“Jared Goff, Jared Goff” shouts burst out on ESPN’s College GameDay set in Ann Arbor—Ford Field will go crazy on Sunday night.
Michigan is immersed in football culture. The Detroit Lions face the Los Angeles Rams at Ford Field on Sunday night, while the Michigan Wolverines (ranked No. 10) meet the Texas Longhorns (No. 3) on Saturday.
ESPN’s “College GameDay” is in Ann Arbor for their Saturday morning college football preview broadcast, with a slew of Michigan supporters crowding the stage as they wait for kickoff.
The crowd usually brings poster boards with humorous writing on them, shouts for the local teams, and boos their opponents. However, when the experts focused on the Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Colorado Buffalos game, something unexpected occurred.
Desmond Howard, a former Michigan Heisman Trophy winner and Lion, began the chat by discussing Nebraska’s rookie quarterback, Dylan Raiola.
Howard revealed that he played with Dylan’s father Dominic during his time with the Lions, and simply the mention of the local professional football team elicited an immediate reaction from the audience:
“Jared Goff, Jared Goff,” chants erupted from the crowd.
The chant, of course, originated in January at the Lions’ playoff game against the Rams, when Matthew Stafford’s return prompted a community to rally in favor of their current quarterback, Goff. The slogan has been heard at various athletic events in 2024, demonstrating the city’s strong support for the Lions.
With the Lions welcome the Rams back to town for the season opener, the community appears eager for another playoff run, and they appear to be preparing to blow the roof off Ford Field on Sunday night.
“It’s our job to continue to excite our fan base,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Friday. “As I already stated, they will do their share.
As long as we do our business, there will be a place for us in this city, at that stadium, with home-field advantage. It will, and not every team in this league can say that at their home venue.”
