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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Moments after Ohio State players walked toward their tunnel carrying an “Ohio Against The World” flag, coach Ryan Day approached and emphatically pumped his fist toward the fans.

Day’s emotions had surged all week, fueled by comments from former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz that Ohio State loses big games because the team isn’t physical enough. Holtz told “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday that “Notre Dame will take that same approach” to hand Day another big-stage defeat.

Instead, the sixth-ranked Buckeyes prevailed 17-14 against No. 9 Notre Dame, and did so in a way that Day couldn’t have scripted any better. Ohio State drove the field and scored with one second left on a 1-yard Chip Trayanum touchdown run, confirmed following a replay review.

“I’m really upset … about what Lou Holtz said publicly about our team, and Ohio State, and Buckeye Nation,” Day said of Holtz, who was honored with Notre Dame’s 1988 national championship team during Saturday’s game. “We’re not going to stand for that. That’s not even close to true. We had one bad half a couple of years ago up in Ann Arbor, the second half. Every game we play in, we’re physical, we are.

“I don’t know where that narrative comes from, but that ends tonight.”

Holtz cited Ohio State’s consecutive losses to archrival Michigan, and its CFP losses against Georgia, Alabama and Clemson as examples of a team that lacked grit. The 86-year-old’s comments and similar ones from others appeared on videoboards around Ohio State’s football building leading up to the Notre Dame game.

Until the final drive, Ohio State likely wouldn’t have quieted its critics. The Buckeyes squandered a 10-0 lead and struggled in short-yardage situations, including being stopped on an end around at Notre Dame’s 11-yard line with 4:11 to play.

But Ohio State capitalized on its final possession, converting on third-and-10, fourth-and-7 and third-and-19. After an incomplete pass, Ohio State had a final play on Notre Dame’s 1-yard line and went to Trayanum. Notre Dame had only 10 defenders on the field for the play.

“I made the call,” Day said. “There were three seconds left, so I’m thinking that’s the last play anyways. … Not only do we need to get that yard for this program, but it was the right thing to do schematically.”

Day thinks the late comeback will be remembered as one of the biggest wins in team history. Trayanum, an Arizona State transfer who initially came to Ohio State to play linebacker, had no doubt he extended the ball across the goal line.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Trayanum’s touchdown marked the latest from scrimmage in a regular-season AP Top-10 matchup since Michael Crabtree‘s catch for Texas Tech in 2008 against Texas.

“As a running back, you live for runs like that,” Trayanum said. “The nitty-gritty runs, the runs where you’re fighting with your body to stay up and making sure nothing touched. You envision that as a running back. This feeling, it’s still surreal, but it’s definitely a good Buckeye win.”

Although Holtz’s comments struck a nerve with Day, the Buckeyes coach had heard similar criticism for a while following the team’s high-profile losses. He brought up Ohio State’s 21-10 season-opening win against Notre Dame in 2022 — “We physically got after them” — and said the team’s critics simply don’t watch film.

“We always say, ‘Ignore the noise,’ but every once in a while, after a while someone’s poking at you, you’ve got to stand up for what you believe in,” Day said. “That’s the way I was raised and that’s the way I’m going to be moving forward. I got a bunch of guys in there that I love, that I work with every single day. To see some of the things that were said, I get Ohio against the world, but we needed to go play like that today.

“We needed to win like that, to stop that narrative that’s going on, because it’s not true.”

Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord had faced his own criticism, from taking longer than expected to win the starting job, to struggling at times during a season-opening win against Indiana. McCord had a choppy first half Saturday night and struggled to find top wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who briefly left the game with an ankle injury and walked slowly to the tunnel afterward.

But McCord came alive on the final drive, twice finding Emeka Egbuka for long gains and hitting Julian Fleming to convert the fourth-and-7. He finished with 240 passing yards and no touchdowns or interceptions.

“Down four points with a chance to go win it there in the end, a historic stadium, a great environment against a great defense, you can’t draw it up any better than that,” McCord said. “To come away with a win, it wasn’t perfect, but it feels really, really good.”

McCord said Notre Dame played “soft” zone defense on the third-and-19 play, and Egbuka found an open spot, just short of the goal line.

“We thought we were going to be able to give them a different look and play some [Cover 4] and he threw a good ball, man,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “That last series we were trying to kind of mix it up a little bit with a young quarterback and not just play man every play. And he ended up putting it in a tight window.”

Ohio State improved to 6-2 all-time against Notre Dame, the second-best record for a Fighting Irish opponent with a minimum of four games, trailing only the University of Chicago.

“There’s no doubt I am emotional,” Day said. “Because in life, when people start talking and saying things about you, at some point you’ve got to put your foot in the ground. Our team did that.”

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SMU clinches ACC title berth in debut season

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SMU clinches ACC title berth in debut season

SMU clinched a spot in the ACC championship game after a 33-7 win over Virginia on Saturday, becoming the first team in league history to make the title game in its first season.

The Mustangs do not have an opponent yet. Miami (10-1, 6-1) must beat Syracuse next weekend to clinch its spot. A loss means Clemson, which has already finished league play at 7-1, would make it to Charlotte.

SMU came into the league off great success in the American Athletic Conference, winning the league a year ago. But no team has done what the Mustangs have done in Year 1, making the transition from Group of 5 to Power 4.

The ACC championship game has been around since 2005, and now in the 20th anniversary of the game, SMU has made history.

“It’s hard to win 10 games, it’s hard to do something that’s never been done before,” coach Rhett Lashlee said. “No one’s ever moved from a small conference to a power conference and gone to the championship game in their first year. Just really proud of our guys.”

SMU joined the ACC in its quest to return to a power conference, and in doing so, agreed to take no television revenue from the ACC for nine years. They were a team on a mission from the very start, eager to prove they belonged on this level.

SMU has been a different team since turning to Kevin Jennings as its starting quarterback after three games. Jennings is 8-0 as a starter and has helped SMU to a 7-0 ACC record — the only team that is undefeated in league play. Against Virginia, Jennings went 25-of-33 for 323 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Lashlee signed a contract extension with the school Friday, reaffirming his commitment to being with the Mustangs for the long term. Despite its ACC dominance, SMU remains on the outside looking in, based on the latest College Football Playoff selection committee rankings.

If SMU wins the ACC, the Mustangs would be a lock to make it into the CFP. Another loss could mean the end of their playoff hopes. SMU closes the regular season against California next Saturday.

Lashlee grew emotional discussing how far his team has come this season.

“I’m really proud of them. I had this thought Friday, I’m going to miss a lot of these guys,” Lashlee said before pausing to gather himself. “It’s a fun group. They love playing together. They love playing for each other. They love playing for SMU. They don’t care who gets the credit. I think that’s why they win. It’s special. I’m just a lucky guy who gets to be their coach.”

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Pittsburgh QB Holstein (leg) taken to hospital

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Pittsburgh QB Holstein (leg) taken to hospital

Pittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein was carted off the field and taken to a hospital with an air cast on his left leg in the first quarter of Saturday’s game at Louisville.

Holstein appeared to have his leg rolled up on when Cardinals defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte sacked him on the second drive of the game.

Nate Yarnell, who started when Holstein missed last week’s game against Clemson with a concussion, replaced him Saturday.

Holstein, a transfer from Alabama, won the starting quarterback job over Yarnell during fall practice and helped lead the Panthers to a 7-0 start.

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TD with :04 left lifts No. 24 Illinois to 8th win

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TD with :04 left lifts No. 24 Illinois to 8th win

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Luke Altmyer found Pat Bryant for a catch-and-run 40-yard touchdown pass with four seconds left, sending No. 24 Illinois to a wild 38-31 victory over Rutgers on Saturday.

Illinois (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten) was down 31-30 when it sent long kicker Ethan Moczulski out for a desperation 58-yard field goal with 14 seconds to go. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano then called for a timeout right before Moczulski’s attempt was wide left and about 15 yards short.

After the missed field goal was waved off by the timeout, Illinois coach Bret Bielema sent his offense back on the field. Altmyer hit Bryant on an in cut on the left side at the 22, and he continued across the field and scored untouched in a game that featured three lead changes in the final 3:07.

Rutgers (6-5, 3-5) gave up a safety on the final kickoff return, throwing a ball out of bounds in the end zone as players passed it around hoping for a miracle touchdown.

Altmyer was 12-of-26 passing for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Bryant finished with seven receptions for 197 yards.

Altmeyer put Illinois in front with a 30-yard TD run with 3:07 to go. He passed to Josh McCray on the 2-point conversion, making it 30-24.

Rutgers responded with a 10-play, 65-yard drive. Athan Kaliakmanis had a 15-yard run on fourth down. He passed to running back Kyle Monangai for a 13-yard TD with 1:08 remaining.

Illinois then drove 75 yards in eight plays for the unexpected win.

Kaliakmanis was 18-for-36 for 174 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 13 carries for 84 yards and two TDs. Monangai had a career-high 28 carries for 122 yards.

Kaliakmanis found Ian Strong for a 2-yard touchdown in the final seconds of the first half, and he scored on a 1-yard run to lift Rutgers to a 24-15 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Illinois responded with Aidan Laughery‘s 8-yard TD run, setting up the roller-coaster finish.

The start of the second half was delayed because of a scrum between the teams. There were no punches thrown, and the officials called penalties on both schools.

Monangai become the third player in Rutgers history to rush for 3,000 yards when he picked up 4 yards on a third-and-1 carry early in the second quarter. The defending conference rushing champion joins Ray Rice and Terrell Willis in hitting the mark.

The great finish keeps the Illini in line for their first nine-win season since 2007 and a prestigious bowl game this season.

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