Gus Johnson didn’t hesitate to drop a Connor Stalions reference in the moments before Michigan secured a rivalry win over Ohio State on Saturday.
As Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore celebrated with players and waved toward the crowd with just over 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Johnson, who called the game for Fox, said the first-year head coach’s name and then added, “We didn’t cheat this time.”
While Johnson didn’t mention Stalions by name, he seemingly referred to the sign-stealing scandal that overshadowed the Michigan program during their run to the national championship last season.
Stalions, a former Michigan staffer, was suspended by the program and ultimately resigned in November 2023 after being accused of orchestrating the in-person scheme.
At the time, Moore served as former head coach Jim Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach and became the Wolverines’ interim head coach for their final three games of the regular season — including a victory over the Buckeyes — when Harbaugh was suspended three games as a result of the sign-stealing investigation.
while a Michigan staffer. Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK
When Harbaugh left to become the Chargers’ head coach in the offseason, Michigan hired Moore to serve as his replacement, with the effects of the scandal still lingering as Stalions resurfaced as the defensive coordinator of Mumford High School in Detroit.
Michigan defeated the No. 2 Buckeyes for their fourth consecutive victory in the series, though the afternoon took a scary turn when a brawl broke out after the Wolverines attempted to plant a flag on the Ohio Stadium field — one of four flag-related scuffles that occurred Saturday.
Police officers attempting to break out the fight appeared to pepper spray players, while Ohio State head coach Ryan Day defended his “prideful guys” who weren’t going to let Michigan players plant a flag.
“I don’t know all the details of it, but I know these guys are looking to put a flag on our field and our guys weren’t gonna let that happen,” Day told reporters. “I’ll find out exactly what happened, but this is our field. We certainly were embarrassed of the fact that we lost the game, but there’s some prideful guys on this team that weren’t just gonna let that happen.”
The Wolverines, which used a one-yard touchdown run by Kalel Mullings and two field goals to secure the upset, improved to 7-5, while the Buckeyes, after missing out on a chance to play in the Big Ten championship game, will await their College Football Playoff fate.