Connor Stalions counters Jack Sawyer's accusations, proves Michigan's 2022 win was legit
Former Ohio State edge rusher Jack Sawyer is talking about Michigan football again, and he cannot fathom how or why the Buckeyes lost in 2022.
As the national (although becoming more Ohio-based) narrative that the only reason why the Wolverines have beaten OSU the past four years is because of 'cheating' with the Connor Stalions advanced scouting allegations, Sawyer and self-proclaimed Buckeye Nation keep putting out their side of the story, thinking it proves the point. However, as you'll soon see, it does nothing of the sort.
"I'll tell you this: I think they beat us straight up last year, obviously, and the year before," Sawyer said on a podcast. "But my sophomore year, we left the field like, 'This feels weird.' We lost by double digits and I felt like we beat the (expletive deleted) all game. We ran a screen pass that we had never put in. Not the formation, not the look. Anything. And then like, you see him (Stalions) on the sideline, they're doing it. And we changed it, we audible to it, whatever. We run it. All the D-linemen, as soon as the ball is snapped, the linebackers, everybody, they sniffed it out.
"We ran a tight end screen from the 25-yard line going in, and they snuff it out."
This came to light on Monday, but last fall, Stalions appeared on the Bussin' with the Boys podcast and explained how he knew the exact play that OSU was running without even knowing the play itself. Because football is still football, and if your sign is easy to decipher -- as this was -- then it will be deciphered.
"Here's the bottom line of how can you be so good in-game," Stalions said. "Slot YY. So I think they motion into slot YY. Their signal for the slot YY formation, and then the guy who was live the entire season signaled (visibly) Y-delay. Am I supposed to see that and be like, 'Oh, I don't know what this is!' I think this has got to be a Y-delay screen."
Stalions had more to say about this exact clip, refuting Sawyer's version of events on X (formerly Twitter).
Priceless.
Of course, note that Sawyer plays on defense, so he doesn't exactly have a solid grasp of the offensive playbook for his team week in, week out. While we cannot confirm or deny Stalions' account, that OSU ran this play before, as a former analyst for Michigan football, he would know.
What's more, if Ohio State had never run the play before, then how would Stalions have illegally stolen the signal as Sawyer insinuates? If his scheme was so pervasive, and his mom being in the crowd at a Purdue-Ohio State game with her phone was somehow responsible for a play and formation that Sawyer insists was never run before, how did Stalions actually decipher it, if not in-game?
Make it make sense. Logic is not strong with this one.
But it's another season, and though Sawyer is no longer in Columbus, he will live the rest of his life having never beaten Michigan. Thus, this certainly comes across as some kind of coping mechanism, if not outright denial.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Who is Sammy Stafura? Reds trade 20-year-old shortstop to Pirates for Ke'Bryan Hayes
Shortstop Sammy Stafura had emerged as one of the Cincinnati Reds' most exciting prospects when he was traded July 30 to the Pittsburgh Pirates for third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes. Stafura is a 20-year-old infielder. He was playing his first full season for the Low-A Daytona Tortugas and batting .262 with four homers, nine triples, 48 RBIs and 28 stolen bases in 402 plate appearances. Stafura started the 2024 season with the Arizona Complex League Reds. He was promoted to Daytona after hitting .346 with an OPS of 1.031 in 69 plate appearances in the ACL. What to know about Stafura, who was ranked ninth among MLB Pipeline's top Reds prospects: The Reds drafted Stafura in the second round in 2023 Stafura, who turns 21 in November, was the third player the Reds selected in the 2023 draft. The Reds took Wake Forest pitcher Rhett Lowder and LSU pitcher Ty Floyd in the first round. Stafura, drafted out of Panas High School in Cortlandt Manor, New York, was the 43rd player selected in the draft. He signed a bonus of $2,497,500. Stafura had committed to Clemson when the Reds drafted him Stafura committed to the Tigers in July 2021. Stafura was named the 2022-23 Gatorade New York Baseball Player of the Year. As a senior, Stafura led Panas HS to a Section 1 title while batting .562 in 26 games, with 10 home runs, 37 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. Reds amateur scouting director Joe Katuska told The Enquirer that the Reds didn't think Stafura, ranked 34th among ESPN's draft prospects, would fall to the Reds at No. 43. "Sammy is a tremendous athlete," Katuska said. "Plus run, plus arm, good shortstop actions with a bat that we've seen and like. There's power potential." Stafura bounced back after struggling to hit in his first 12 games in the ACL. He had just three hits in 53 PAs with 23 strikeouts. "It's never clear how a high school player from a cold-weather state is going to transition to pro ball after signing," Stafura's MLB Pipeline profile read. "His debut in the Arizona Complex League was a very brief 12-game stint, but showed it might take a little time for the infielder to get acclimated." Stafura's parents came to the United States from Slovakia "My dad came here when he was 18, and my mom came here when she was like 9. My dad came here with no English and a $100 bill," Stafura said, per "He found a way to become a successful man. My motivation comes from that. If he had no excuses for becoming the man he is now, then there shouldn't be any excuses for me. I can do anything I put my mind to." This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds trade shortstop Sammy Stafura to Pirates in Ke'Bryan Hayes deal
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How light-hitting, Gold Glove 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes upgrades Cincinnati Reds' hitting, too
Charlie Hayes, a 14-year big-leaguer spent almost a decade in the major leagues with five teams before finally playing in October, winning a World Series with the 1996 Yankees after getting dealt by the Pirates in an August waiver trade. Twenty-eight years and 11 months later, his kid is hoping to get the same kind of bounce off a trade from the Pirates. More: The Reds added a longterm third baseman. What's that mean for prospect Sal Stewart? More: How Cincinnati Reds say trading for starter Zack Littell provides needed help for bullpen Not that the 2025 Cincinnati Reds bear significant resemblance to Derek Jeter's 1996 Yankees. But Ke'Bryan Hayes, the chip off the infield block that Charlie helped turn into the best defensive third baseman in the game, has big ideas since joining the Reds in a deadline trade July 30 – and joining the starting lineup the next night against the Atlanta Braves. 'That's why we play this game, to play in the playoffs and ultimately win a World Series,' said Hayes, who picked up two places and 10 games in the standings with the trade. 'If you're not playing to win, why are you playing?' On his first day with his new team, Hayes said he's looking forward to playing for Terry Francona, who crossed paths with his dad some as their playing careers overlapped in the late 1980s. And he said he already has felt welcomed in the clubhouse, which has a familiar feel not only because of all the times his Pirates faced the Reds in recent years but also because of personal connections with such new teammates as Hunter Greene, Gavin Lux and Tyler Stephenson. 'This is a really good team,' Hayes, 28, said. 'I'm just excited to be here and excited for a new chapter and just want to get out there and play hard and win games.' Hayes ranks among the top 10 players regardless of position in defensive runs above average and fourth in defensive runs saved. He's No. 1 at his position in almost every advanced defensive metric by a lot. He also ranks at the bottom in nearly every offensive metric among qualified MLB third basemen. Team president Nick Krall said the thinking behind adding Hayes, beyond the obvious overall lift for a shaky-fielding team, is the domino effect across two positions, including right field. Getting some of the worst production both offensively and defensively from both of those positions this season, the Reds were able to significantly elevate the defensive side of third base and shift Noelvi Marte into a more regular role in right – where his productive bat elevates the offensive side of that position. 'He's also got upside to be an offensive contributor if he can get back to where he was a couple years ago,' Krall said, before also mentioning the Marte bump in right. 'It is a defensive move, but I also think that it allows you to get more offense in the game.' Hayes hit .271 with 15 home runs and a .762 OPS in 2023, to go with a Gold Glove that year. 'That plays,' Reds closer Emilio Pagan said. 'Especially with his defense. Now you're talking like – I don't want to get ahead of my skis here – but that's perennial All-Star, MVP-type numbers with what he brings defensively.' That's the dream of the organization that just picked up the $36 million left on the remaining four years of Hayes' contract (including a $6 million buyout clause on a $12 million club option for 2030). It's also a big gap to bridge. But Hayes is thinking the same way and said he hopes new eyes and voices makes a difference. 'I've already talked with the hitting guys a little bit,' he said. He batted ninth in his Reds debut, lining softly to first in his first at-bat, popping to second in the fourth and grounding out to second in the sixth. He also started a big inning-ending double play in the fourth with the bases loaded – misplayed a chopper with the bases loaded in the sixth for a two-base, two-run error that tied the game. So much for that seamless transition. But then he added his third home run of the year in the bottom of the eighth inning, a three-run shot for his first hit as a Red. Maybe there's something to that theory about the bat? 'I'm hoping I can get back to swinging the bat how I know I can swing it,' he said. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How light-hitting Ke'Bryan Hayes helps upgrade Cincinnati Reds' hitting
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Browns QB has absurdly bad training camp practice
The Cleveland Browns' quarterback battle is taking clearer shape after over a week of training camp practices. Quarterback Joe Flacco seems to be leading the way, especially after Kenny Pickett went down with a hamstring injury and has yet to return to team drills. Another one of the four quarterbacks had a particularly bad practice on Friday. Dillon Gabriel struggled heavily on Friday, going 3-of-14 in team drills, per ESPN Cleveland. Struggles continued into Saturday, according to Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. "Dillon Gabriel is again getting a lot of work in team drills," Oyefusi posted on X. "Led the 2s vs. the 2s after Flacco and didn't find a completion from about a half-dozen attempts outside of a check down. Led one play with the first-team offensive line and is now leading the 3s, where he just had 2 straight completions to end the session." These struggles could lead to more opportunities for Shedeur Sanders, but it looks like Flacco is in the driver's seat to be the No. 1 quarterback for Week 1. Follow The Sporting News on WhatsAppBrowns legendary quarterback praises Shedeur Sanders Browns get major quarterback news ahead of latest training camp practice Browns should trade for former first-round pick quarterback after standout preseason performance Browns disgruntled star changes tone, wants to be in Cleveland for rest of career Browns could be eyeing former Defensive Player of the Year as Martin Emerson Jr replacement
