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2 B1G quarterbacks accomplished insane feat in 2020 debut

Spenser Davis

By Spenser Davis

Published:

The quarterback play across the Big Ten was extremely impressive during opening weekend.

That was especially true of Ohio State’s Justin Fields and Wisconsin’s Graham Mertz. Those two combined for seven touchdown passes and just two incompletions — it’s hard to get more efficient than that.

Fields matched his touchdowns to incompletions just one time last season. On Nov. 19, 2019, he completed 15-of-19 passes for four touchdowns against Rutgers.

Fields’ 2020 debut went just as expected. The Buckeyes rolled through Nebraska 52-17 as Fields dominated with both his arm and his legs. Even with a slightly shorter season than some other conferences, Fields should be on the Heisman Trophy radar again if he continues at this rate.

However, Mertz’s showcase was a bit more surprising. His five touchdown passes led the Badgers to a 45-7 victory over Illinois in the season opener. Mertz was stepping in as the backup for injured starting quarterback Jack Coan, but it’s hard to see him relinquishing the job after that kind of performance.

Mertz, who is an Overland Park, Kansas, native, even got a shoutout from Patrick Mahomes during the game:

https://twitter.com/PatrickMahomes/status/1319812149636698112

The Buckeyes will travel to Happy Valley to take on Penn State next week. Meanwhile, Mertz and the Badgers will face Nebraska in Lincoln on Saturday.

Spenser Davis

Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.