Don't show Lou Holtz this stat on Ryan Day. A few days after Ohio State football beat Notre Dame with a go-ahead, walk-off touchdown run in South Bend, Day and the Buckeyes' peerless, years-long success against quality competition was driven home by FOX Sports.
Day, believe it or not, owns the best winning percentage against ranked opponents among all coaches in college football. Ohio State's 16-6 record with Day at the helm versus top-25 foes accounts for a victory rate of 72.7%, slightly better than some of the biggest coaching names in the sport.
After defeating Notre Dame, @OhioStateFB's Ryan Day leads the country in highest win percentage against ranked teams 🙌 🌰 pic.twitter.com/kB3QxOYmXr
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 27, 2023
Kirby Smart, Nick Saban and Lincoln Riley? That's pretty good coaching company for Day, who's been in the headlines more than usual of late due to his fiery post-game response to Holtz's previous criticism of the Buckeyes.
Article Continues Below“I'd like to know where Lou Holtz is right now. What he said about our team, I cannot believe. This is a tough team right here… It's always been Ohio against the world and it will continue to be Ohio against the world,” an emotional Day said on the field at Notre Dame Stadium.
Day continued lambasting Holtz for the former Irish coach's comments about Ohio State's supposed lack of toughness and physicality while meeting with reporters in the locker room. While not everyone took so kindly to Day's pointed jabs at Holtz, it's safe to say the Buckeyes appreciated their coach sticking up for them.
“You don’t really see too many head coaches after a game like that show that type of emotion,” quarterback Kyle McCord said of Day, per Dan Hope of 11 Warriors. “For him to do that on that type of a stage, it showed everyone on the team how much he cares about us.”
What do Ohio State football players and fans alike surely appreciate even more about Day? His sustained success against top-flight competition across five seasons in Columbus, reputation otherwise be damned.