COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has given a comment following his impassioned response to comments made by Lou Holtz prior to Saturday's game against Notre Dame.
In an interview Thursday with 10TV, Day said that they have moved on from Notre Dame and are looking forward.
"We've got bigger fish to fry now," he said. "That was all talked about leading into the game and now that game's over with, Ohio State won and we're proud of the fact that we're 2-0 against Notre Dame during that time."
Day acknowledged that in the heat of the moment, he knew he had to step in and defend his team against the negative comments.
"When you're in those environments, there's just times where you gotta stand up for your guys. We were in the motion of that game and it's gonna be a great memory down the road in about 10 years looking back on that night," Day said.
Day came to the teams' defense following their win after Holtz, a former coach at Notre Dame, appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" last Friday and criticized both Day's record and the teams' physical capabilities.
"You look at coach Day, he has lost to Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, and Michigan twice and everybody beats him because they’re more physical than Ohio State," Holtz said.
In his postgame interview, Day was clearly fired up about the comments and didn't hold back in his response.
“I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now,” Day said during the postgame interview with NBC. “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.”
Days later, Holtz doubled down on his initial comments during an appearance on "Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich."
"I don't feel bad about saying it because I believe it, and Notre Dame was a better football team." Holtz said.
When asked about Day's comments against him, Holtz said he understood why Day said what he said.
"Ohio State is a good football team. I don't think they are a great football team. He can go after me all he wants," Holtz said.
While some in the sports world mocked Day for his comments to Holtz, former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer defended his reaction.
“If someone criticizes Ryan Day for fighting for his team and fighting for himself, dude, you’re an idiot,” Meyer said during the latest episode of Urban's Take with Tim May. “I hate to be so prompt, but I get so angry sometimes when someone’s going to criticize Ryan Day for saying what’s on his heart, but media or some other buffoon can say — I’m not saying coach Holtz is a buffoon, I love Coach Holtz — that’s between those two."
What Day wants the world to know is that he stands behind his team and appreciates the love coming from fans.
"The response from Buckeye Nation and the people around Columbus, everybody at Ohio State, has just been over the top," Day told 10TV. "Just really excited about how the team played and how much passion was shown after the game."