Kirk Herbstreit, known for his sharp analysis and deep ties to Ohio State, didn’t hold back during Saturday night’s broadcast of the Buckeyes’ dominant 42-17 victory over Tennessee in the College Football Playoff.
The ESPN analyst made pointed remarks about the Buckeye fanbase and his network colleagues while defending head coach Ryan Day.
“The lunatic fringe at Ohio State is as powerful as anywhere in the country,” Herbstreit said during the broadcast. “It used to be 8-10 [percent of the fanbase]. I think it’s grown now to about 15-20.
“So I don’t know. I’m sure they’ll be happy tonight – be fired up about what the Ohio State team did. But God forbid they lose to Oregon. They may want to fire [Ryan Day] again.”
Herbstreit also took aim at ESPN’s popular talk show First Take.
“‘First Take’ tried to fire him. They thought he was done,” he said. “So I’ll be excited to see what they talk about on Monday after this performance.
“They had him out – been trying to find replacements. But here he is! He’s still got his hat on. Still coaching.”
Sure enough, the Buckeyes were extremely impressive as they demolished the Volunteers.
Ohio State was led by quarterback Will Howard, who threw for 311 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
The Buckeyes defense was equally impressive, shutting down Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava until well into the second quarter.
With the win, Ohio State advances on for a much-anticipated rematch against the top-ranked Oregon Ducks.
It’s a golden opportunity for the resurgent Buckeyes and Howard made it clear he isn’t taking it for granted.
“Yeah, I’m excited, man,” Howard said. “It’s going to be a heck of an opportunity for all of us. We’ve all been looking forward to this one and for another crack at [those] guys. The way that last one ended doesn’t sit right with me. It still bugs me.”
Howard also made it clear that he was proud of the killer instinct that the Buckeyes displayed against the Vols.
“We did a hell of a job not letting off the gas,” he said. “We could’ve let that become a game. Being able to keep the foot on the pedal was huge.”
The victory marked head coach Ryan Day’s first win against an SEC opponent as the Buckeyes’ leader.
Day expressed pride in his team’s resilience after their brutal regular-season-ending loss to Michigan.
“These guys have a lot of pride,” Day said. “I think this said a lot about who our guys are to be able to respond like that in a big way.”
The polarizing Day also reflected on the team’s adjustments and praised their execution against Tennessee.
“We called this game more aggressively,” he said. “There’s no question about that. But also, I think we did some things in this game that maximized what we have in terms of our strengths and minimized our deficiencies.
“Not that everything was perfect in this game. It wasn’t. (But) I also thought Will was excellent in this game. Played really well. Did a really good job of placing the ball.
“He made some big-time throws. When he needed to make plays with his legs, he did. Certainly, Jeremiah (Smith) was dynamite again. But Will was a leader.”
Oregon’s dramatic 32-31 victory over Ohio State back in October was one of the best games of the entire college football season.
In many ways, the Buckeyes were actually the better team that night. They didn’t win the game, and that’s the only thing that matters. However, a strong argument can be made that they outplayed the Ducks.
Howard and company have reason to enter the upcoming New Year’s Day clash with supreme confidence. (What a scene it will be at the Rose Bowl, huh?)
What are your early thoughts on the highly-anticipated rematch???
