The Ohio State football team received a well-deserved moment of recognition for its accomplishments this past season on Thursday night, and Ryan Day took the opportunity to address Buckeye Nation.
During halftime of the men's basketball game against Minnesota at the Schottenstein Center, the entire football team was brought out onto the court with their 2019 Big Ten Championship Game trophy to receive an ovation from Buckeye Nation in honor of their 13-1 season and third straight conference title, and Day – after thanking Ohio State fans for their support both at home and on the road all season – made a vow that the Buckeyes will use their Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson as fuel to come back even stronger in 2020.
“That game out there in Arizona didn't sit well with any of us,” Day said. “You have my word: We're not going to forget about that game ... We're going to do everything we can to keep that game in the back of our minds so next year, we come back even stronger.”
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith told Eleven Warriors earlier this month that he thought it was important for the Buckeyes to be recognized in front of their fans for their performance this past season, especially with the heartbreaking fashion in which the season ended against Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
“We need to embrace them and remind them, as difficult as that loss was, as disappointing as it was, they achieved a lot. You think about the award winners and all that and the records, so we need to embrace them,” Smith said. “We need a couple platforms – starting with the basketball game – where we bring them out, bring the trophies out and let Buckeye Nation do the same.”
You can watch the entirety of Thursday night's football team recognition and Day's speech (begins at the 2:22 mark) in the video above.
