NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The blowout had reached a crescendo inside Ohio Stadium when Ohio State senior leader Jack Sawyer pulled his coach close and shared some celebratory words.
“All ‘Day’ long,” Sawyer told Ryan Day, as the Buckeyes coach engineered a masterful resurrection, two weeks after suffering the most embarrassing defeat of his career.
Sawyer won’t claim ownership for the phrase. He credits Ohio State’s media relations manager Jerry Emig for using it first, days before the Buckeyes blasted Tennessee 42-17 on Saturday in the College Football Playoff’s first round.
“I kind of like that,” Sawyer recalls thinking when he heard Emig uncork the line.
Sawyer wants to make it stick. Ohio State’s performance against Tennessee gave that a chance of happening.
“I’d go to war with him any day,” Sawyer said of his embattled coach. “… I’d commit to him a hundred times over, if I could. This is a huge win for him.”
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day celebrates Saturday’s win against Tennessee at Ohio Stadium.
Maybe, you counted Day out after he lost again to Michigan, a gutting defeat that left Day subjected to some of the harshest criticism he’s ever faced.
Would Ohio State really fire a coach who’s won nearly 90% of his games and would be due a $37 million buyout? That question began around the time the Wolverines planted their flag inside the ‘O’ at midfield.
All one needed to do was observe Saturday’s crowd for a reminder of how some Buckeyes fans felt about Day. They no-showed. As Ohio State fans posted their tickets onto resale sites, eager Vols fans gobbled them up. Tens of thousands of fans wore orange to the stadium, creating a surreal environment. Tennessee fans even penetrated Ohio State’s team hotel before the game.
Vols fans were noisy at bars and tailgates, and they made their voices…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-football-inspires-catchphrase-123709880.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-12-22 12:37:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
