In a thrilling 17-14 victory over Notre Dame, Ohio State"s head coach, Ryan Day, took the opportunity to deliver a powerful message to Lou Holtz, the former coach of the Fighting Irish.
During his walk-off interview, Day was asked about the performance of quarterback Kyle McCord on the game-winning drive.
In his response, he took a direct shot at Lou Holtz, who had expressed confidence in Notre Dame"s victory based on Ohio State"s past losses in recent years.
“Toughness. Toughness, that"s it," Day began. “Physicality across the board. Guts. I"d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now. 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, and we"ve got a tough team."
Ryan Day fired up after the game… pic.twitter.com/3iK5QVkdUN
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) September 24, 2023
When asked about what his team proved in the win, Day pointedly addressed Ohio State"s biggest skeptics over the last few years. He seized the moment to confront the doubts and criticisms hurled at his team, asserting their resilience and determination to silence the naysayers.
“Everybody"s questioning these kids all the time," Day said. “We had one bad half the last couple of years. That"s it. Everybody wants to question these guys. These guys are warriors right here. This kid [McCord], to come back in the second half and win, I"m emotional about this, for a reason.
“A lot of people questioned these kids and said a lot of things about them. I love "em. When someone attacks your family, to come in and win like this, it"s special. It"s a great win for our program and a great win for Ohio State."
However, Day"s walk-off interview quickly became a viral sensation on social media.
“Better bring their lunch because it"s going to be a full damn day"s work."
“You look at Coach Day," Holtz said in an interview with ESPN. “He has lost to Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, and Michigan twice and everybody beats him because they"re more physical than Ohio State."
Former Ohio State star running back Maurice Clarett and other notable Buckeye alumni, such as Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, expressed their joy and pride in the team"s victory. Even basketball icon LeBron James, a devoted Ohio State fan, celebrated the win.
See…. Talk your sh*t Ryan Day… I’ll run down on Lou Holtz for you. 🤣🤣🤣
— Maurice Clarett (@ReeseClarett13) September 24, 2023
WALK OFF!!!!!!!!! LFG @OhioStateFB 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 24, 2023
Chip Trayanum"s 1-yard touchdown run to secure the victory against Notre Dame reminded “Big Noon Kickoff" analyst Matt Leinart of his memorable touchdown against the Fighting Irish during his time at USC. Leinart echoed the sentiment that Ohio State"s win was a statement of dominance.
That looked familiar…
— Matt Leinart (@MattLeinartQB) September 24, 2023
Urban Meyer, another former Ohio State coach and now a “Big Noon Kickoff" analyst, joined the chorus of celebration on social media. Meyer referenced one of his famous sayings from his time coaching the Buckeyes, Notre Dame"s head coach, Marcus Freeman, admitted to reporters that his team had only fielded 10 players during the final play of the game.
