SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Ryan Future alternated between emphatically pumping his fists and preserving up the ‘O’ for Ohio as he walked rapid and furiously towards the Ohio Order attic room.

His feelings have been brewing for the utmost couple of days as a result of his group have been publicly known as out for no longer being tricky or bodily enough quantity. And now he may correctly let all of his emotions out.

“A lot of people took a lot of shots at this team the last 48 hours,” a sizzling Future stated. “And it really hit home to me.”

The sixth-ranked Buckeyes got here into Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night time and destitute the ninth-ranked Preventing Irish hearts with a 17-14 victory that used to be clinched with only one 2nd left at the clock.

For 3-plus hours, this playground used to be electrical. Lovers wore dazzling inexperienced to check Notre Dame’s area of expertise uniforms for the top-10 prime-time showdown, and their noise stage drowned out the sprinkling of Buckeyes fanatics who made the travel.

And nearest right away, a silence fell over that noisy family next an epic force that can indisputably journey indisposed as one of the most largest in Ohio Order historical past.

Trailing 14-10 with 1:26 too much, the Buckeyes had to journey 65 yards in 66 seconds. Kyle McCord, the Buckeyes’ unproven first-year establishing quarterback, crash Emeka Egbuka for 23 yards on third-and-10, discovered Julian Fleming for seven yards on fourth-and-7, and attached with Egbuka once more for 21 yards on third-and-19. It used to be that utmost play games that introduced Ohio Order to the Notre Dame 1-yard order with seven seconds left. McCord spiked the ball on first indisposed. On 2nd indisposed, he seemed for Marvin Harrison Jr., broadly thought to be to be the society’s height receiver, however the cross used to be incomplete.

On third-and-1, Future — making up for falling shorten in a few eerily matching statuses previous within the recreation — made up our minds to run it up the center for the win. And that’s precisely what senior working again Chip Trayanum, who most effective had six touches for 13 yards, did to drag off a impressive comeback win.

It didn’t harm that Notre Dame most effective had 10 males at the ground for the play games, an admission from Irish head professor Marcus Freeman that drew a good quantity of complaint. Nonetheless, that modified not anything within the optical of the Buckeyes.

“The narrative around us is that we aren’t tough, so I don’t know how else you’re gonna draw it up,” McCord stated. “Last play of the game, top-10 opponent, no timeouts, three seconds left. We get that yard and win, or we don’t get that yard and lose.”

The landing used to be beneath evaluate for a number of nervy mins, however in the long run officers dominated it used to be excellent.

“I knew I was definitely in,” Trayanum stated. “It was close. But as a running back you live for runs like that. The nitty-gritty runs, the runs where you fight with your body to stay up and make sure nothing touches [the ground], so you definitely practice that and you envision it. It’s still surreal.

“I simply knew the activity needed to be achieved. So simple as that.”

And this brings us back to Day’s feistiness and anger as soon as the final whistle blew. He heard there was shade being thrown toward his team earlier in the week, specifically from former legendary Notre Dame coach, Lou Holtz.

Holtz, whose 1988 national championship team was honored on the field during Saturday’s game, had gone on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday and called out Day’s teams for lacking toughness.

“He has misplaced to Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Michigan two times,” Holtz said. “And everyone who beats them does so as a result of they’re extra bodily than Ohio Order. I believe Notre Dame will tug that very same means.”

This royally offended Day, and he came out swinging, first in his postgame TV interview, and again in his news conference.

“I’m in point of fact disappointed and disrespected by means of what Lou Holtz stated publicly about our group and Ohio Order and Buckeye Population,” Day said. “And we’re no longer taking to arise for that.” 

“That’s no longer even alike to true,” Day continued, his voice rising an octave. “We had one sinful part a pair years in the past [against Michigan] up in Ann Arbor in the second one part.

“Every game we play in, we’re physical,” he added, yelling. “We are. I don’t know where that narrative comes from, but that ends tonight. This team right here showed toughness. It showed grit. They didn’t give up, and they found a way to get that last yard.”

Requested if he purposefully known as a run play games to complete issues off, Future stated, “1,000%.”

“It’s always been Ohio against the world, and it continues to be to this day,” Future stated. “The momentum was going for Notre Dame at one point. And our guys stuck their foot in the ground and [Trayanum] makes a big-time play and the guts of our team to go in and win that game on the road.

“You’re telling me this group isn’t bodily? Isn’t tricky? You’re mistaken.”

One of the storylines heading into this matchup was experience at quarterback. Sam Hartman was a sixth-year starter who transferred to Notre Dame from Wake Forest, while McCord was making his fifth start ever. He had backed up C.J. Stroud for the last two seasons and had only experienced hostile road environments from the sideline. This was a chance for him to make a statement. 

McCord went 21 of 37 for 240 yards with no turnovers. He had a few zippy passes and nearly a beautiful touchdown pass to Egbuka in the second quarter, but the receiver dropped the ball in the end zone. He was 10-of-17 on third down and showed poise and composure throughout, especially on the final drive with the game on the line.

“That’s what stunning quarterbacks do, and for his first top-10 street recreation, to be installed that status and are available thru, it says a dozen about his pace,” Day said. 

Defensively, Ohio State didn’t record a sack or force a turnover, but they didn’t give up a play of more than 28 yards. They held Hartman to a season-low 175 yards passing and just one touchdown, and now the veteran QB is 3-10 vs. ranked opponents going back to his days at Wake Forest.

“Hats off to the protection,” Day said.

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Ohio State passed its first test of the season, but has plenty more coming with Big Ten trips to Wisconsin and Michigan, plus a home game against Penn State next month. After the Buckeyes snuck into the College Football Playoff last year — where they lost on a walk-off field goal to eventual champion Georgia on New Year’s Eve — their postseason hopes are still very much intact.

The Buckeyes are off next week, which is why Day said they’d probably celebrate this win a little longer. He probably also needs the extra time to cool off. As the head coach at Ohio State, Day is no stranger to scrutiny and criticism. But coming after his team’s physicality cut deep.

“It used to be a pace lesson,” Day said. “We all the time say ‘Forget about the noise.’ However next a age if any individual is poking at you, you’ve gotta arise up for what you imagine in, and that’s the best way I used to be raised and the best way I’m taking to be transferring ahead.

“I get Ohio against the world. We needed to play like that today.”

They did.

Now, can they hold it going?

Laken Litman covers faculty soccer, faculty basketball and football for FOX Sports activities. She in the past wrote for Sports activities Illustrated, USA Lately and The Indianapolis Megastar. She is the creator of “Strong Like a Woman,” revealed in spring 2022 to mark the fiftieth yearly of Identify IX. Practice her on Twitter at @LakenLitman.

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