Newsstand: Ryan Day’s bizzare rant a reminder of Michigan/OSU rivalry
The Michigan vs. Ohio State rivalry has tilted in U-M’s favor over the last two years, and the conversation has revolved around how the Wolverines have bullied their long-hated rivals. OSU head coach Ryan Day has taken exception to that, and made a statement about his team while bringing an 86-year-old man into the conversation.
Former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz questioned OSU’s toughness under Day earlier this week, and moments after a walk-off win in South Bend, Day was fixated on his team’s perception.
“I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now,” Day said in his postgame interview on NBC. “What he said about our team, what he said about our team, I cannot believe. This is a tough team right here. We’re proud to be from Ohio and it’s always been Ohio against the world. And it will continue to be Ohio against the world. But I tell you: I love those kids and we have a tough team.
“Everybody’s questioning these kids all the time. We had one bad half the last couple years. That’s it. Everybody wants to question these guys. These guys are warriors that can win. … I’m emotional about this for a reason. A lot of people question these kids and say a lot about them. And I love them. When someone attacks your family, to come in and win is special. It’s a great win for our program and a great win for Ohio State.”
The problem is that OSU has had more than one bad half over the last few years. Michigan outscored the Buckeyes 28-14 in the second half of The Game in 2021, a 42-27 Michigan win. Then last year, the Wolverines outscored Ohio State 28-3 in the second half, and it should have been worse if not for a pity whistle on a sack-fumble that would have gone for six.
For those doing the math at home, that’s a 56-17 margin in the second half over the last two years.
“One bad half.”
So Day appears to be trying to will toughness into existence. We will have to wait and see how they matchup against Michigan when the Buckeyes come to Ann Arbor on Nov. 25.
Tweets of the day
Michigan quote of the day
“But we gave up too many big plays. We busted twice in the first half. I shouldn’t say busted – that’s not fair. It might have been eye violations where we kind of let our eyes wander, but the end result was big plays. And you can’t. You’ve got to make them earn everything, and when you make those mistakes, those are chunks. And the quarterback [J.J. McCarthy] scrambled [and] got out of trouble well today. I thought we had some pressure on him at times, and he did a good job of getting away. A couple of those turned into big plays.
“Like I said, they’re number two in the country for a reason. It’s a good football team. They’re well coached, and they were talented.”
– Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano on what he saw from Michigan football
Headlines of the day
Defensive/ST Notes: Michigan delivers ‘big boy’ performance in Big Ten opener
Best and worst from Michigan’s win over Rutgers
Report Card: Grading Michigan football in a 31-7 win over Rutgers
Offense notes: Michigan ‘grinds meat,’ wins battle of two ‘smash-mouth’ teams
Wolverine TV podcast: Postgame reactions to win over Rutgers
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