Ryan Day's 10-word comment at Ohio State–Indiana game irks fans; 'incredibly unlikable'
In the middle of discussing his team's plan to stop Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, Ryan Day quipped, "You’ve just got to get your hands on some balls."
The No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers are set for a historic showdown in the Big Ten Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Ahead of kickoff, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day spoke with FOX Sports reporter Tom Rinaldi about the Buckeyes’ defensive plan to disrupt Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
In the middle of discussing his team's plan to stop Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, Day quipped: "We don't want them to have balance."
He added, "You’ve just got to get your hands on some balls."
The clip immediately went viral on social media for his unintended humor.
One person commented, "This Ryan Day interview...he has a way of saying non-offensive things that still somehow make him incredibly unlikable. Remarkable stuff, really."
Another wrote, “Interesting pregame interview with Ohio State coach Ryan Day just before the Big Ten Championship game. Shocked he said that on TV.”
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The attention comes just a week after Day finally snapped his losing streak against the Michigan Wolverines.
Speaking with Dave Holmes on Friday night, Day emphasized the team’s mindset entering championship weekend.
“We want to finish off this thing the right way," Ryan Day said. “These guys know that this is on the list of things we want to get done this year. We’ve talked about it before.”
This year's Big Ten title game marks the first time two 12–0 teams have ever met for the conference crown.
The Buckeyes, last season’s national champions, saw their Big Ten title bids derailed in recent years by losses to Michigan and Oregon.
Now undefeated again, they have a chance to claim their first conference championship since 2020 and end a four-year drought in Columbus.
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Day made it clear that the goals extend beyond Saturday night.
"We want to be the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs,” he added. “One of our goals is to win the Big 10 Championship. You feel like when you have momentum. We want to keep it. So we want to do that. And it’s a great opponent.”
