Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields finally got to feel what it’s like to play four quarters in a college football game. It didn’t look that way early on with Ohio State getting out to a 21-0 lead early in the third quarter, but some mistakes allowed Penn State back in the game.
So, Fields stayed in to finish the deal and lead the Buckeyes to a hard fought and resilient 28-17 win in front of a sold out Ohio Stadium crowd.
It wasn’t without a scare though. That same crowd that was noisy and boisterous all day became as quiet as over 100,000 fans can when Fields went down in a heap after a hard tackle by Penn State late in the game. At the time, the Buckeyes were leading 28-17 and went for it on 4th and five with just 2:17 remaining in the game.
The crowd came to its senses once again with applause when Fields sprung up and jogged a little under his own power. This all after being checked on by the medical staff for a couple of minutes with some pretty astronomical goals still hanging in the balance.
After the game, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was asked about the injury and how Fields is doing. It should also be noted that the Buckeye signal-caller did come back into the game to take the final knee.
Day said that Fields was “good,” and went on to equate him to a warrior and said he had “a heart of a lion.”
More like ripped the heart of a (Penn State) lion out.
Ohio State can ill-afford to lose Fields if it has designs of continuing this special journey the team has been on. Not when a trip to Ann Arbor, Indianapolis and beyond is next along the way.
Sorry Michigan fans, it looks like No. 1 will be slinging it around next week in the Big House.
