Ohio State Buckeyes HC Drops Defiant Statement After Cotton Bowl Win

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day dropped a defiant statement after winning the Cotton Bowl over Texas.

Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day during the fourth quarter of the College Football Playoff semifinal against the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes took care of business once again, this time defeating the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl. Now, Ryan Day and company will head off to compete in the national championship against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Day could not be more proud of the way his team played tonight. Despite the game being very close and Texas giving Ohio State a run for its money, the players stayed together and won it in the fourth quarter.

Jack Sawyer was the hero of the night, forcing a fumble and returning it 83 yards to go up 28-14. That is where the score stayed and the Buckeyes moved on.

It's amazing how far Ohio State has come since the regular season finale loss against Michigan.

At that point in time, fans were done with the year. They were calling for Day's job and had lost all hope for the season. Obviously, the Buckeyes did not feel the same way.

Now, all of those negative comments have disappeared. Every Ohio State fan is happy once again.

Following the win over the Longhorns, Day spoke out and offered a defiant statement.

"This team is resilient. About a month ago, a lot of people counted us out. But these guys went to work. This team. These leaders. The captains. The staff. Everybody in the Woody believed," he said. "Because of that, I believe we won the game in the fourth quarter."

He isn't taking any shots at anyone. However, he is lightly saying that the team felt everyone give up on them. Day is clearly proud of how his guys have stayed together.

Truthfully, a lot of credit is owed to Day. He is also owed an apology from a huge portion of the Buckeyes' fan base.

His leadership has helped keep together. Without Day leading the charge, Ohio State would not be in this position. Day has truly showed why he is one of the best head coaches in college football.

All of that being said, there is one more game ahead of the Buckeyes. Winning a national championship would completely shut up the critics.

On Jan. 20, Ohio State will have a chance to accomplish the one goal that they had coming into the 2024 season. It was a championship or bust season and they're just one win away.