The only thing better than the Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry is the newly formed Ryan Day vs. Lou Holtz feud.
The legendary Notre Dame coach inadvertently motivated the Buckeyes before the top-10 college football matchup on Saturday. Ohio State pulled out a 17-14 win, scoring a go-ahead touchdown with seconds on the clock while on the road in South Bend, Ind.
The No. 9 Irish were literal inches away from taking down the No. 6-ranked Buckeyes in front of a sold-out home crowd. It would have been a statement victory for the venerable program, which is once again on the rise.
After the victory, Day wasted no time and called out Holtz for criticizing his team during his postgame interview on the NBC broadcast.
"I'd like to know where Lou Holtz is right now," Day said. "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. We've got a tough team."
Here's a look at what Holtz said to elicit that type of response from Day and his subsequent apology to Marcus Freeman.
MORE: Ryan Day blasts Lou Holtz after epic Ohio State victory
What did Lou Holtz say about Ohio State?
Day's rage stemmed from comments Holtz had made the previous day on "The Pat McAfee Show" about Ohio State's lack of physicality.
"I think Notre Dame is a better football team than Ohio State," Holtz said while commending the Fighting Irish's offensive weapons.
Then, Holtz called out Day for some of his shortcomings as Ohio State's coach while saying that Notre Dame was the tougher of the two teams.
"He has lost to Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Michigan twice, and everybody that beats him does so because they're more physical than Ohio State," Holtz said. "I think Notre Dame will take that same approach."
Lou Holtz apologizes to Marcus Freeman
Holtz joined Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich, saying he called Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman after the loss to apologize. He thought his comments became motivation for the Buckeyes and were part of the reason they made a comeback late in the game.
"I called Coach Freeman yesterday and apologized because I put him in a bad position, maybe," Holtz said. "I don't feel bad about saying it because I believe it, and Notre Dame was the better football team...I’m sorry that Coach Day was offended by it."
The 86-year-old Hall of Famer let it be known that he still agreed with his original assessment of Ohio State. He didn't believe they were a great team then, and he still doesn't think it now.
Lou Holtz responds to Ryan Day:
— On3 (@On3sports) September 26, 2023
"I can understand why he did. He doesn’t want to talk about Michigan, 0-2. He doesn’t want to talk about the big game coming up against Penn State and against Michigan again.
He’s a great coach. He’s done a tremendous job. He’s a great offensive… pic.twitter.com/owvJyiny9g
Time and time again, Ohio State has come up short against top teams, and his teams have lost the Big Ten Championship two years in a row now.
But the Buckeyes win over Notre Dame became an important exception to that recent rule.
