Saturday afternoon, the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Wisconsin Badgers during the Big Ten Championship game to lock up a spot in the College Football Playoffs. This game was full of exciting moments, but one third-quarter touchdown drew the attention of football fans, as well as singer John Legend. In fact, they even highlighted the commentary and reaction to the score.
Facing a 14-point deficit in the third quarter, the Buckeyes began their comeback when Jeremy Ruckert caught a touchdown in the back of the end zone. This brought Ohio State within seven points and fired up the fanbase. Additionally, the play drew attention due to the announcer’s call.
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“Oh, what a catch!” the announcer yelled as his voice cracked from the sheer excitement of the moment. This play made multiple fans chuckle and even prompted a video in which the call was looped.
Gus can call all the Buckeyes’ games forever https://t.co/OFwsqrsLpj
— John Legend (@johnlegend) December 8, 2019
“Gus can play-by-play a pillow fight and make it feel like a Superbowl,” one fan wrote in response to this video. Another added their thoughts on the matter, saying: “I love Gus! Thought he was a great boxing announcer too!”
The voice of this touchdown call, Gus Johnson, is a man that has long been familiar to those that watch sports. He has been an announcer for the NFL, college football and basketball, and the World Cup. Johnson has also been the announcer for many Ohio State games, so he is a mainstay on the Big Ten Network.
While there are some fans that dislike Johnson due to an inherent “bias” toward the Buckeyes, there are many more that prefer to watch his games due to the sheer excitement. Johnson is someone that has been on the call for some of the biggest and most exciting matchups in sports.
A fitting example of this is a game between the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2010. The two AFC South teams were tied at 24 with three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter when David Garrard dropped back and launched a Hail Mary. The pass was deflected at the goal line by a Texans defender, but it fell into the arms of Jaguars receiver Mike Thomas, who scored the game-winning touchdown. The entire scenario played out as Johnson screamed “Unbelievable! Mike Thomas!”
Following this play, as well as a season full of big calls, Johnson was made the official voice of Madden NFL 11. This deal lasted for two seasons as he partnered with color commentator Cris Collinsworth to narrate the biggest plays in digital form.
Since that time working with the NFL and EA Sports, Johnson has primarily focused on college athletics, which is perfectly fine with Legend. The singer would prefer to have Johnson calling all of the matchups for his favorite team.
Photo Credit: Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty
