Saturday night’s top-10 matchup between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes came down to the last play, with the Buckeyes prevailing on a 1-yard touchdown with one second left in regulation. The score gave the Buckeyes a hard-fought 16-14 win on the road over a very game and well-prepared Fighting Irish team.
In the week leading up to the battle, during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz took on upon himself to question the toughness of the Buckeyes. Holtz, who’s always been one to make some off-the-wall comments, seemed unfazed when making them. They even included a subtle shot at Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day, who’s been hearing it since his team’s loss to archrival Michigan last season.
Holtz Doesn’t Hold Back
“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.
Holtz’s prediction was almost correct, but the Buckeyes silenced the nearly 78,000 screaming fans in South Bend, Indiana. And while the Fighting Irish were definitely physical all night, Ohio State was no pushover, and it showed on their 15-play, 65-yard drive to win the game.
Day Responds To Holtz In Fiery Postgame Interview
As the game ended following a lengthy booth review of the final score, Buckeyes head coach didn’t waste any time laying into Holtz for his comments.
“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.”
It’s not often you see Day riled up, but you could tell that Holtz’s comments rubbed him the wrong way. In many ways the former ND head coach was calling the Buckeyes soft or finesse, and no team with any real pride is gonna let that slide.
Things don’t get any easier for the Irish as they’ll head to Durham, North Carolina, to face the undefeated Duke Blue Devils with “College GameDay” in attendance for the first time.
The Buckeyes now have a week off before they host the undefeated Maryland Terrapins, who just beat Michigan State in East Lansing for the first time since 1950.
