Hold on with the Justin Fields for Heisman campaign ($$).
Of Fields’ 131 passing yards, 98 came on a touchdown pass to Binjimen Victor. Fields flashed his quickness and athleticism on a few zone reads, one of which went for a 5-yard touchdown. Other than that, there were a lot of batted balls, hesitation on throws, overthrows and everything else you’d expect from a sophomore who is going through his first spring at Ohio State.
The TD pass came against the third-string defense.
Because Fields was a former five-star prospect ranked higher than any recruit signed by Ohio State in the modern era of recruiting (since 2001), the expectation was that Fields was going to “save” a program that just lost one of the best quarterbacks to ever wear a Buckeyes uniform. Fields was supposed to walk into Columbus, get his NCAA hardship waiver approved and waltz into the season primed to break records. This was supposed to be a seamless transition.
That still may be the case. After leaving Georgia, Fields did come to Ohio State and earn immediate eligibility, but this spring was a reminder that he’s a sophomore with limited playing experience (he threw 39 passes last season for the Bulldogs).
Just a reminder that Fields was 18-of-33 passing for 207 yards with a TD in last year’s G-Day game.
Fields has a rocket arm and oozes athleticism, but he clearly was worried about throwing interceptions and he was off the mark quite a bit.
That’s the sound of massive expectations being adjusted. Maybe even Fields’.
“I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface,” Fields said. “If I had to grade myself out today, it would be like a C-plus. I am very hard on myself. I am kind of a perfectionist. I definitely see myself as having a bright future. … I know I can do better. I’ve done better in practice and of course there’s always room to improve. So I’m just going to go to work.”
C+ wouldn’t be enough to unseat Fromm, but with a wide-open field at Ohio State, maybe it will be enough there.
Get The Picture 