Kentucky was able to keep former running back Chip Trayanum in check

Toledo’s Chip Trayanum ran with the ball against Kentucky Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field. August 30, 2025 - Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The entirety of Big Blue Nation knew that Chip Trayanum was going to come into Saturday’s game with a… well… *chip* on his shoulder. But Kentucky’s defense was able to (mostly) keep him in check during the Wildcats’ 24-16 season-opening win over Toledo.

Let’s back up for a minute first. Trayanum spent just one year as one of Kentucky’s running backs during the 2024 season. His college journey had him start at Arizona State for two years before a two-year stint at Ohio State. The 5-foot-11, 225-pounder spent time at linebacker, but mostly served as a running back, totaling over 1,110 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground before making his way to Lexington.

There were decently high expectations going into his fifth college season.

Unfortunately, injuries quickly marred his time as a Wildcat. Just 13 months ago, Trayanum was competing for the RB1 spot in Bush Hamdan’s offense. But a hand injury lingered all season long. He appeared in just three games for UK, recording only 19 total carries for 101 yards. Still with one year of eligibility left, the Akron native quickly hopped back in the portal and went back to his home state during the offseason.

As fate would have it, Trayanum’s Toledo team was up first on Kentucky’s 2025 schedule. But his return to Lexington was silenced as the Wildcat defense did a solid job of limiting his production. Trayanum ran the ball 14 times for just 41 yards (2.9 YPC) and no scores on Saturday. Outside of a 12-yard gain in the second quarter, he failed to break out a run of more than eight yards. He also caught three passes for 42 yards. Most of his stats came in the first half.

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“I saw (Trayanum) before the game and I saw him after,” Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said postgame. “I’m very happy for him, very proud for him. He’s an absolute fantastic young man and a really good player. He’s tough to bring down, and he had a good game. I give him a lot of credit.”

It certainly doesn’t sound like there is any bad blood between Trayanum and Kentucky. Overall, it was a positive performance from the one-time Wildcat against his old team, but Toledo needed double the production from him to dream of pulling off the upset. The UK defense knew exactly how to handle their former teammate.

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