Scarlet Sunrise: Chip Trayanum didn't come to Ohio State to have just one moment
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Chip Trayanum didn’t come to Ohio State to have just one moment
Ohio State running back Chip Trayanum is a team-first player. Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. made that clear Wednesday in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
“Chip, that’s kind of a do-it-all guy. He’s worked very hard to be able to excel in the pass game and run game,” Harrison said. “I respect Chip a lot. He’s one of the most respected players on our program. So for him to get that touchdown, I was super proud of him.”
That touchdown was his game-winning plunge at Notre Dame with one second remaining.
The way Trayanum has processed that play is fitting, given the way Harrison described him.
“I’ve watched it a lot,” Trayanum said of the one-yard score.
“But I would say I watched the video of the team running onto the field more, because I catch different angles,” Trayanum added with a chuckle. “You just catch something more every time you watch it. So it’s fun. It’s definitely a memory-filled moment that we’ll all cherish for the rest of our lives.”
Trayanum has emerged as Ohio State’s second-most productive running back this season after joining the program as a linebacker last season when he transferred in from Arizona State.
It’s well documented now, but Trayanum returned to running back last season after a slew of injuries to the Buckeyes’ backfield. He never looked back.
Flash forward a year, and Trayanum — an Akron, Ohio, native — ultimately made the difference in an instant classic on the road for the Buckeyes.
“God willing, I’ve been able to stay grounded,” Trayanum said. “I told Coach [Tony] Alford that following Monday having that moment is great and all, but I didn’t come to Ohio State to have one moment. I came here to have many moments.
“I’m just using that as motivation just to keep striving and keep pushing greatness.”
Marvin Harrison Jr. confirms ‘good enough’ status ahead of Maryland game
Ohio State superstar wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. — who injured his ankle in the third quarter of the Buckeyes’ last-second win at Notre Dame two weeks ago — doubled down Wednesday on what head coach Ryan Day confirmed the day before: Harrison will play Saturday against Maryland.
“I’m good enough,” Harrison said during a media appearance inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, “… It’s worse than the one last year but I’m good enough to play.”
As he alluded to, Harrison suffered an ankle sprain last year against Arkansas State in Week 2. He dealt with the setback the rest of the way, but you would have never known considering Harrison took off as a Biletnikoff Award finalist and became the first Ohio State receiver to earn unanimous first-team All-American honors.
Even though he said this year’s injury is worse, he’s still in line to not miss any time. Back in South Bend, after all, Harrison ended up playing 66-of-69 possible offensive snaps, despite the health scare.
For more on Harrison, go here.
Fixing short-yardage issues remains priority for Buckeyes after off week
Ohio State and short-yardage conversions are like oil and water: They don’t go together — at least, not right now.
Lettermen Row tracked every Ohio State 3rd/4th-and-short this season. The Buckeyes are 8-of-16, or 50%, on 3rd/4th-and-2 or less.
That’s far off head coach Ryan Day’s target for those situations.
“3rd-and-1, 3rd-and-2, we’ve got to at least be north of 80%,” Day said.
Get the story, plus analysis, here.
Maryland coach Mike Locksley: ‘This week is a good gauge’
Not only is Maryland 5-0 for the first time since 2001, but the Terrapins have also beaten each of those five opponents by 18 or more points.
Defeating Ohio State by any margin would be a monumental feat for the Terps.
Maryland head coach Mike Locksley has built his program into an up-and-coming Big Ten threat. How the Terps perform in Columbus will be a litmus test for just how far along that development process is.
“Now, this week is a good gauge,” Locksley said. “It’s a hell of an opportunity, but even a better gauge as to where we really are as a program.”
Lettermen Row has a rundown of what else the fifth-year Terps head coach said about his team’s matchup against the Buckeyes.
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Buckeyes vs. Maryland: 2 days
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