Rece Davis addresses Ryan Day-Lou Holtz feud, says OSU coach 'really mad at Jim Harbaugh'
The Ryan Day-Lou Holtz saga rolls on.
Following the Ohio State coach's outburst against Holtz after the Buckeyes' 17-14 win over Notre Dame, several media personalities have come out to ask why Day was so angry at Holtz, who said on "The Pat McAfee Show" before the game that Ohio State wasn't tough enough to run with the best teams in the country.
"I'd like to know where Lou Holtz is right now," Day said on the postgame broadcast with NBC. "What he said about our team, I cannot believe. This is a tough team right here. We're proud to be from Ohio. It's always been Ohio against the world, and it'll continue to be Ohio against the world."
The latest to comment on Day's comments is ESPN's Rece Davis, who notably was on "College Football Final" with Holtz and Mark May.
"I’m very, very concerned − about Ryan Day and his reaction after that win against Notre Dame," Davis said on the "College GameDay" podcast. "Which for political fans, in some moments, felt almost Howard Dean-esque in a lot of yelling. But I’m very concerned because of this. I’m not sure Ryan was certain what the target of his anger should be. Because I’m not certain that Ryan knew exactly what he heard. Because what Ryan responded to in the aftermath was a quote that he attributed to Lou Holtz from 'The Pat McAfee Show.'"
Davis then implied, perhaps tongue-in-cheek, Day was attributing a quote from the fake Holtz − which was Ty Schmit in prosthetics − to the real Holtz (he wasn't).
"But if you stop and think about this: At the moment of the quote, Lou Holtz original article was being interviewed by Lou Holtz. I mean, how do you tell the difference? There was somebody there − Ty Schmit − who was dressed up as Lou Holtz with a mask, doing a magic trick, a dead-on impression? Was it Lou Holtz that said it? Or was it fake Lou Holtz that said it?"
Davis then said Day was redirecting frustration with Jim Harbaugh − whose Wolverines have beaten the Buckeyes two years in a row − toward Holtz.
"Was he so discombobulated by duo Lou Holtzes that he became confused and misdirected his anger? Or was it that he was really mad at Jim Harbaugh and took it out on Lou Holtz," Davis added. "I remember after Michigan beat Ohio State for the first time, Ryan Day taking aim at Lou Holtz made just as much sense as when Jim Harbaugh said after beating Ohio State, 'Where’s Woody Hayes?'"
While Davis careened off the rails into a conspiracy bit at the end a la Charlie Kelly's "Pepe Silvia" moment, the overarching point is clear: Davis believes Harbaugh is still living in Day's head, even after an emotional win against a top-10 team.