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I think there’s probably something messed up inside Justin Fields right now. Halfway through the second quarter of the Ohio State College Football Playoff semi-final against Clemson, Tigers linebacker James Skalski launched into the Buckeyes quarterback with his helmet on, causing a targeting penalty and forcing Skalski to be knocked out.
Have you ever watched a YouTube bullet knockout compilation? They are deeply upsetting, as boxers with iron chins are brought to their knees with injuries that you need an x-ray to see. This is what Fields looked like after being thrown sideways with a piece of metal. And the pain clearly stayed with him. he appeared in agony taking routine throws to stay warm. he struggled to ride an exercise bike on the sideline. He could barely move on the pitch, his characteristic escape was all but gone. “My ribs were killing me pretty much the entire game,” Fields told ESPN later. He said he needed “Several plans” to stay in the game.
It seemed obvious that the state of Ohio needed to bench Fields. He was a duck sitting behind an offensive line missing several starters, and was up against a defense that had recorded the second-most sacks in college football. It was as if the Buckeyes could cost themselves their season – and Fields his future – by sending him there wavering and grimacing.
But through the pain, Fields had one of college football’s greatest passing performances of all time. He finished 22 of 28 for 385 yards with six touchdowns—four of which came after the blow. It looked like he could barely flinch without setting off waves of pain, and yet he squeezed his bruised body to launch a pair of touchdown passes that traveled over 50 yards in the air:
Ohio State entered Friday’s Sugar Bowl as a seven-point loser to Clemson. The Tigers had played in four National Championship games in the past five years, winning two; Ohio State had not been within a national title game since winning the inaugural playoffs in 2014. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence was coming off a flawless outing against Notre Dame in which he represented more than 400 total yards with three touchdowns; Fields was coming off a shaky performance against Northwestern in which he had made just 12 of 27 passes. Yet thanks to Fields’ monster performance and running back Trey Sermon’s 254 total yards, the Buckeyes beat Clemson 49- 28, the Tigers’ biggest loss since 2014. It seems possible that Ohio State was fueled by the decision of Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney to classify the state of Ohio. 11th in the final vote of his coaches.
Fields’ heroism is just the latest chapter in his ongoing rivalry with Lawrence. These two quarters have always been opposed and always will be. It was Lawrence vs. Fields in 2018, when Boy Scouts couldn’t agree on the country’s top high school rookie. (The 247Sports Composite Rank, which compiles a variety of recruiting service scores into one score, gave Lawrence a 0.9999 score and Fields a 0.9998 score.) It will be Lawrence vs. Fields in April, when the two should compete to be the best. choose from the NFL draft. (Lawrence seems virtually certain to go No.1.) The varsity part of their rivalry was lopsided for a while: Lawrence won the national title as a true freshman, while Fields languished on the bench at Georgia. (His Bulldogs tenure is best remembered for a hilarious fake punt; Georgia, who has been through quarterbacks this season, certainly wish she had held him back.) Fields transferred to Ohio State and played exceptionally well. – but threw in a rare and critical late interception in last season’s semi-final against Clemson.
But Fields probably just ended Lawrence’s college career with a staggering explosion. Coming in on Friday, the Clemson defense had 13 interceptions and only 11 passing touchdowns allowed in their first 11 games of the season. Then Fields picked the Tigers for six touchdowns, Tied for second in any bowl game. The fields had as many hits as they were incomplete. Ohio State racked up 639 yards on total offense, slightly more than the 631 Joe Burrow and LSU counted against Clemson in last year’s national title game. The Buckeyes are averaging 8.87 yards per play, a little less than the most Clemson has ever allowed in a game under Swinney. (Florida State had 8.89 yards per game in a 2012 game.)
Clemson kicked five times – and all five were followed by touchdowns from Ohio State. At one point, the Buckeyes had five straight 75-yard touchdowns, something no other team has done it in a game all season. Position on the pitch didn’t matter; Fields did.
Fields didn’t play like he normally does after the injury. He’s normally a dynamic runner and had 53 rushing yards by the time Skalski hit him. He actually lost yardage the rest of the way due to sacks, finishing with 42 rushing yards. But the Fields we’ve seen after the injury – a player who can take down one of the best defenses in the sport with just one side of his game – are the most impressive version of Fields we’ve ever seen.
Next up for the Buckeyes is Alabama, which will be Vegas’ favorite in the National Championship game. Bama recreated a season that ranks among the most dominant in the history of the sport. But given what Fields did on Friday, it’s clear the Buckeyes have a chance against anyone.
There’s probably something messed up inside Fields; a bone or organ may be in a place where it shouldn’t be. But there is also something about him that allowed him to perform at an incredibly high level even as he was in immense pain. His beautiful and horrible performance will live on in the tradition of college football forever.
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