Top five quotes from epic Ryan Day Notre Dame postgame press conference

COLUMBUS — The first question NBC Sports’ Kathryn Tappen asked Ohio State head coach Ryan Day after the Buckeyes’ thrilling, 17-14 win at Notre Dame Saturday night went like this:

“What can you say about the performance from your quarterback Kyle McCord to finish that drive?”

Day took the question and ran with it — in a different direction.

He had a message he had been waiting to deliver, a day removed from legendary 86-year-old former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz going on “The Pat McAfee Show” and taking a shot at the physicality of Day-coached Ohio State teams.

“Toughness. Toughness, that’s it,” Day implored. “Physicality across the board, finish it off, having guts. I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now. What he said about our team, I cannot believe.”

Then Day got into it some more: “This is a tough team right here. We’re proud to be from Ohio. And it’s always been ‘Ohio against the world.’ It’ll continue to be ‘Ohio against the world.'”

Day ratcheted it up one more level: “But I’ll tell you what — I love those kids, and we got a tough team.”

And here’s Ryan Day fired up over Lou Holtz: pic.twitter.com/kYkGAn5BAt

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 24, 2023

Day repeated that message and said a whole lot more in his postgame press conference.

Lettermen Row is looking back at his five best quotes from Ohio State’s emotional night in South Bend.

1. “I’m really upset and disrespected by what Lou Holtz said publicly about our team … and we’re not gonna stand for that.”

Q: Was this a “lunch pail” performance?

FULL QUOTE FROM DAY: “Yeah. Yeah, it was. And it was brewing for a couple days. A lot of people took a lot of shots at this team over the last 48 hours. It had really hit home to me. The way that our team played — not only did we physically get after these guys last year, but we did it again here at the end of the game. And I think it says a lot about this team. And I’m really upset and disrespected by what Lou Holtz said publicly about our team and Ohio State and Buckeye Nation, and we’re not gonna stand for that. Because that’s not even close to true.

“We had one bad half a couple of years ago up in Ann Arbor. We did in the second half. Every game we play in, we’re physical. We are. I don’t know where that narrative comes from. But that ends tonight. This team right here showed toughness, they showed grit. They didn’t give up. And they found a way to get that last yard. And I’m sick over those short yardages that we didn’t finish. But that’s the game. And the last ‘matchup game’ we were in, we were one play short. This play, we finished it the right way, and I’m really proud of our team.”

2. “You’re gonna tell me this team’s not physical, not tough? You’re wrong.”

Q: On the previous drive, you went with Emeka [Egbuka] on the endaround. Why did you do that, and did that factor into your decision to go with Chip [Trayanum] right at the end?

FULL DAY QUOTE: “… It was a great win for Ohio State. It’s always been ‘Ohio against the world.’ And it continues to be to this day, and I hope everybody in Buckeye Nation enjoys that win. Because to come in here, to win like that, after winning the way we did last year, because we physically got after them last year. We did. Put the film on.

“A lot of people make a lot of comments who don’t watch film. Put the film on. Watch what goes on. And for us to hang in there, because the momentum was going with Notre Dame at one point, and our guys stuck their foot in the ground. And J.T. [Tuimoloau] makes a big-time play. And the guts of our team to go and win that game on the road. You’re gonna tell me this team’s not physical, not tough? You’re wrong.”

3. “… to win the game in the two-minute drill, that’s what great quarterbacks do.”

Q: You get the ball back to Kyle [McCord] with 65 yards and [1:26] to go. What did you see from him?

FULL QUOTE FROM DAY: “Well, you judge a quarterback on third down, in the red zone and two minute. Third down, I was just looking at the stats, was pretty good. 10-of-17, there were some nice third down conversions there. And then to win the game in the two-minute drill, that’s what great quarterbacks do. And for his first top-10 road game, to be put in that situation and come through, says a lot about his future. I mean, there were some big-time throws in there. Hung in there. He’s poised. And what a great win for our program. But yeah for Kyle to come into that spot, that’s big.”

4. “I don’t know where people get off just saying things. It really upsets me. Put the film on.”

Q: You were fairly emotional coming off that field. What were you feeling in that moment?

FULL QUOTE FROM DAY: “Well, I’ve been emotional — the team will tell you that — for the last couple days. When I started hearing some of the things that were said. First off, it’s not true. I don’t know where people get off just saying things. It really upsets me. Put the film on. People make comments, and they don’t watch film. Our guys are tough. They’re physical. They do. They get after it. And they did again tonight.”

FOLLOW-UP Q: And you said that was Coach Holtz?

DAY: “Yeah, it was. … And I don’t know where he gets off saying those type of things. I don’t. I don’t. I mean, I have some other things I’d like to say, too, but I’m not gonna say that because I’m more respectful than he is.”

5. “Not only do we need to get that yard for this program, but I felt like it was the right thing to do schematically.”

Q: You get one play, and you run it. That probably surprised some people based on what they said. Who made that call?

FULL QUOTE FROM DAY: “Me. I made the call. … I looked at the clock and knew there were three seconds left. So I’m thinking that’s the last play anyways. I knew we couldn’t get two plays with no timeouts because we lost the timeout on the [intentional] grounding. So I said, ‘Well, at this point, it probably just make sense for one yard.’ Not only do we need to get that yard for this program, but I felt like it was the right thing to do schematically.”

Honorable mention: “… in life, when people start talking and saying things about you, at some point you gotta put a foot in the ground.”

Q: You’ve done a lot of press conferences, won a lot of games, been in some emotional games, and I don’t think I’ve seen you like this before. Can you explain where your head space was coming into this game and why you might be as emotional as you are right now?

FULL QUOTE FROM DAY: “There’s no doubt. I am emotional. Because, in life, when people start talking and saying things about you, at some point you gotta put a foot in the ground. And our team did that. And it was a life lesson. It was. We always say ignore the noise. But after a while when someone’s poking at you, you got to stand up for what you believe in. And that’s the way I was raised, and that’s the way I’m going to be moving forward. And I got a bunch of guys in there that I love, that I work with every single day, and they hear some of the things that were said. I mean, I get ‘Ohio against the world.’ But we needed to go play like that today. We needed to win like that, to stop that narrative that’s going on out there because it’s not true. And to win like that the way we did, I think it’s going to do that. I know it is.”

FOLLOW-UP Q: Did that have to do with that last call?

DAY: “Yes, 1,000%. And I think it’s going to go down as one of the big wins in Ohio State history. It was one of the clutch fourth [quarter] comebacks on the road in a top-10 environment.”