Tag: Justin Fields

Ohio State vs. Clemson 2019 Fiesta Bowl Preview And Prediction

We’ve got all you need to know, including a prediction for the matchup between Ohio State and Clemson in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl.

Records

Ohio State (13-0), Clemson (13-0)

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Saturday, December 28
Game Time: 8pm ET
Network: ESPN
Venue: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ – Capacity: 63,400
All-Time Series: Clemson leads 3-0
Last Meeting: Clemson defeated Ohio State 31-0 in 2016 CFP Semi-Finals

It’s finally playoff time Buckeye fans! After the committee decided that LSU was more deserving of the No. 1 ranking, Clemson will be waiting in the desert.

This will be the biggest test Ohio State has faced all year. Yes, Clemson has not looked great, played in a weak ACC, and almost lost to North Carolina, but it has something the Buckeye players and coaching staff doesn’t have… playoff experience.

Having experience in these types of situations is huge. But there are also a lot of other factors. When the spotlight is brightest, who will be able to stay composed and make the necessary plays?

Next … The game plan

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Seven Ohio State football players named to AP All-American teams

Ohio State football had a nation-leading seven players named to the Associate Press All-American teams Monday.

Ohio State had a nation-leading seven players named to the Associated Press All-American teams Monday. Three players — Chase Young, Jeff Okudah and Wyatt Davis, led the way on the first team, while Justin Fields and J.K. Dobbins earned second-team honors. Not to be forgotten, both Jonah Jackson and Malik Harrison were named to the third-team.

It’s been stated several times, but Young leads the country with 16.5 sacks and was also a finalist for the Heisman Trophy along with Justin Fields. Young also made the Big Ten first-team, and was named the Defensive Lineman and Defensive Player of the Year in the league.

Okudah was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award and is projected to go high in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft along with the aforementioned Young. He is a lock-down corner that can come up in run support.

Fields and Dobbins have also received All Big-Ten notoriety and were also up for national awards.

Justin Fields VERY early Heisman favorite for 2020

According to the online betting website SportsLine ,Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is the early favorite to win the 2020 Heisman.

Not that these things always pan out (Trevor Lawrence anyone), but we’ve got the very, very early odds on the favorites for the Heisman Trophy in 2020. Of course it didn’t take long. These online betting sites like to roll thes things out there as soon as they can to get the buzz going.

But hey, Buckeye fans will love who’s on top.

According to SportsLine, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is the early favorite to win the Heisman Trophy at this time next year. Behind him is Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, and Auburn quarterback Bo Nix.

If your interested beyond that, below includes the top nine according to the online betting site.

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Justin Fields as the favorite definitely makes sense. He’ll have had another year of seasoning in an offensive system tailored to his skill-set, and with key departures, the coaching staff might need to rely on him a bit more with both his arm and running ability.

We’ll check in on these odds routinely, but for now, it’s all just fun to talk about. I mean, who had Joe Burrow winning the thing at the beginning of this year?

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Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields releases video congratulating Joe Burrow on winning Heisman

Former Ohio State quarterback Joe Burrow has won the Heisman. Current OSU quarterback Justin Fields took time to publicly congratulate him.

It only took a Big Ten player transferring to an SEC school, and an SEC player transferring to a Big Ten school to bring the North and South together again. Well, maybe just the SEC and Big Ten, but you catch my drift.

Perhaps no conferences like to fight for football supremacy more than the Big Ten and SEC. There are barbs in the media, stereotypes that have gone wild, and my SEC dad can beat up your Big Ten dad type of hot takes almost yearly that are a little over the top. Some might even say uneducated and a bit ridiculous.

But don’t tell that to Joe Burrow and Justin Fields. Both have been very gracious to each other through this whole Heisman parade, and just last night, after Burrow won the Heisman as expected, Fields took the time to congratulate him publicly.

You can watch the below shared to the official Twitter feed of Ohio State Football.

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Maybe there’s hope for the country yet. Maybe these two can now work on the Democrats and Republicans. Now go win that Heisman in 2020.

Ohio State ends up with three of the top six in Heisman voting

When all the votes were tallied, Ohio State football had three of the top six players in the official Heisman voting.

By now you know that Joe Burrow won the 2019 Heisman Trophy in a landslide. You also know that Justin Fields and Chase Young were also somewhere in the top four because they were a part of the four invited to New York for the ceremony as finalists.

What we didn’t know is how close the votes were, and just where running back J.K. Dobbins landed in all the brouhaha across the country when the votes were tabulated.

Until now.

Many have shared the vote tallys and we can now see that the Buckeyes had three of the top six vote getters when it came to the official Heisman ballot counting for 2019. Thanks to Austin Ward of Lettermen Row for sharing the official results below.

Burrow won easily, and clustered together fairly closely were Jalen Hurts of Oklahoma in 2nd place, Justin Fields in 3rd place, then Chase Young in 4th overall. But scroll down two more and you see Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor, followed by Dobbins in 6th place.

That makes three of the top six in Heisman voting when all is said and done that are Ohio State players. And yeah, if you want to add in Joe Burrow who got his baseline development from Ryan Day at OSU and is technically a gradate of The Ohio State University, that’s not a bad day at all for the program.

Now, let’s focus on this whole College Playoff thing shall we?

Five Ohio State players named to Walter Camp All-American Team

Ohio State landed a nation-leading five players on the Walter Camp All-American teams.

Ohio State players may be missing out on some of the bigger awards as college football parades its annual circuit of trophies and recognition around the country, but there sure has been no shortage of Buckeye players in the running.

And as it relates to All-American and All-Big Ten teams, OSU has had its fair share of players get recognized. We’ve already seen a slew of Buckeye players make the Big Ten’s list of All-Conference performers, and now we’ve got more on a national scale.

That’s right. Several Ohio State players have landed on the prestigious Walter Camp All-American teams.

Defensive end Chase Young added to his already impressive list of notoriety and awards by being named to the First Team along with cornerback Jeff Okudah. But three more players also made the Second Team which is also nothing to sneeze at.

Quarterback Justin Fields, running back J.K. Dobbins, and right guard Wyatt Davis all made the second team. That gives OSU five Walter Camp All-American selections which leads all programs including the likes of those that like to drink sweet tea and eat grits and crawfish.

Congratulations to these five. And remember, a First Team selection gets Young and Okudah a tree in Buckeye Grove.

2019 Heisman Trophy: NFL draft projections for all 4 finalists

See how this year’s Heisman Trophy finalists project as NFL draft prospects

The 2019 college football regular season has come to a close, and it was certainly one for the record books.

From the dominance of transfer quarterbacks to the unpredictable nature that was the playoff race, this season brought entertaining action from start to finish. As bowl season starts to kick off, so have discussions surrounding the Heisman Trophy.

With four talented finalists to choose from, this year’s group features players who all have high ceilings at the professional level. Let’s take a look at the projections for where all four of them will be selected in the NFL draft.

Joe Burrow | QB | LSU

Seen by many as the frontrunner to win the Heisman Trophy, Burrow used the 2019 season as his launching pad into becoming a household name across the country.

He made incredible strides this season, and those strides lead to result. Leading LSU to a 13-0 record, Burrow threw for 4,715 passing yards, 48 touchdowns and 6 interceptions while completing 77.9 percent of his passes and notching a 93.7 passer rating. His passing touchdowns and completion percentage both finished first in the nation, while his passing yard totals finished in second.

Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Burrow is an intelligent and accurate quarterback who throws with stellar anticipation and consistently leads his receivers with his throws. His poise in the pocket is second to none in this class, and he is able to read the defense to make the best possible decision on a regular basis. He also carries a good frame at 6-foot-4 and 216 pounds. With Tua Tagovailoa’s hip injury affecting the Alabama quarterback’s stock, Burrow should be the first quarterback selected in this year’s class, which will likely make him the first overall pick.

Projection: No. 1

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A case for and against each 2019 Heisman Trophy finalist

Joe Burrow vs. Jalen Hurts vs. Justin Fields vs. Chase Young.

Welcome to Before The Snap, For The Win’s college football show where we’ll break down the sport’s trending storylines, examine each week’s biggest matchups and track the College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.

Well, after months of speculation, we finally have our 2019 Heisman Trophy finalists: LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts and a pair of Ohio State players in quarterback Justin Fields and defensive end Chase Young. They all play for teams in the College Football Playoff this year as well.

All four finalists are invited to the Heisman ceremony in New York on Saturday, when one of them will be named the most outstanding player this season in college football. There are 927 total eligible voters: 870 media members, 56 past Heisman winners and one fan vote.

Joe Burrow, LSU quarterback, fifth-year senior

His best stat this season, by far, is his nation-leading 77.9 completion percentage, and that number actually increases slightly to 78.6 percent against top-25 teams, which is outrageous. He’s also second in the country with 4,715 passing yards, and he’s thrown 48 touchdowns compared with just six interceptions. He’s a huge favorite to win the Heisman, and the only conceivable reason why he might not is because his rushing stats don’t compare with the other two QBs (289 yards, three TDs).

But Burrow is a huge reason why the Tigers’ offense has been unstoppable this season and is averaging 554.3 yards per game (No. 1 nationally). Since his first season with LSU in 2018 after transferring from Ohio State, he’s dramatically improved in several areas. Not only is his completion percentage up more than 20 points from last season, but he’s also thrown 32 more touchdowns this year. He has up to two more games to pad his stats and increase his chance of being the No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick.

Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma quarterback, fourth-year senior

After transferring from Alabama, Hurts has flourished in Oklahoma’s system, showing off his arm as while continuing his dominance on the ground. His 71.8 completion percentage ranks fourth in the country, and he’s sixth with 3,634 passing yards with 32 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions.

But unsurprisingly, his rushing stats are just as impressive, as he’s been the Sooners’ leader on the ground all season. He has 1,255 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, which rank him 20th and seventh, respectively, among running backs. (The only quarterback with better rushing stats is Navy’s Malcolm Perry in a very run-heavy offense.) However, his occasional struggles holding onto the ball could keep Hurts from being Oklahoma’s third straight Heisman winner.

Justin Fields, Ohio State quarterback, sophomore

Another transfer quarterback, Fields left Georgia to join the Buckeyes and first-year coach Ryan Day, and because of that, there were some early questions about how they could handle the changes. Just fine is the answer there. Fields has a 67.5 completion percentage (No. 16 nationally) and has thrown for 2,953 yards (No. 26). He also has 40 touchdowns compared with just one (1!) interception, and he’s thrown at least two touchdown passes in every game this season. On five occasions, he threw four.

He’s also a mobile quarterback, but not quite like Hurts. He had 471 rushing yards so far and 10 rushing touchdowns. His stats would probably be more impressive if Ohio State didn’t have a powerhouse running back in J.K. Dobbins, who had an outside shot at being the Buckeyes’ third Heisman finalist. It’s a double-edged sword because while they combined to have one of the best offenses in the country, sharing snaps hurt their individual stats.

Chase Young, Ohio State defensive end, junior

Young is an absolute monster who should terrify any quarterback on the same field as him. He leads the nation with 16.5 sacks for 117 yards while adding 44 total tackles, 31 of them solo. He probably could have hit at least 20 sacks, had the NCAA not suspended him for two games (Maryland and Rutgers), and it’s not clear whether Heisman voters will hold not playing a full season against him.

Also possibly hindering his campaign to be the first defensive player to win the Heisman since 1997 and only second overall is the fact that he recorded no sacks against Michigan in Ohio State’s regular-season finale or against Wisconsin in the Buckeyes’ Big Ten championship game. (However, the Badgers were triple-teaming him.) The odds were already stacked against him because the award has almost always gone to an offensive player — and a quarterback in the last couple decades — so a stronger finish likely would have helped.

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Ohio State Football makes history with first program with one offensive and one defensive Heisman finalist

It’s not that the Buckeyes just have two finalists, but that they’re the only team in NCAA history with one on both sides of the ball.

It’s not that the Ohio State Buckeyes just have two Heisman finalists, but that they’re the only team in NCAA history with one on both sides of the ball.

Defensively, it was Bronko Nagurski Award winner Chase Young as the nation’s best defender. He was also nominated as the only defensive Heisman finalist, and one of just a few in the history of the award.

Although missing regular-season games, both dominant wins for Ohio State, Young set the university’s single-season sack record. The 6-foot-5 defensive end has a nation-leading 16.5 sacks on the season. He totaled 21 tackles for loss this on the year.

On the other side of the ball, it was star sophomore Justin Fields. He also already has accolades to his name, being dubbed the Offensive Player of the Year for the Big Ten.

Fields, who transferred to Ohio State this season, totaled 40 touchdowns with just one interception. A 40:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio is unheard of and one of many arguments on his Heisman resume.

Adding ten touchdowns and over 470 yards on the ground, Fields has led Ohio State as one of college football’s best dual-threat quarterbacks. But, his toughest matchups are still to come.

The duo has led Ohio State to a perfect 13-0 record, entering the College Football Playoffs as one of three undefeated teams remaining. The Buckeyes will be taking on Clemson in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl on December 28.

As for the Heisman Trophy, it will be awarded in New York City on Saturday, December 14, exactly two weeks before Ohio State’s semifinal game.

Ohio State’s Justin Fields, Chase Young named Heisman finalists

Justin Fields and Chase Young have been named Heisman finalists and will represent Ohio State in New York.

For the first time in its illustrious history, Ohio State will have two players going to New York as Heisman finalists. Both quarterback Justin Fields and defensive end Chase Young were announced as two of four finalists Monday. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts will be joining them.

Fields has far exceeded expectations as a undergraduate transfer from Georgia. He has accounted for 50 total touchdowns this year — 40 through air, and ten on the ground — to be the first ever in the Big Ten to accomplish that feat.

Young’s Heisman campaign started to gain some serious steam when he had a game for the ages against Wisconsin in late October. Despite sitting out two games after that, he still led the nation in sacks and was a disruptive force for an Ohio State defense that is one of the best in the country.

The inclusion of the two Buckeye players is the first time two teammates from the same team have been invited to the ceremony as finalists since Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart both went in 2005.

The Heisman will be handed out December 14th at 8PM on ESPN. It’s assumed that Joe Burrow will run away with the award, but it’s still more significant notoriety for an Ohio State program that has had a truly outstanding season.