Ohio State seems to have heard Lou Holtz’s criticism of their team’s toughness earlier in the week and made their feelings known after the No. 6 Buckeyes secured a thrilling 17-14 victory over the ninth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday night in South Bend, Ind.
Coach Ryan Day, at 44 years old, was visibly fired up after the game and didn’t hold back in responding to the former Notre Dame coach Holtz, who had questioned the Buckeyes’ grit and predicted a victory for the Fighting Irish.
“I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now,” Day said during a postgame interview with NBC. “What he said about our team, I cannot believe. This is a tough team right here. We’re proud to be from Ohio.
“It’s always been Ohio against the world, and it’ll continue to be Ohio against the world. But I’ll tell you what: I love those kids. We’ve got a tough team.”
The 86-year-old Holtz, who led Notre Dame to the national championship in 1988, had made some pointed remarks about Day and the Ohio State football program ahead of the game.
“Notre Dame wins by 10. I believe that in my heart. … Notre Dame is a better football team than Ohio State,” Holtz said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday. “And let me tell you why. We have the best offensive line in the country. Sam Hartman won’t even get his jersey dirty all year. He has time to throw the football. … We have great running backs. This team is averaging about 10 yards per carry. We have great receivers, so offensively, we’re set. Defensively, our defensive line’s better.
“You look at Coach (Ryan) Day — and I coached at Ohio State under Woody Hayes. We won the national championship when I was there. I’m proud of that. However, (Day) has lost to Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and Michigan twice. And everybody that beats him does so because they are more physical than Ohio State. And I think Notre Dame will take that same approach.”
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Holtz’s Irish came close to having the last laugh but fell just a second short.
Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord orchestrated play after play on the final drive, culminating in a flawlessly executed 1-yard touchdown run by Chip Trayanum with only 1 second left on the clock, handing the Buckeyes the victory—and Ryan Day the final word.
