Notre Dame's Al Golden: Ryan Day 'Does A Great Job'

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day has had some calls for his job from his own fan base, but has garnered praise from Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden.

In his first game in his new job last year, Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden had to game plan for C.J. Stroud and the Ohio State Buckeyes' offense.

Golden's return to college football for the first time since 2015 was a striking success, holding what was the top offense in 2021 to just 21 points and 395 yards of total offense — the third-lowest the Buckeyes managed all of last season. Now, he has to do the same again versus No. 6 Ohio State, and he didn't hold back in his praise for Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day's ability to lead an offense.

"He does a great job," Golden said Tuesday. "I have so much respect for Ryan and the coach that he is. Multiple looks, multiple groupings and tempos. He really has it all and the ability to control it from the sideline – and then the experience to go with it. It's what makes (Ohio State) formidable, and it's a challenge for us."

This year's return of the home-and-home series to South Bend, Indiana, presents a little bit tougher of a challenge for Golden. While, yes, he had to contend with one of the best to ever play the position for Ohio State, now he's entering a game with a lot of unknowns.

Quarterback Kyle McCord has very little tape available to study. Day may have also been hiding different concepts, schemes and route combinations in the first three weeks of the season, waiting to ambush the Fighting Irish with new bits of creativity.

"There are some unknowns with both teams because it is the first quarter of the season," Golden said. "We know what we are as a defense and what we need to improve on, what we need to fix, how we need to attack them based on what they have done and who they may be on Saturday."

Notre Dame's defense has been stalwart in its first three games, ranking inside the top 15 in both total and scoring defense. However, the best offense the Fighting Irish have faced so far is North Carolina State's 61st-best unit, which is a far cry from Ohio State's top-25 offense.

Ohio State will travel to Notre Dame Saturday where it will take on the Fighting Irish at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.