Buckeyes Now

Lou Holtz Doubles Down on Ohio State Criticism

After Ryan Day fired back at his criticism of the team on the Pat McAfee show this weekend, Lou Holtz doubled down on his controversial take.

Matt Galatzan

In this story:

Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz was the subject of national criticism when he had some harsh words about the Ohio State Buckeyes ahead of their matchup with Notre Dame on Saturday.

And after Buckeyes coach Ryan Day called out Holtz after Ohio State's win in South Bend, many expected the saga to be over. 

Instead, Holtz has responded, doubling down on his take about the Buckeyes in an interview with Dan Dakic. 

“I probably shouldn’t have said it,” Holtz said. “I have great respect for Coach Day. But they are not a real physical football team.”

Holtz then responded to Day's outburst after the game directly and was understanding of the frustration shown by the Buckeyes coach. He even paid a compliment to Day. 

However, he also added another jab, telling Dakic that he does not believe Ohio State to be a real contender. 

“He’s a great coach,” Holtz said. “He’s done a tremendous job. He has a great offensive mind. Ohio State’s a good team. I don’t think they’re a great team. He can go after me all he wants. I honestly felt that Notre Dame was better and more physical. And I’m sorry that coach Day was offended by it. I hope he goes on and has a wonderful year. I don’t think they’ll be a great team. I really don’t.”

However, Holtz didn't stop there either. 

Instead, he asserted that not only does he still believe Notre Dame to be the better football team, but that - were it not for a handful of mistakes - the Irish had the game won. 

“Notre Dame was a better football team,” Holtz said. “I felt Notre Dame won the football game. All we had to do was fall on the ball.”

Whether or not Holtz is ultimately right about the Irish and the Buckeyes will be hashed out over the next few weeks. 

Until then, it seems that Day will have to withstand a few more barbs from the once-great Notre Dame coach until he can prove him wrong on the field. 

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com, AllAggies.com, and the Managing Editor of BuckeyesNow.com and TheGroveReport.com He is also the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com

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