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ESPN’s Desmond Howard discusses concerns, potential impact of Justin Fields’ knee injury
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Justin Fields has been sensational in his first season as a starter, finishing as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy while leading Ohio State to an undefeated season.
Fields is one of the true dual-threat weapons in the country with the ability to run through the tackles or make men miss while also posting strong numbers as a passer. Unfortunately, there remain some questions about the status of his knee which he injured earlier in the season.
During Tuesday’s media availability, Fields admitted his knee was not quite at 100%. He remained hopeful that his knee would be at full strength for Saturday’s game and his plan is to wear the smaller of the two braces at his disposal.
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During Friday’s SportsCenter, College GameDay cohost Desmond Howard addressed the impact and concerns he has for Ohio State’s offense if Fields’ mobility is impacted:
“It’s a big concern because don’t forget: Justin Fields is one of the premier dual-threat QBs in all of college football, so he relies a lot on his mobility,” said Howard. “One thing that he does extremely well is when he’s in the pocket, he does a really good job of maneuvering in the pocket but keeping his eyes down the field to survey coverages and make sure he hits the wideout. He can get out of pressure because of his mobility, and don’t forget: with J.K. Dobbins, they have a dual-threat running attack at Ohio State.”
Facing a tough defense, Howard touched on Fields’ impact in the rushing game for Ohio State. Howard cited the Penn State game and the running usage of Fields as an important aspect of the offense for the Buckeyes:
“Remember the Penn State game, when their offense couldn’t get moving? What Ryan Day did is he dialed up QB runs, and that jumpstarted the offense,” said Day. “If he’s limited with his mobility, that’s a big hit for Ohio State’s offense.”
It should be noted that Fields was able to play in the B1G Championship against Wisconsin. However, it did take the offense a while to get moving with Fields limited in the rushing attack. He did complete 19-of-31 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns, but he will likely need to be even better against Clemson.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.