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Ohio State Football Insider: How The Buckeyes Won A Thriller Over Notre Dame · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Welcome to Buckeyes tomorrow morning for Monday, September twenty fifth, I'm your host,
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  tom Or. The Maryland game is in twelve days, the game against
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  Michigan in sixty one days. Yes, twelve games both days to the next
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  game means it is in fact Ohio stays week off. That just means there's
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  a little more time to talk about the previous game. And oh boy,
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  is there a lot to talk about about the previous game. Buckeyes have a
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  almost not quite almost walk off win seventeen fourteen over Notre Dame at Notre Dame
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  Stadium, one of the great finishes in Ohio state football history. There was
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  a ton to talk about that after the game. Hopefully you guys get a
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  chance to listen to the I think it was roughly two and a half hours
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  of postgame show that we did after the game. But we also got a
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  chance to talk to Bryan Day, Kyle McCord, Chip train Um after the
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  game. Lots to talk about there, about that last drive, that last
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  play. I mean, the whole rest of the game was interesting too,
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  but man, the last minute and a half or so of that game is
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  going to go down in Ohio State football history. There's a lot to talk
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  about. There was also a lot to talk about after the game, about
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  what happened after the game. That was Ryan Day on the field. Normally,
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  the post game on field interview is a little bit of a pro forma
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  affair and it's like, you know, you know a little you get a
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  little bit of excitement here and there, but it's pretty bland. Not the
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  case. On Saturday night in South Bend, Ryan Day kind of went off
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  about some comments by former noted name head coach Lou Holtz questioning the team's toughness.
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  And you know, he was not the only one. Holtz was not.
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  Holtz was the one that kind of got called out by name, but
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  there were plenty of other people who are kind of doubting Ohio State going into
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  that game. A lot of people picking against Ohio State coming into that game.
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  Ryan Day after that game, he felt like they answered some questions on
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  Saturday. It was bruin for a couple of days. You know, again,
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  I said it early, I'll say it again. A lot of people
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  took a lot of shots at this team over the last forty eight hours and
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  it really hit home to me. And you know, the way that our
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  team played. You know, not only did we physically get after these guys
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  last year, but we did it again here at the end of the game.
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  And I think it says a lot about this team. And you know,
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  I'm really upset and dis disrespective by what Lou Holtz said publicly about our
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  team and Ohio State and Buckeye Nation, and we're not going to stand for
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  that because that's not even close to true. We had one bad half a
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  couple of years ago up in Ann Arbor. We did in the second half,
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  but every game we play and we're physical, we are I don't know
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  where that narrative comes from, but that ends tonight. This team right here
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  show toughness, they showed grit, they didn't give up, and they found
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  a way to get that last yard And I'm sick over those short yardages that
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  we didn't finish. But that's the game and the last matchup game we're in.
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  We're one play short. This play, we finished it the right way,
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  and I'm really proud of our team. The last drive for Ohio State
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  ended up in the end zone with one second left of the game, but
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  the drive before that one ended up in the red zone. But ended on
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  a fourth and one play where they ran an end around to a Mecca Abuca
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  into the boundary. That was a curious choice given you know, all the
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  other options that were available to them at that moment. So why was that
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  what made that the play call in that moment for them? Yeah, I
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  mean, we didn't get it the one before, and I'm really upset about
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  that. We gotta get yard and then on that play in particular, we
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  got to look that we wanted and we got three for three right there,
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  and we thought that we could knife it in for one yard because you know,
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  when they're inside playing defense is an opportunity to get the ball outside.
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  We didn't do it. There was four opportunities where the whole game could be
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  different if we convert in those situations. So upset about that, but I'm
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  not going to be upset right now because that was one heck of a win
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  for our team. It was a great win for Ohio State. It's always
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  been Ohio against the world and it continues to be to this day. And
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  I hope everybody in Buckey Nation enjoys that win because to come in here to
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  win like that after winning the way we did last year because we physically got
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  after him last year. We did put the film on. A lot of
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  people make a lot of comments and don't watch film. Put the film on
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  and watch what goes on, and for us to hang in there because the
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  momentum was going on, what was going with Notre Dame at one point and
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  our guys put stuck their foot in the ground and Jat makes a big time
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  play and the guts of our team to go and win that game on the
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  road. You're gonna tell me in this team's not physical and not tough.
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  You're wrong. One of the big talking points going into the game was the
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  fact that Notre Dame had an advantage at the quarterback position, with a real
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  veteran like Sam Hartman, sixty year quarterback going up against someone like Kyle McCord
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  who, while very talented, obviously it was only making his fifth career start.
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  Well, then, when the Chips were down, Kyle McCord led the
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  Buckeyes on a game winning drive. What did that show Ryan Day about his
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  quarterback? You judge a quarterback on third down the red zone in two minute
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  third down? I was just looking at the stats was pretty good. Ten
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  of seventeen there was some nice third down conversions there, you know, and
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  then to win the game in a two minute drill, that's what great quarterbacks
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  do. And for his first top ten road game to be put in that
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  situation and come through says a lot about his future. I mean, that
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  was there was some big time throws in there, hung in there, he's
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  poised and what a great win for our program. But but yeah, for
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  Kyle to come in in that spot, that's big, all right. So
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  that was sort of the look at Kyle McCord and what that meant, that
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  drive meant for him. But the two minute drill in general, particularly the
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  past to a mecca, a book and down to the one. What what
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  did day see there? In that last couple frantic minutes on the field.
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  We spent some time, was kyl in here, yes, And we spent
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  some time talking about two minutes today, right, And it just talks about
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  how when you know, when you work at game plan, you just keep
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  grinding and you keep working, and you keep working all the way up until
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  four hours before the game. We met on two minute, We met with
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  the receivers. We showed what we were expecting in that moment, and you
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  never know exactly what you're gonna get. But I think Kyle had good pois.
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  I thought the protection was good and there was some really clutched catches out
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  there. Certainly a Mecca had a big one. After that passed down to
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  a Mecca, a Boka down to the one. The Buckeyes took a shot
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  in the end zone. It was incomplete, so then they had one more
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  try three seconds left from the one yard line. Who was it that made
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  the call to give the ball to Chip train him to try and push it
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  in on the ground. Me I made the call? Was there doubt?
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  I think I looked at the clock anew there were three seconds left, so
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  I'm thinking that's a last play. Anyways, you know what I'm saying.
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  I knew we couldn't get two plays with no time us because we lost the
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  time out on the on the grounding. So I said, well, you
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  know, at this point, it probably just makes sense for one yard.
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  Not only do we need to get that yard for this program, but I
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  felt like it was the right thing to do schematically. It was a little
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  surprising to see Day as fired up as he was after that game, especially
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  given the reason for why he was fired up. Day. It talks a
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  lot about ignoring the noise. The Black Geys have the old poem Man in
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  the Arena posted in their team room. The whole point is you ignore the
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  outside noise, you don't pay attention to it. So what about this case?
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  What about this time? Had him so fired up? Yeah? No,
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  I mean, there's there's no doubt I am emotional because you know,
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  you know, in life, when people start talking and say things about you,
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  at some point you got to put a foot in the ground. And
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  our team did that and it was a life lesson. It was you know,
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  we always say ignore the noise, but every once in a while,
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  you know, after a while, you know someone's poking at you. You
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  gotta stand up for what you believe in. And that's the way, you
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  know, I was raised and that's the way I'm going to be moving forward.
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  And I got a bunch of guys in there that I love that I
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  worked with every single day, and to hear some of the things that ever
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  said, I mean, I get Ohio against the world. But we needed
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  to go play like that today. We need to win like that to stop
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  that narrative that's going on out there, because it's not true, and to
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  win like that the way we did, I think it's going to do that.
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  I know it is anything else, Yes, a thousand percent, and
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  I think it's going to go down And you know, and as one of
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  the big wins in Ohio State this year, and there's one of the clutch
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  fourth down comebacks on the road in the top ten environment and then you know,
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  we had this home and home with with notre name to go to and
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  oh says a lot about this team now on two. Quarterback Kyle McCord and
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  some of his thoughts after the game that was already in just his fifth start,
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  definitely one of these going to be one of the signature moments of his
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  career at Ohio State leading that two minute drill down the field to score the
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  winning touchdown. What was that like for him just to have to go through
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  that and that kind of pressure. Yeah, I mean we practice those two
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  men situations all the time, and you know, at that point, it
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  was just, you know, we're writing back to our training and you know,
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  just my job is to get the ball in the hands of the playmakers
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  and you know, let them do special things. And that's exactly what it
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  was. Wasn't perfect by any means, But at the end of the day,
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  we found a way to make it work, and you know that's all
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  that matters. After a game like that, everyone wants to talk about what
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  it means for the team, and that's understandable. It's a team sport and
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  no one does it by themselves. But for Kyle McCord personally, what did
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  that mean to him as an individual to be a part of that drive in
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  that moment? Yeah, I mean, you know, you can't draw it
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  up any better than that. You know, down Tutton or four points with
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  a chance to go win it there at the end and historic stadium, a
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  great environment against a great defense. You can't draw it up any better than
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  that, and you know, to come away with the win. Like I
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  said, it wasn't perfect, still a lot to growing, but you know,
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  it feels really, really good. The key play on that drive was
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  that passed down to Ameca Abuka down at the one, and that was a
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  seed. That was a very difficult moment. It was third and very long
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  and he threw an absolute bullet into a small window and hit a Buka at
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  the one to set up that winning touchdown. What was that play like for
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  him and then the decision to hand it to Chip train him for the game
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  winning, game winning touchdown. The play call that I ended up throwing a
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  mec you know, like Coach Day was saying, Marvin obviously draws a lot
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  of attention, and you know, they were playing soft defense and Meca did
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  a great job just kind of feeling the zone and you know, at that
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  point, you're just playing backyard football, just giving your guy a chance to
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  go make a big play, and that's exactly what he did. And then
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  we're talking about the run, you know, like Coach Day was saying,
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  you know, the narrative around us is that we aren't tough, and you
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  know, I don't know how else you know, you would want to draw
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  it up. You know, last play the game, you know, a
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  top ten opponent, no time out, it's three seconds left. You know,
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  it's it's you know, it's either we get that yard and win,
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  where we don't get the yard and loose. And I think that says a
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  lot. It's about the boys up front, you know, I know they're
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  tired of hearing that narrative too, and you know, I think it's just
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  all, you know, crazy, how it all came together like that.
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  It feels like for a lot of the reporters covering the team, seeing Ryan
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  Day that fired up is a little out of the ordinary. McCord obviously spends
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  more time with Bryan Day than we do, so was that more Was that
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  maybe more fired up than he than you typically see Ryan Day, even if
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  you're someone like Kyle mccordy who sees him all the time behind the scenes.
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  Yeah, No, I think that's definitely the most animated I've ever seen him.
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  And rightfully so, people were taking shots at him, taking shots at
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  the team, and that weren't true. And you know, I think we
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  did a good job of just kind of staying quiet. But you know,
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  I was definitely fuel to fire Beline. If you know we said that,
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  you know that didn't bother us. And I think we came out here and
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  I think we proved a lot of people wrong. But the bigger thing is
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  I think we proved ourselves right. And now on to chip train him.
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  What was that like getting your number called to go out on the field with
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  three seconds left and be the one to get the ball and get the handoff
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  and try and win this game. It was definitely a rush, just hurry
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  up, get on the field, get the play call, and just get
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  lined up and ready to go. But yeah, it was just it was
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  just getting fast and executed just because I mean I had confidence in a play
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  and I knew my teammate's had confident in me. So the play on the
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  field was initially ruled a touchdown, but then they send it upstairs for video
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  over review. So was Chip Trainum kind of sweating that out as they were
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  making that decision. Was there any doubt in his mind that he had really
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  gotten in? Na? Na, I knew I was definitely in. It
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  was close. But as a running back, I mean you live and runs
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  like that, the nitty gritty runs, the runs where you fight in which
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  your body to stay up making sure nothing in touch. So I mean you
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  definitely practice that and you had visioned that as a running back. But man,
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  God is great this feeling. I mean, it's still surreal, but
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  it's definitely a good Buckeye went in to go into the train. UM's journey
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  to Ohio State has been a little bit circuitous. A kid from northeast to
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  Ohio. Ohio State wanted him to maybe be a linebacker if he came to
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  Ohio State. He wanted to be a running back, so he went to
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  Arizona State for a few years, then came back to Ohio State to be
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  a linebacker, and then got moved back to running back last fall when the
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  Pockets had a whole bunch of injuries in that room. Now, to have
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  that kind of moment as a running back at Ohio State, we're his home
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  state team. What did that moment mean for him? Personally? It means
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  a lot, like I said, and it just echoes the confidence that like
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  my teammates and my coaches having me just to you know, give me the
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  bob with a game on the linelight that just to keep our season dreams alive
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  really at the end of the day. So it means a lot that they
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  have confidence like that in me, And I just knew the job had to
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  be done as simple as that. I mean, we always preached one play,
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  one yard and toughness and fight, and I believe that. I mean
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  that one play sums it all up. Well. It is a week off
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  for the football team this weekend. It is not a week off for us
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  at Buckeyehetdle dot com. We're going to have a whole bunch more coverage of
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  that big win over Notre Dame, a little bit of stuff looking forward at
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  Okay, they won, that was good. What do they still need to
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  work on? Where do they still need to improve? What might be challenges
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  coming forward? Coming in the next few weeks. There's gonna be a lot
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  of stuff to talk about. There's also a bunch of stuff going on and
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  recruiting, there's a bunch of stuff going We're gonna be talking to some of
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  our schematic guys about some of the stuff that we need that happened during that
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  game. Some of the big moments were good. Some of those big moments
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  were bad. We're also going to talk about the defense. We didn't talk
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  about the defense at all to day. I don't worry. We'll get to
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  the defense. There was just when the amens on offense, you end up
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  talking about offense a little more. But there's a whole bunch of talk about
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  on the defensive side of the ball as well. So we'll be talking about
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  all of that at Buckeye Huddle dot com and of course on all of our
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  podcasts. You can find those wherever you find your podcast to search Buckeye Huddle
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  to find all of them, Buckeye Weekly, Bigney Kickoff, Skull Session Podcast,
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  Buckeyes tomorrow morning. Obviously, you can find them all just by searching
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  Buckeye Huddle, so make sure you do that and then also make sure you
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  check out our YouTube channel at YouTube dot com slash Buckeye Huddle. We just
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  passed fifteen thousand subscribers over the weekend with that marathon live show. That was
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  pretty exciting, so appreciate everyone who is wherever you are consuming our content.
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  We appreciate it and would appreciate it if you'd share it with a friend as
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  well help get the word out. If you enjoy it, we're going to
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  guess your friends will enjoy it as well, So that will do it for
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  today. Thank you guys all for joining us. Have a great day.
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  We'll talk to you tomorrow