chip trayanum

It's #HateWeek yet again, ahead of one of the biggest editions of The Game in memory. Two 11-0 teams going at it for the second straight year. Does it get any better than this in college football? I don't think so. 

The Film: As in past seasons, I am charting Ohio State's offense against Penn State's defense because the Nittanys have the best defense OSU has played to date. However, I will also be incorporating plenty of film from other games. I previously used Ohio State footage for both Maryland and Purdue, so I have some of those clips in the back pocket. I also re-watched the Notre Dame game this week and will be splicing in some clips and insight from that game as well. In other words, I've been watching Ohio State all season and have 11 weeks worth of takes and clips to use. 

Personnel: Click for big. 

After two years of facing CJ Stroud, Michigan will now take on a new QB in Kyle McCord, who got cursory mention back in the 2021 FFFF as Stroud's backup, since he had started one game that season. McCord was just a juvenile true freshman back then; now he's a grown up junior. McCord is not Stroud, as he's never going to be one of the best rookie QBs in NFL history. But he is a good college QB who has facilitated a successful offense and generally been pretty accurate. There are some concerning mistakes that pop up, but a lot more good than bad and he will rightfully earn All-B1G honors. 

The running back position has featured the triumphant return of TreVeyon Henderson, who is finally looking healthy and back to what he was when he was an electric true freshman I was terrified about in 2021. Henderson is not always the most deceptive or toughest runner, but he is a home run hitter who can turn one missed tackle into a touchdown from anywhere on the field. With Miyan Williams out for the year, the power back is Chip Trayanum, a transfer from Arizona State who spent a strange amount of time as a linebacker on Ohio State's roster. He's best as an RB and is the textbook definition of a bowling ball, tough to bring down with just one defender. I expect Ohio State to lean on these two, but if they go to a third back, I expect it would be Dallan Hayden, a respectable sophomore. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: a long breakdown]