Miyan Williams returns, Chip Trayanum elevated in Ohio State backfield against Michigan

Ohio State had a little healthier backfield in its 45-23 loss Michigan on Saturday.

The Buckeyes brought back Miyan Williams after he missed the previous week’s win at Maryland with a foot injury, but it was Chip Trayanum who saw the most prominent role in the running back rotation.

Trayanum, a transfer from Arizona State who returned to running back last month, led the Buckeyes with 14 carries, rushing for 83 yards.

“We felt like Chip could go in there and give us a shot, even though he hadn’t really played,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said. “We had to play some depth.”

Though Trayanum had only one carry prior to the rivalry game, he rotated in behind Williams out of the gate.

He picked up four out of the first six carries on the Buckeyes’ opening drive, spelling Williams and helping to set up their first touchdown, a 4-yard pass from C.J. Stroud to Emeka Egbuka, which put Ohio State in front in the early goings.

The four carries by Trayanum, gaining 23 yards, presented a bit of a wrinkle for the Wolverines’ defense.

But options in the backfield remained limited as Day said Williams, who injured his right ankle in a rout of Indiana two weeks ago, was not at full strength, and TreVeyon Henderson, who aggravated a foot injury in his return at Maryland last weekend, was not available. He was wearing a walking boot on his left foot on the sideline.

Williams rushed for only 34 yards on eight carries. His longest went for 8 yards on a run in the first quarter.

“He gave it a shot,” Day said, “but there were runs in there early that he maybe wishes he had back.”

Freshman Dallan Hayden, who ran for 146 yards on 27 carries in a breakout performance against the Terrapins last week, didn’t pick up a carry against the Wolverines until early in the second quarter and ran only once more over the afternoon.

The Buckeyes finished with 143 rushing yards on 29 carries, their lowest output since they were held below 100 in consecutive weeks against Iowa and Penn State late last month.

A lot of yellow

Penalties were an issue for the Buckeyes in The Game for a second consecutive season.

They committed nine penalties for 91 yards against the Wolverines, equaling their second-most this season.

In last November’s loss at Michigan, they were flagged a season-high 10 times for 66 yards.

One of the costlier penalties occurred in the middle of the third quarter when tight end Gee Scott was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after headbutting Michigan safety Rod Moore on the sideline.

Coupled with a holding penalty by left guard Donovan Jackson, the Buckeyes were set back 25 yards and moved away from midfield. It resulted in three-and-out, returning the ball to the Wolverines, who held possession for the rest of the quarter and went on to reach the end zone to add to their lead, moving ahead by a 31-20 score.

“We had too many penalties,” Day said, “and it took us off schedule.”

Six of the nine penalties committed by Ohio State came in the second half as it fell behind the Wolverines, and several seemed to stem from a lack of composure. Tight end Cade Stover also drew a personal foul in the fourth quarter.

Offensive line change

Ohio State was without one of its starting offensive linemen against Michigan.

Right guard Matthew Jones was sidelined after he went down the previous week at Maryland, the second time in three weeks the Buckeyes turned to one of their reserve linemen to plug a spot.

Enokk Vimahi started in place of Jones, while Josh Fryar rotated behind him as soon as the Buckeyes’ second drive. They alternated over several possessions.

Both offered some experience. Vimahi had stepped in for Jones at spots this season, and Fryar had started at right tackle for Dawand Jones in a rout of Indiana two weeks ago.

The status of Jones had been in question leading up to kickoff after he was injured late in the Buckeyes’ win over the Terrapins last week.

Corum's return brief

Michigan was mostly without Blake Corum, its star running back who injured his left knee in its win over Illinois last Saturday.

Corum attempted to return against the Buckeyes and ran for gains of 4 yards and 2 yards on the Wolverines’ opening drive, but appeared limited and didn’t return.

He was wearing a heavy brace on his left knee underneath his pads.

Corum has been among the nation's top rushers this season and had gained 1,457 yards prior to Saturday’s game, putting him sixth among backs in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The Wolverines turned to Donovan Edwards to carry the load in their backfield, and he ran for 216 yards on 22 carries. A bulk of them came on touchdowns on 75 and 85 yards in the fourth quarter.

Edwards was out last week against Illinois and had his right thumb wrapped in tape during Saturday’s game, limiting him as a pass catcher.

Big crowd

The announced attendance at Ohio Stadium was 106,787, making it Ohio State’s largest crowd for any of its eight home games this season and the largest since 2017.

They ended the regular season with an average of 104,633 fans per game, a leap from last year when they averaged 96,756.

All eight games at the Horseshoe this fall drew at least 100,000 fans.

The Buckeyes had not averaged more than 100,000 in a season since prior to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

Etc.

JK Johnson rotated in for Cameron Brown at cornerback late in the second quarter, and trainers appeared to be looking at him on the sideline. ... Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Buckeyes' star slot receiver, missed his fifth consecutive game with a hamstring injury. He was watching on the sideline in street clothes.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Williams returns for OSU vs. Michigan, Trayanum elevated in backfield