NCAA FOOTBALL
Throwback to when Lou Holtz threw shade at the Ohio State football team in 2023
More than a year and a half has passed since the former Notre Dame coach took a jab at Ohio State. Needless to say, there has been backlash afterward.
When the former Fighting Irish coach publicly criticized the Buckeyes, it was clear that his comments would spark a heated exchange of words between the two sides. However, he did not anticipate the striking outcome of his team’s performance—a defeat at the hands of the team he had targeted. This unexpected loss only intensified the rivalry and further fueled the ongoing debate between their loyal fans.
Lou Holtz’s insulting take on the Ohio State program & Ryan Day
In the 2023 College Football season, the Ohio State Buckeyes took down Notre Dame in a closely contested 17-14 win. What you might not recall, however, is that the game was played within the context of a rather testy take from former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz, the man who won a national championship with the program back in 1988. Holtz, who appeared before that game on “The Pat McAfee Show,” had some choice words for the Buckeyes and even their coach, Ryan Day.
“Notre Dame is a better football team than Ohio State,” Holtz said while appearing on the aforementioned show. “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, Michigan twice and everybody beats them because they’re more physical than Ohio State. And I think Notre Dame will take that same approach.”
Ryan Day’s answer to Holtz
Needless to say, those words weren’t well received, nor should it surprise that Day had a rather fiery response following his team’s win over Holtz’s. Day went to the point in his interview a few moments after his team’s hard-fought win against Notre Dame as he addressed Holtz’s previous comments.
“I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now. What he said about our team, I cannot believe,” Day said. “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 love those kids and we’ve got a tough team.”
What actually happened in the game?
As the third quarter concluded, Ohio State had established a 10-0 advantage over Notre Dame. True to form, the Irish rallied to claim a 14-10 lead with 8:22 remaining. With just 1:26 left in the game, the Buckeyes faced a final opportunity for victory. The team reached Notre Dame’s 1-yard line, fueled by Kyle McCord’s remarkable drive, and in a moment reminiscent of a scripted sports drama, running back Chip Trayanum surged through the line for a thrilling last-minute touchdown, leading his team to a 4-0 record at that moment of the season, while Notre Dame fell to 4-1.
What followed for the Buckeyes in the season was a marquee win over Penn State 20–12, respectively. However, in a top-three rivalry clash against Michigan in their final game of the regular season, the Buckeyes lost 30–24 in Ann Arbor, leaving them with an 11–1 record (8–1 in Big Ten) and out of playoff contention. The Buckeyes entered the bowl ranked seventh in all major polls.
It was decided that Ohio State would play in the third Cotton Bowl Classic; the Buckeyes won both of their prior two appearances, the January 1987 edition and December 2017 edition, but this time, they lost against Missouri from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in their 13th all-time meeting with 14-3Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.
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