Day said the decision to remove Burke had nothing to do with his performance.

In his place, Jermaine Mathews — who has been part of a three-man rotation including Davison Igbinosun at corner — played 47 snaps against the Longhorns.

Mathews graded out a champion, per Day.

“I think everybody feels comfortable putting Jermaine in the game based on the way that he’s played this year, the way that he’s practiced this year,” Day said.

Here’s everything Day said before facing the Fighting Irish.

Everything Ryan Day said before Ohio State vs. Notre Dame

• Day feels the offense let five drives get away from OSU vs. Texas — four due to penalties and one on an interception. Day: “Efficiency is going to be something that we’ve got to do a much better job of in this game if we’re going to win.”
• Day on the 12-team CFP format: “Very grateful, I think everybody in the program is, to be in this situation… As much as losses hurt, they really allow us as coaches and players to take a hard look at the issues and get them addressed.”
• Day said Texas didn’t do much different vs. Jeremiah Smith compared to other teams OSU has faced. “It’s a little bit more about execution than anything else,” Day said.
• Day on Notre Dame’s quarterback: “Riley Leonard is a tremendous leader, a tremendous player and a winner… Somebody that I’ve respected from afar in just the way that he competes.”
• Day on Jack Sawyer’s scoop-and-score: “You could almost see it happening in front of you, just the fact that you know this is a play that will go down in Buckeye history as one of the greatest… As happy as I’ve been in a long time.”
• Day says he has not spoken to Lou Holtz since a viral rant following OSU’s win vs. Notre Dame in 2023.