Ad Disclosure
Former coaches Dan Mullen, Rick Neuheisel weigh in on trap games for Ohio State, Michigan ahead of Week 13 showdown
Published:
Former head coaches Dan Mullen and Rick Neuheisel know a bit about trap games.
They recently appeared on ESPNU radio to discuss how Ohio State and Michigan have to get through “trap games” against Maryland and Indiana before the “The Game” in Week 13, set to be a top-5 showdown of undefeated teams with Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff implications. They believe that teams often overlook opponents, which leads to big upsets.
Mullen stated that with 18-22-year-old kids especially, looking forward to a big game two weeks out is a given. He said that these games become a trap when the worse team comes out playing well and the better team comes out playing poorly and things like turnovers and penalties start to come up.
Neuheisel cites UCLA as a victim of a trap game. The Bruins lost what should have been an easy game against Arizona.
“It was ugly for the Bruins,” Neuheisel said. “And its the exact anatomy for a trap game.”
Undefeated Michigan and Ohio State face off next weekend, but first they have to get through week 12 unscathed.
"How real is a trap game before the big one?" Two former head coaches, @CoachDanMullen & @CoachNeuheisel, discuss with @ChildersRadio. pic.twitter.com/jUfMkf51Yi
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) November 18, 2022