Ohio State Buckeyes Coach Ryan Day Responds to Jim Harbaugh’s ‘America’s Team’ Claim
Earlier this week, Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh made some wild assertions about his team – most notably, proclaiming the Wolverines as ‘America’s Team.’
Setting aside the fact that the Dallas Cowboys have had that title for nearly half a century, it also shows a certain amount of a lack of self-awareness on Harbaugh’s part given the current cheating scandal his program is currently embroiled in.
“Just the perseverance and the stalwartness of these guys, watching (Michigan vs. Penn State) I would have to say to everybody… that’s got to be America’s team,” Harbaugh said. “America loves a team that beats the odds and adversity and overcomes what the naysayers, critics, and so-called experts think. That’s my favorite kind of team.”
Quite a claim for a coach who is currently suspended from the most controversial team in college football.
Harbaugh is right about one thing though – America does love an underdog story. But the Wolverines are not an underdog. They are a top dog in every sense of the word.
The Ohio State Buckeyes, on the other hand, know exactly who they are. And when asked about Harbaugh’s comments on Tuesday, head coach Ryan Day responded in a typical diplomatic manner.
“It’s been a long road to get to November, and each team has its own identity,” Day said. “Each team has its own dynamics and its own journey. Here we are in November. Coming to work every day with these guys – the consistency, the maturity, the competitiveness, the look in their eyes – this is a great team to be around with great guys. It’s about these guys on the team. It’s about the guys that put it on the line on Saturday and put the work in here. We will do that again this week and keep swinging.”
Day and the Buckeyes have battled through a few odds of their own, including inexperience at quarterback, issues running the football, and copious injury issues.
And yet, they have remained unblemished, as have the Wolverines.
Both teams are slated for conference matchups this weekend, with the Buckeyes hosting Minnesota, and the Wolverines hitting the road to face Maryland.
After that, the two will square off in Ann Arbor, where given the true apparent feelings about Michigan around the country, the Buckeyes might be operating as ‘America’s Team’ for the day.
“When you start to get ahead of yourself, you start to lose focus on right now,” Day said. “That’s the challenge: Making sure you stay in the moment because there’s nothing you can do but maximize right now. That’s what we will do. When 7 o’clock comes on Saturday, 7 o’clock will come. Then, we go from there.”
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