Broadcaster Review: Big Noon (Nude?) Saturday

5^TH ranked Oklahoma hosted West Virginia last weekend in the Big Noon Saturday game on Fox. Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt had the call on the network as they do most Saturday afternoons. The lopsided game made for an interesting and uncharacteristic broadcast from the team in the booth. 

As I watched the early parts of the game, Johnson didn’t seem like himself. He seemed rather reserved for what I’m used to hearing from him. Normally, Johnson has to be belted to his seat for even an average play, no matter when it happens. It almost seemed like he felt this was predestined to be an Oklahoma rout and it was.

The mismatch it looked like came to fruition and it makes for a tough broadcast because of what’s going on. Johnson stayed on point though and truthfully, I appreciated his more toned-down demeanor. He was solid on all of his calls and would slip in a few of his exaggerations when appropriate. 

Johnson would do his best to drop in some of his, for lack of a better term, Johnson-isms. “Oklahoma, moving, grooving, up 14 zip.”  On a touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to Charleston Rambo, elicited a “Rrrrrambo” from Gus. But, perhaps the moment of the game was an accident. The Sooner Schooner, the covered wagon, driven by two horses, tipped over, spilling the two passengers on the schooner. A male and a female. The female rider stuck the landing according to Johnson, when Fox showed the replay of the tilt. “Watch her ability to roll when she hit the ground… Nice roll! They teach you that in ju-jitsu Joel.” Vintage Johnson. Thankfully all involved (horses included) were okay. 

You could say that Johnson is a polarizing figure in the announcing world. Seems like people either like him or dislike him, there are no in between feelings. Now, he’s not usually my cup of tea, don’t get me wrong, as an announcer myself, it’s not my style of calling a game.

I’m not ripping his style at all. I give him credit, because he’s developed this style over many years of broadcasting, whether it be basketball or football. He’s true to his way and can pull it off. Johnson has had a very successful career too, so just because it’s not the way I’d do it doesn’t mean it’s wrong. I respect the fact he is himself, no matter the game. He is a professional and understands the role of the play-by-play man.

Johnson all game did a great job of leading Klatt into some of the main focuses of the game, to set the stage for what we may or may not see later in the game. This broadcast team works well together, when Klatt makes a point on Oklahoma’s QB Jalen Hurts being dangerous outside the pocket as a runner, Johnson says “over 600 yards on the ground for him already this season”. Set ‘em up and knock ‘em down. I like to hear that cohesiveness. 

Klatt is a solid analyst. The former Colorado Buffalo quarterback clearly knows the game of football. Knowing football and being able to relate it to the fans, is not mutually exclusive. Klatt has a very relatable style and doesn’t really talk down to the casual fan. There’s not a lot of fanfare in his analysis, no crazy sound effects or catch phrases, just solid explanations. Working with Johnson, anything resembling more than just the facts would be a difficult thing to sell on a viewer. It would be overload. 

Klatt has a good grip on the entire scope of the college game. He can talk intelligently about all aspects surrounding the game. He has a unique ability to relay the information in a very natural way. It seems like his early work as a studio host has served him well, having to prepare for all eventualities and learning how to work alongside other personalities. 

You can tell Klatt did his homework for this game. He made a point early on about the DB’s for Oklahoma being told to be more physical and not afraid of getting penalized. Klatt said that the coaching staff said it would live with a few holding or pass interference calls if the backs would continue to play with physicality. Klatt added that the coaches wanted the secondary to force the officials to make calls. Interesting information especially after two terrific coverage plays by the Sooners. 

From a production standpoint the big stories were covered and pretty well. Austin Kendall returned to Oklahoma as a member of the West Virginia team after transferring. A good story from sideline reporter Jenny Taft on one of Kendall’s former teammates leaving the QB a surprise in his locker, a Kendall bobblehead. Good stuff. 

I mentioned Twitter before and there’s another mini-controversy brewing regarding Johnson. Ok, maybe controversy is too strong a word for what is actually happening.

So, Fox calls its main Saturday broadcast Big Noon Saturday. Some claim to hear Johnson calling it, “Big Nude Saturday’ instead. I thought, there is no way this could actually be the case.

I think I’m wrong. Coming out of one of the early breaks, Johnson, to me, clearly said nude, not noon. I stopped the DVR, rolled it back, pushed play, listened again and yup, nude. Is he doing this on purpose? Could he be?  The world may never know. 

Andy Masur

Andy Masur is a columnist for BSM and works for WGN Radio as an anchor and play-by-play announcer. He also teaches broadcasting at the Illinois Media School. During his career he has called games for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. He can be found on Twitter @Andy_Masur1 or you can reach him by email at Andy@Andy-Masur.com.