[Yahoo! Sports] TCU spent bowl season prep installing "dummy signals" after learning they were matched against Michigan
Source:
TCU coaches learned from other staffs about Michigan’s “elaborate” sign-stealing before the CFP semifinal.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 26, 2023
TCU changed signs but used “dummy” (old) signs to trick the Wolverines, coaches tell @YahooSports. TCU players were told to ignore the dummy signs.https://t.co/Ga2Qi8HxlG
Article alleged that after the playoff match-up were announced, several teams contacted Sonny Dykes and TCU about Michigan's system -- Coaches spent the some of the bowl prep weeks changing up their signs, and utilizing old, "dummy signs" that their own players were told to ignore.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:07 PM ^
This is how a normal program should react to finding out someone is stealing their signals. Not hiring a PI and running a smear campaign.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:16 PM ^
lol my thoughts exactly. This is how a real football coach handles this kind of thing Ryan. Good on TCU, all part of the game.
Fuck Yahoo Sports
October 26th, 2023 at 8:07 PM ^
And fuck Ohio State
October 26th, 2023 at 7:33 PM ^
Exactly. If you think an opponent is reading your signs, use it against them
October 26th, 2023 at 7:40 PM ^
Right? Send in the opposite stuff on a decoy and use wristbands. This isn’t that hard or serious. At all. So dumb.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:41 PM ^
But when you do change your signs and you still get your ass kicked, then you go for smear campaign.
Ryan Day
October 26th, 2023 at 7:53 PM ^
Yeah all this article does is make Ohio State look supremely stupid. You had all year to change your signs and still got pasted lol
October 26th, 2023 at 8:26 PM ^
What good would it do for OSU? Stallions' crew hit up 8 OSU games over the years. They'd just note the changes in signs.
October 26th, 2023 at 10:35 PM ^
OSU allegedly spends time during EVERY practice prepping for the M game (at least thru Meyer) so they could/would prepare signals just for that game if they were that concerned.
FYI - Per many on Twitter it appears that M did NOT scout TCU - no record of ticket purchases - so all of this was a waste of time.
October 29th, 2023 at 1:30 PM ^
Buckeye trolls are sloooow learners. They have an aversion to facts.
October 26th, 2023 at 8:12 PM ^
Agree 100%.
The sole downside here is that people are going to take this story plus the result and conclude that Michigan only got to the CFP because they were "cheating."
Anyone who watched that game understands that if they played that game 100 times, Michigan wins at least 80. JJ's pick 6s had nothing to do with stolen signs, unless you think they were going to audible to a slant based upon a decoded signal and then JJ was just going to wing it without looking.
October 26th, 2023 at 8:52 PM ^
The staff clearly had to instruct JJ to purposely throw two interceptions because we knew that they knew that we knew their signals, and we had to throw off the scent to avoid NCAA investigations. Explains why TCU's program has cratered since that game. They could only succeed when we were throwing them a couple freebies. I expect a breaking Yahoo article on this by midnight.
October 26th, 2023 at 11:20 PM ^
And fumble on the one because they read that defensive sign. And 4th and goal a screen pass directly into coverage… hey! TCU stole OUR signs!!
October 26th, 2023 at 8:13 PM ^
Remember when a third of our fan base wants OSU to beat everyone so they can be 11-0 going into the game (rather than 3-9) and it's great for CFB and the Big 10 (and somehow Michigan) and all that shit? Yeah just remember that the next few decades.
A large part of this community wanted them beating Notre Dame and PSU this year for these awful reasons - it's pathetic.
October 26th, 2023 at 9:12 PM ^
I don't have anything to add to any of the posts the past week but this one. This one right here. Hell yes. Holy shit I hope people follow suit.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:07 PM ^
Good for them. They countered like normal people and didn't go crying to the teachers.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:08 PM ^
So that proves it!!! Signs are for dummies! Throw out the D&$) case against us!!!
October 26th, 2023 at 7:08 PM ^
"The Michigan case represents the largest scale sign-stealing scheme ever publicized in the recent history of college sports. It’s no surprise that the system eventually leaked because of its sheer size and foolish moves."
PFFFFFTTTTTTT ok ross
October 26th, 2023 at 10:40 PM ^
Not the biggest one ever, just the biggest one ever publicized.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:08 PM ^
Good for them! I see this is today’s news dump. How do these reporters feel about clearly being the mouthpiece of a firm looking to PR jam UM?
October 26th, 2023 at 7:26 PM ^
Mouth and piece seem to be the key words here. Journalists are getting closer to circus animals every day.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:27 PM ^
Every click is a dopamine hit for them.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:09 PM ^
The signal they gave to take away Roman Wilson's touchdown sure worked.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:14 PM ^
Can't upvote this, but not because I disagree.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:43 PM ^
Roman cured my ED.
The refs brought it back.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:09 PM ^
“Several teams”? There was exactly one program in the country that had this info (because B1G) and had an immediate clear benefit to M losing.
Also isn’t using dummy signals common? I’ve seen M opponents holding up multiple cards on the sideline. This was a big deal for TCU?
October 26th, 2023 at 7:23 PM ^
The article did call out OSU as one of the teams specifically, just have to scroll down a bit to find it.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:29 PM ^
Yeah. It was OSU and their imaginary friend Snuffleupagus.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:34 PM ^
They are making every single common practice of coaches sound like a crazy new innovation in college football to avoid evil Michigan and their sign stealing
October 27th, 2023 at 1:11 PM ^
100%.
- Athlon Sports 2017 College Preview had a pretty extensive article to the depth College Programs go to steal signs.
- Sports Illustrated 2020 (Pat Forde) - Another very detailed article "How Clemson Mastered the Art of Stealing Signs". In the article is says they hire 40-45 GA's to watch TV footage and translate to their signs. Funny part of the article;
"Exactly how they do it, and how much it helps, remains a bit mysterious."
October 26th, 2023 at 7:10 PM ^
Which is why we ran it literally up their asshole on the first play from scrimmage?
October 26th, 2023 at 7:14 PM ^
They probably gave Stalions that one so he’d be confident for the rest of the game.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:30 PM ^
Good point. OSU tipped them off that coming out strong early backfired on them.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:10 PM ^
Mustve changed the make michigan fumble on the 1 signal. they got us with that
October 26th, 2023 at 7:11 PM ^
Oh look, our daily 7:00 leak. Right on time.
These “reporters” are a joke. Leaning on anonymous sources and not having the balls to put any names out there of who’s providing what info. We want real sources
October 26th, 2023 at 7:28 PM ^
Yeah, it's one thing to protect sources when it's like government or major corporate whistle blowing. But this is college sports. Sure there's lots of money involved but it's also ultimately an entertainment product. The stakes just aren't that high.
October 26th, 2023 at 8:07 PM ^
Admitting your source is OSU is admitting your source is tainted. Admitting it’s the NCAA reveals they’re violating their own rules (again).
Also, “anonymous sources” adds drama, like the Vast Network or Blue Wall will go after them (how?) if they’re not protected.
In a PR war, and this is absolutely a PR war, every detail is orchestrated. Nothing is incidental. Well except Warde doing nothing, which is just standard for him.
October 26th, 2023 at 8:44 PM ^
Definitely tainted.
Ohio’s taint.
October 27th, 2023 at 1:13 PM ^
Not much of a war when one side cannot even talk about the said allegations.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:11 PM ^
So there's nothing else to leak about Michigan...move on to opposing teams.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:34 PM ^
I feel bad for the reporters when the leaks run out. They're going to go through some terrible withdrawals.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:13 PM ^
This is such a disingenuous article. EVERY TEAM STEALS SIGNS. Of course teams are going to try to prevent that in the CFP. Also, if our sign stealing was so wide spread that every B1G team supposedly knew about it, then doesn't it kinda mean that no team can really claim to have lost because of it?
Many of those on the TCU staff were unaware before the calls. Coaches from several Big Ten schools, including Ohio State, informed TCU coaches of the scheme.
Love these little easter eggs in these articles that continue to make things clear
Also, not to change topics, but have we heard from Ryan Day at all about the scandal? It's been a week since this came out and he's been mysteriously silent. He's also the person I'm guessing most people would be most interested in hearing from in regards to this. Almost like the OSU beat writers who have been so open about most of this situation know something and are choosing not to ask him...
October 26th, 2023 at 7:17 PM ^
Almost like the OSU beat writers who have been so open about most of this situation know something and are choosing not to ask him...
I have also been waiting for Day's opinion on all of this, and the Ohio State beat-writers have been hounding Day this week during post-practice media sessions. Day has just repeatedly said that it is not something he feels strongly about commenting on, and he would rather the questions be focused on Ohio State and its players.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:30 PM ^
"Day has just repeatedly said that it is not something he feels strongly about commenting on, and he would rather the questions be focused on Ohio State and its players."
He may believe he has plausible deniability here, so there's no reason for him to get involved. If he's sufficiently isolated from the nonsense, he may even say "Lots of teams steal signals." It will make him look better and above it all. Others can do the dirty work.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:14 PM ^
We get it...everyone is playing fair and Michigan is a terrorist group who cheats and kills kittens.
October 26th, 2023 at 8:14 PM ^
Now hold it right there. You clearly have no idea what you’re talking about, you ignorant fuck. What are you even doing here?
It is not against NCAA rules to kill kittens. Seriously, find me that bylaw. It’s not there. They even investigated Southeastern Bowwow State back in 2012 and repealed the existing rule without a postseason ban because killing kittens was found to “not provide a significant competitive advantage.” It was only ever in the rulebooks at all because Northwestern unknowingly recruited an early HS grad in 1994 and was concerned the legality of kitten-killing technically extended to underage Wildcats. (Hazing was OK though.)
Study a history book next time, dumbass.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:14 PM ^
Good for them. Is this supposed to be harmful or damning to us in some way?
October 26th, 2023 at 7:16 PM ^
They should have spent the whole off season changing them again to prepare for Colorado.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:35 PM ^
So you're saying there was a Stalions to Deion connection over the summer? Now Prime's comments on this matter are making sense (says every Buckeye conspiracy theorist on Twitter-X)...
October 26th, 2023 at 7:39 PM ^
It's obvious we had them cracked at half time and might as well share them. Clearly Deion and Harbaugh really like each other.