Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 OCT. 7, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME LOU HOLTZ RESPONDS TO RYAN DAY'S POSTGAME COMMENTS Former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz shouldn't ever be in a position to apologize to Fighting Irish brass. He is responsible for the storied Fighting Irish football program's last national championship in 1988, after all. But in late September, the 86-year-old Holtz called current Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and issued an apology. "I put him in a bad position, maybe," Holtz said Sept. 26 on "Don't @ Me" with Dan Dakich. "I don't feel bad about saying it because I believe it." What is "it"? On the set of "The Pat McAfee Show" the day before the Ohio State game, Holtz said Notre Dame was a better team than Ohio State. He told the Buckeyes to bring their lunch pails because the Irish were going to give them a full day's work. He also questioned OSU's physicality. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day took offense to that, and he let the world know about it immediately after the Buckeyes' dramatic, come-from-behind 17-14 victory over Notre Dame. "I'd like to know where Lou Holtz is right now," Day said. "What he said about our team, I cannot believe." Holtz said he understood why Day said that and that he had the right to do so. But he also doubled down, in a way. "Notre Dame was a better football team," Holtz told Dakich. "Three times, Ohio State had fourth-and-1, ran the ball, couldn't make it. Other than the one long run, they averaged less than 2 yards a carry. "If I was coaching, I would have went to our team and said, 'I think you're better. I think you're more physical. I think you're more talented. Coach Day doesn't believe so, so go prove him wrong and prove me right.' "But when I say something and I can't control the outcome of the game, that's unfair to Coach Freeman." He left one more message for Day. "I'm sorry that Coach Day was offended by it. I hope he goes on, has a wonderful year. I don't think they'll be a great football team. I really don't. I felt Notre Dame won the football game." — Tyler Horka Notre Dame probably won't have star junior point guard Olivia Miles on the floor when the Fighting Irish open the 2023-24 season against South Carolina in Paris, France. But it sure sounds like Miles will be back in the fold at some point this season, which is great news considering she had major surgery on her knee in April. Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey gave updates on her superstar point guard, who holds the program record for triple-doubles with three, in an ex- clusive interview with Blue & Gold Il- lustrated in early September. "She's doing great," Ivey said. "She's been killing it in rehab. She's right on track. They're just improving her week by week. She's very confident, and she's trusting the process, too. "I know there are certain days as you watch you're like, 'Ahh, I want to get out there.' She has that eagerness to be on the floor." Miles passed the five-month point post-surgery mark early last month. By the time the game against the Gamecocks rolls around on Nov. 6, she will be just shy of seven months on the mend. Ivey said Miles has recently transitioned from the physical therapy, training table portion of her comeback to the weight room. Lately, it's been about strengthen- ing the quadriceps muscle for Miles so she can start jogging and moving around athletically. She hasn't gotten to a point where she can truly test her agility, which is obviously a big asset for the player who averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game in 28 appearances last season before the injury. "I'm playing it by what the doctors and the trainers tell me," Ivey said. "They're not going to put her out there if the strength of her knee is not where it needs to be. There are a lot of checks and balances with that type of injury and recovery." Ivey said some players come back from a knee injury like that of Miles in six months while it takes others closer to a full year. Ivey had major knee sur- gery in her Notre Dame playing career, and her timeline was nine months. Nine months for Miles would be early January, just in time for the heart of conference play. "It's every individual's process, but I think she's doing great," Ivey said. "I'm really proud of her leading from the side. I know how hard that is and how hard it was for her to watch last season. She's doing a really good job this preseason. I hear her voice all the time." — Tyler Horka Former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz has been in a war of words with Ohio State head coach Ryan Day since Sept. 22. PHOTO BY PHIL ELLSWORTH/ESPN IMAGES Point Guard Olivia Miles On Pace For Speedy Recovery Miles is working her way back from major knee surgery performed in early April. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS