Kirk Herbstreit chokes up talking about Ohio State's national title

Ohio State winning the national championship is an emotional moment for Buckeyes everywhere, including ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit.
Speaking with the network after the Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame in the national title game, Herbstreit was visibly emotional when asked to describe the journey of his alma mater.
Kirk Herbstreit gets emotional on the postgame show.
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"When I call these games I'm incredibly objective. I love all of these Ohio State teams, but this team because of what they went through to get to this point, you're just happy." pic.twitter.com/BylD7WBQ3N
“Oh don’t start with me man,” Herbstreit said.
“I’m a little emotional. I’m just fired up for these guys. You know, when I call these games, I’m incredibly objective. I love all of these Ohio State teams, but this team because of what they went through to get to this point, you’re just happy.”
Herbstreit, who played quarterback for Ohio State from 1989 to 1993, expressed pride in what his alma mater was able to do over the course of the season.
Especially given the enormous criticism faced by head coach Ryan Day, whose fourth-straight loss to Michigan was a subject of intense discussion among fans about his future with the school.
It’s safe to say you won’t be hearing that kind of talk around Columbus anymore.
“They went to hell and back,” Herbstreit said.
“We can try to make this sound soft, but my thing is, I talk to these players. I talk to these coaches. I know what they faced after that Michigan game.
“I know the pain, and I know that a lot of people thought, ‘The hell with this guy. Who else can be the guy? [Ryan Day] just handled it, took the high road and didn’t say anything.”
Herbstreit added of Day: “He went out, got his team ready to play four games, and they won it. And I think that’s why I’m emotional.”
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