"You better bring your lunch": When Lou Holtz gave a clear warning to Ohio State before Notre Dame clash in regular season
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will try to regroup during the offseason after failing to win the College Football Playoff National Championship. On Monday, the team suffered a 34-23 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes for the national title. The upcoming season has led fans to recall when Lou Holtz claimed the Fighting Irish would beat Ohio State in 2023.
Before the championship game, both teams last competed against each other on Sep. 23, 2023.
Holtz appeared on the Sep. 22, 2023 episode of "The Pat McAfee Show" to share why his former team would beat the Buckeyes.
"It will be a close football game, but we will win because we believe. Forget who and the h*ll we're playing. Just tell Ohio State this. You take this message to Ohio State. You tell them they better bring their lunch because it's gonna be a full d*mn day of work," Holtz said (2:46 onwards).
Holtz was partially correct, as it was a close game. However, Ohio State defeated Notre Dame by a final of 17-14 after former Buckeyes running back Chip Trayanum ran for 1-yard for a touchdown with one second left in the fourth quarter.
Lou Holtz wrongly predicted Notre Dame to beat Ohio State for College Football Playoff National Championship
The most recent failed prediction was when Holtz backed the Fighting Irish to beat Ohio State on Monday. The former coach shared on his YouTube channel that he believed the team's culture would prevail over the Buckeyes' talent.
"I believe the University of Notre Dame will prevail in this football game not because we have the best football team but I think we have the best culture. Culture will beat talent each and every time. I think that Ohio State has great quarterback, great receivers, but if we have them sitting on the bench, they can't do much damage to us," Holtz said (1:16 onwards).
He believed the key to Notre Dame's success was running the football and being patient on offense to avoid mistakes. The Fighting Irish didn't commit a turnover but were unsuccessful in running against Ohio State's defense.
Notre Dame star running back Jeremiyah Love finished the game with four carries for three yards. Quarterback Riley Leonard led the team in rushing yards with 17 carries for 40 yards and one touchdown. Ohio State's offense and defense proved to be too much for the Fighting Irish to handle, resulting in their dominant win.
Holtz's former team returns to action on Aug. 31 for their first game of the 2025 season to take on the Miami Hurricanes. Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman will use the offseason to prepare his players for another opportunity to compete in a championship game next year.