'You live for runs like that': Chip Trayanum gives Ohio State game-winning touchdown
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Chip Trayanum felt humbled.
“I’m just grateful,” he said, “knowing that I didn’t get a lot of reps, I tried to make all my reps count.”
Trayanum’s last one in Ohio State’s 17-14 win at Notre Dame on Saturday night made all the difference.
With three seconds left and the Buckeyes positioned at the Irish’s 1-yard line trailing by four points, he rotated in at running back for TreVeyon Henderson, took a handoff from quarterback Kyle McCord and fell over the goal line.
“You live for runs like that,” Trayanum said, “the nitty-gritty runs, the runs where you’re fighting with your body to stay up to make sure nothing touches.”
Trayanum inched forward as he fought through a tackle from DJ Brown, a safety for the Irish who came off the edge of the line of scrimmage.
It was a moment to keep his legs churning, lifting his knees in the air to power himself ahead.
“In moments like that, it may all seem very fast,” he said, “but in the moment, those plays seem super slow and you know what you have to do to get the job done.”
The Buckeyes’ offensive line gave Trayanum enough running room before he collided with Brown. The Irish also lined up with only 10 defenders on the field, a miscommunication coach Marcus Freeman acknowledged afterward.
Trayanum, the backup to Henderson ran for 13 yards on six carries, had not been featured on short-yardage situations earlier in the evening.
When the Buckeyes reached Notre Dame’s 1-yard line in the second quarter, they turned on third down to Miyan Williams, who was stuffed at the line of scrimmage. On the following fourth down, McCord looked to pass, but was unable to find an open target in the end zone.
The previous possession before the Buckeyes’ game-winning drive ended on fourth-and-1 at the Irish’s 11-yard when an end-around with wide receiver Emeka Egbuka was snuffed out.
Trayanum’s game-winning touchdown run was under a video review by officials and led to a second being added to the game clock, but he said he never had doubt that he scored.
“I knew I was definitely in,” he said. “It was close.”
The run was the most consequential of Trayanum’s career. After transferring to Ohio State last year after two seasons at Arizona State, he started off at linebacker before returning to running back, the position he had played with the Sun Devils, and inched up the depth chart.
To get the last carry, he said it meant a lot.
“It echoes the confidence my teammates and coaches have in me,” he said, “giving the ball with the game on the line like that.”
Trayanum made sure to repay it.
“I just knew the job had to be done,” he said. “Simple as that.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on Facebook and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He can also be contacted at jkaufman@dispatch.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Chip Trayanum gives Ohio State game-winning touchdown
