Here's why Ryan Day blasted Lou Holtz after Ohio State beat Notre Dame

Here's why Ryan Day blasted Lou Holtz after Ohio State beat Notre Dame originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

It was a dramatic night in South Bend, as the Ohio State Buckeyes won in last-second fashion over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but it was head coach Ryan Day’s comments about a legendary Irish coach that turned heads.

After the game, Day blasted former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz in an interview, praising his team’s toughness in the victory.

“I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now. 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. It’s always been Ohio against the world, and it will continue to be Ohio against the world. I’ll tell you what, I love those kids. We’ve got a tough team,” he said.

While many fans may have been confused about why Day specifically called out Holtz, it stemmed to an interview on ESPN’s “Pat McAfee Show” on Friday, where Holtz questioned the Buckeyes’ toughness.

“Everybody that beats him does so because they’re more physical than Ohio State,” Holtz said. “Just tell Ohio State this: you tell them they better bring their lunch, because it’s going to be a full day’s work.”

Needless to say, Day got the message, and his team stood tall when it needed to the most.

On the final play of the game, the Buckeyes saw Chip Trayanum burst through the left side of the offensive line and dive across the goal line with one second remaining, giving Ohio State a 17-14 lead and a 4-0 record on the season.

Holtz’s interview aired Friday on ESPN’s “Pat McAfee Show,” and he had plenty more to say about why he thought Notre Dame would beat the Buckeyes.

Here are his full remarks:

“Notre Dame is a better football team than Ohio State. 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, averaging 10 yards a carry. We have great receivers. Offensively, we’re set, and defensively, our defensive line is better.

“I coached under Woody Hayes at Ohio State. 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’re more physical than Ohio State, and I think Notre Dame will take that same approach. I know our schedule hasn’t been the best. We’re 103^rd in strength of schedule. However, that doesn’t bother me, because every day we get to practice against good. We get to practice covering good receivers, and it won’t be much different than covering the great receivers they have at Ohio State.

“Plus, we’re playing at home. It’ll be a close football game, but we will win because we believe. Forget who in the hell we’re playing. Just tell Ohio State this: you tell them they better bring their lunch, because it’s going to be a full day’s work.”

The win is Ohio State’s sixth straight over the Fighting Irish.