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Justin Fields hoping to be at full strength for Fiesta Bowl

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Justin Fields has been one of the best quarterbacks in college football this season. His first season as a starter has gone about as well as anyone could’ve expected.

His dual-threat ability, excellent decision making and talent to make any throw on the field has helped Ohio State become one of the most effective offensive teams this year. But there are concerns about Fields heading into the Fiesta Bowl matchup against Clemson on Saturday.

Fields has been battling an injured knee, something that bothered him at times throughout the year, but were magnified in the final two weeks of the season. The sophomore quarterback sustained a knee injury against Michigan in the second half, but still returned to game and finished off the Wolverines. A week later, a played for a B1G title and helped lead the Buckeyes past Wisconsin.

With that injured knee, though, Fields didn’t have the same mobility he possessed earlier in the year. And against a tough Clemson defense, that could be a problem for the Buckeyes if he’s not at full strength.

A few days remain until Ohio State and Clemson kick things off, and the quarterback admits he’s not quite back to 100 percent just yet. On Tuesday, Fields told reporters he’s at about “80 to 85 percent” healthy, but is hoping to be at full strength by game time on Saturday.

Fields also said he plans to wear the smaller knee brace for the Fiesta Bowl, which should also help his mobility if he needs to run in the game.

This season, Fields threw for 2,953 yards and 40 touchdowns with just one interception in 13 games. He also added 471 yards and 10 scores on the ground for the Buckeyes.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB