SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Christmas almost came in September for the Irish.
No. 9 Notre Dame took advantage of the spotlight of the "The Pat McAfee Show" on Friday and ESPN "College GameDay" spotlight the following morning. A horde of green-and-gold fans overpowered the scarlet-and-gray tourists on campus throughout a screen-saver Saturday, and the Irish were one yard and one play away from a perception-changing victory against No. 6 Ohio State at Notre Dame Stadium.
Then, to use the popular phrase, Ryan Day took it personally. Too personally even, and there was no cooling off period in the tight quarters of the visiting locker room afterward. Day was still hot.
Ryan Day lights up Lou Holtz after win
This started when Holtz appeared on the "Pat McAfee Show" on Friday in South Bend, Ind. Holtz criticized Day and said: "He has lost to Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, and Michigan twice and everybody beats him because they’re more physical than Ohio State."
Day shot back on the NBC telecast and again in his press conference. He would not let it go.
"I'm really upset and disrespected by what Lou Holtz said publicly about our team and Ohio State, Buckeye Nation," Day said in his postgame press conference minutes after scorching the 86-year-old coach on the NBC telecast. "We're not going to stand for that. That's not even close to true. We had one bad half a couple years ago in Ann Arbor. We did — that second half. Every game we play, we're physical. I don't know where that narrative comes from. That ends tonight."
Day admitted those thoughts influenced his call to run the ball with three seconds remaining and the Buckeyes trailing 14-10. Running back Chip Trayanum lunged for a one-yard touchdown on a play where the Irish had 10 defenders on the field.
MORE: Notre Dame caught with just 10 defenders on winning touchdown
Ohio State beat Notre Dame 17-14 in the back half of a home-and-home series with their uneasy neighbor. Did that physical narrative really play a role in the final play call?
"Yes, 1000%," Day confirmed. "I think it's going to go down as one of the big wins in Ohio State history. One of the clutch fourth-quarter comebacks in a top-10 environment, and then we had this home-and-home with Notre Dame and to go 2-0 says a lot about this program."
Ohio State needed this win, but Day arguably needed it more after last season's losses to Michigan and Georgia in the regular-season finale and College Football Playoff, respectively. Day was one second away from falling to 8-6 against top-10 teams. Urban Meyer (13-4) and Jim Tressel (10-8) made their reputation in those situations.
Now, Day is 9-5 with future top-10 showdowns against No. 2 Michigan and No. 7 Penn State on the horizon. He broke out the annual Ohio State motivation catalog. "Ohio against the world" T-shirts are sure to be selling in Columbus, Ohio, again this week as a result.
The Buckeyes' defense limited Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman to 175 passing yards. The beef directed at Holtz – who was honored along with Notre Dame's 1988 national championship team after the first quarter – was the unexpected twist.
A stretch? Maybe, but Day used the same motivational tactics that have been used from Woody Hayes through Tressel to Meyer.
Day took his own direct approach, and it worked.
Clutch defensive stops from both sides
Those one-yard plays were the separators in this tough top-10 showdown. The Buckeyes stopped the Irish on fourth-and-1 when Cody Simon hit Hartman short on the game's opening drive that set the tone. Ohio State led 3-0 at halftime.
That every-yard-counts motif continued in the second half. Sonny Styles and Lathan Ransom stopped Hartman on a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 on the opening drive of the third quarter. Day had his hands in the air in celebration while hovering over the first-down mark before the play was over –the same emotion last seen in that hard-fought loss to Georgia.
When TreVeyon Henderson scored on a 61-yard touchdown on the next play – the identical yardage of Eddie George's legendary run in 1995 – the Buckeyes had a 10-0 lead with 11:25 remaining. This looked like an instant replay of Ohio State's 21-10 victory against the Irish in the 2022 season opener at that point.
Notre Dame responded, however, with touchdown drives of 75 yards and 96 yards for a 17-14 lead. The Buckeyes were stuffed on fourth-and-1 with 4:12 remaining when Emeka Egbuka could not make the line to gain on a jet sweep.
That, coupled with a first-quarter incompletion on fourth-and-goal, could have meant full-blown disaster-by-second-guessing for Day. That is the high-level pressure that comes with being on a national championship-or-bust program.
Kyle McCord clutch in final Ohio State drive
Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord had one last chance with 1:26 remaining at his own 35 yard line. He hit a third-and-10 conversion to Egbuka. He found Julian Fleming on a crossing route on fourth-and-7. A third-and-19 completion to Egbuka put the ball on the one-yard line. After a spike and incompletion in the end zone, Day had one yard and one play to call. Damn right he took credit for it.
"Me, I made the call," Day said. "Was there doubt? I looked at the clock and there were three seconds left. I'm thinking that is the last play anyways. … At this point, it makes sense for one yard we need to get that yard for this program. I felt like it was the right thing to do schematically."
OHIO STATE WINS IT WITH NO TIME LEFT ON THE CLOCK pic.twitter.com/k0cozPT6Un
— JM Football (@JomboyMediaFB) September 24, 2023
McCord finished 21 of 37 for 240 yards and no touchdowns, and star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. played through a leg injury and had three catches for 32 yards. The Buckeyes still found a way to win a tough game.
"You judge your quarterback on third down, the red zone and two minute," Day said. "To win the game in a two-minute drill, that's what great quarterbacks do. For his top-10 road game to be in that situation and comes through says a lot about his future."
Ohio State players stormed the field – only to wait on a review – which confirmed that Trayanum had crossed the goal line.
"I knew I was definitely in," Trayanum. "It was close, but as a running back you live for runs like that."
Then, a familiar theme in this seldom-played rivalry – one that has echoed since the teams played a home-and-home in 1995–96 – took over. The "O-H-I-O" chant broke out in earnest and continued outside the Buckeyes' locker room. Those reverberate in Big Ten country all the time, and it will be intriguing to see how Day uses those motivational tactics against the Nittany Lions and Wolverines and coaches James Franklin and Jim Harbaugh.
The Buckeyes are good enough to win the Big Ten and return to the CFP in this landscape. Ohio State has allowed 8.5 points per game through four weeks, and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles was on his game against Notre Dame. Day is in a mood, too.
As for the Irish, Christmas will have to wait. Day played the role of the Grinch in South Bend, and he took a handful of parting shots on the way out. A Notre Dame-Ohio State matchup is not on the schedule any time soon, and that is a shame given the heat still emanating from Day afterward. This is what makes college football great, and Holtz will tell you that. Only Saturday was about Day.
One yard and one play made it that way.
"It was a great win for Ohio State," Day said. "It's always been 'Ohio against the world' and it continues to be that to this day. I hope everyone in Buckeye Nation enjoys that win because to come in here to win like that after the way we won last year. Put the film on."
