Cleveland, OH
Ryan Day blasts Lou Holtz in postgame interview for questioning Ohio State football’s toughness
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ryan Day heard what former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz said about his program, and he didn’t appreciate it. And after Ohio State beat Notre Dame 17-14 on Saturday night, Day let the world know.
“…I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now,” Day told NBC. “What he said about our team, what he said about our team … I cannot believe.
“This is a tough team right here. We’re proud to be from Ohio, and it’s always been Ohio against the world, and it will continue to be Ohio against the world. But I’ll tell you what: I love those kids, and we’ve got a tough team.”
Day was responding to comments that Holtz made on the “Pat McAfee Show” earlier this week. Holtz picked the Irish to win this weekend, of course, but he added some spice to his prediction. Notre Dame would win, Holtz said, because it was the tougher team.
“Notre Dame is a better football team than Ohio State,” Holtz said 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.
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“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, he has lost to Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, 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.”
The Irish followed Holtz’s advice, running the ball 39 times for 176 yards. But Day’s Buckeyes earned the win. And in the process, Day believes they invalidated Holtz’s claims.
Asked what the Buckeyes proved on Saturday, Day spoke emotionally about his team.
“Toughness,” Day said. “Toughness. Everybody’s questioning these kids all the time. We had one bad half the last couple of years. That’s it. Everyone wants to question these guys. These guys are warriors right here, to come back and win. … I”m emotional about this, for a reason. A lot of people question these kids and say a lot of things about them, and I love ‘em. And when someone attacks your family, to come in and win like this is special. It’s a great win for our program, a great win for Ohio State.”
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