SPRINTING, TOUCHDOWN MICHIGAN!! 75 YARDS! THEY SAID THE KID COULDN'T THROW THE DEEP BALL!"
"MICHIGAN GETS PRESSURE! GUESS WHO?!? AIDAN HUTCHINSON!!"
"DONOVAN EDWARDS AGAIN, 85 YARDS, THE DON!"
"HAYES! KEEGAN! VASTARDIS! ZINTER! STEUBER! THE MEN UP FRONT HAVE BEEN IN---CREDIBLE!"
"OH-JA-BO!"
I think Gus and Joel are the perfect complements for one another, and I'd happily take them over Fowler and Herbstreit every day of the week.
October 23rd, 2023 at 9:45 PM ^
The "Hayes! Keegen! Vastardis! Zinter! Steuber" call was great in and of itself, AND because broadcasters rarely highlight individual O-linemen like that. I generally like Gus and enjoy when he's calling games because, quite honestly, I don't need some guy being morbidly serious about the game the whole time. There's enough morbidly serious stuff in life. Sports are supposed to be fun and Gus, for me, makes it fun to watch.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:16 PM ^
I was disappointed in his "SO SERIOUS" take on the advanced scouting thing.
And someone needs to show him that MGoBlog called Michigan Football a boa constrictor before he did. He made a thing out of his "inventing" it again.
But, yes, it's not just his take on the MSU game. It's his take on how Michigan is a different animal than anyone out there, even Georgia, Ohio State, Washington, Florida, and Oklahoma.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:39 PM ^
He’s a national football analyst, not a writer for Michigan 247.
He didn’t say what the punishment should be or whether they are true. Sometimes I think fans want their sports news how they consume their politics. Affirmation not information.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:50 PM ^
He's just wrong about it being that serious. That's not information.
And one of the many things that ordinarily makes him the best is that he often says what is right, rather than what someone "in his position" is supposed to say.
Sometimes I think condescending board posters want their social interaction how they have their family gatherings. Like condescending pricks.
October 23rd, 2023 at 1:43 PM ^
Great. Not working. You get the idea.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:17 PM ^
Unfortunate placement of the YouTube logo on my screen.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:21 PM ^
Hope Higan State had a nice time.
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:21 PM ^
Higan State? I hope she's hot!
October 23rd, 2023 at 12:30 PM ^
Sounds like my Friday night.