Tag: Justin Fields

Ohio State beats Penn State, clinches Big Ten East, spot in Indy

The Ohio State football team made a lot of mistakes against Penn State, but were still able to win and clinch the Big Ten East.

It was billed as a big time game with a ton of things on the line. It was true, and now Ohio State gets the spoils of the victors.

With an unusual and quirky kind of 28-17 victory, the Buckeyes have clinched the Big Ten East, a spot in Indianapolis, and keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Perhaps for the first time, Ohio State faced some adversity. It turned the ball over more than it would have liked, had far too many penalties, but still won while not playing its best game against a top ten opponent.

Ohio State had more issues moving the ball than it has in previous games, but still managed to lead going into halftime 14-0 thanks to the running of running back J.K. Dobbins and Justin Fields.

Penn State pushed back though after OSU went up 21-0 early in the third quarter. A lot of it had to do with some charitable contributions from the Buckeye offense that ended up fumbling the ball three times.

Behind a backup quarterback, the Nittany Lions got as close as 21-17 before the OSU defense clamped down and wouldn’t allow much else going forward.

At the end of the day, it took a bunch of mistakes and things going against Ohio State for a top ten Penn State team to even be in the game. If that’s not the hallmark of a team worthy of a No. 1 ranking, what is?

Buckeyes uses tough defense, key running plays to lead 14-0 over Penn State at half

Ohio State and Penn State are in a slugfest, with Ohio State leading 14-0 at half thanks to a nasty defense and key rushing plays.

Ohio State looked like it was going to run away with things early on against Penn State, marching 91 yards on the opening drive for a touchdown. After a defensive stop, the Buckeyes drove down the field with ease looking to go up two touchdowns with what looked like a Justin Fields scamper into the end zone. However, after further review, the call was overturned as Fields fumbled before crossing the goal line.

After that the Buckeyes looked a sluggish and didn’t get the offense going again until late in the half, when JK Dobbins scored his second touchdown of the game putting the Bucks up 14-0.

The defense has looked stout thus far keeping the Nittany Lions on their heels, and held Penn State to 64 total yards and only four first downs.

Chase Young was credited with half a sack, which ties him with Vernon Gholston for the single season sack record.

Statistically Ohio State is dominating and feels like the lead should be larger than 14 points, out gaining Penn State by 191 yards.

JK Dobbins is leading the way with 94 rushing yards, while Justin Fields has added 74 of his own. Fields has also thrown for 108 yards on 10 of 14 completions.

Now it’s time to clamp things up in the second half. The history of this game says comebacks are — and almost will — happen.

 

 

 

Ohio State with three players named as Walter Camp semifinalists

The Walter Camp Award announced its twenty semifinalists Thursday and Ohio State has three players that made the cut.

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The Walter Camp Award narrowed its list down to twenty semifinalists Thursday. The award, similar to the Heisman and Maxwell, honors the best college football player annually and has been handed out since 1967.

Ohio State has some great representation, joining just Clemson with three players listed in the twenty announced today by the Walter Camp Foundation.

The three that made the cut are players you can probably guess. Quarterback Justin Fields, running back J.K. Dobbins, and defensive end Chase Young are all moving on with a shot at taking the hardware home.

Five finalists will be named on Dec. 5, and the winner will be announced on ESPN SportsCenter on Thursday, December 12.

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The only other Ohio State players to win the award were Archie Griffin in 1974 and ’75, Eddie George in 1995, and Troy Smith in 2006.

Ohio State vs. Penn State: 5 reasons the Buckeyes win

Ohio State and Penn State are set to square off in a top ten college football matchup in the Big Ten. Here’s why we think the Buckeyes win.

We’ve said this before, but now we really mean it. Everything up until now has been pointing to this very game. It’s No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Penn State and there’s a slew of things on the line. If the Buckeyes win, they clinch the outright Big Ten East title and an all-expenses paid trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game.

If Penn State wins, it will most likely get at least a share of the Big Ten East title because it plays a Rutgers team next week that’s still trying to figure out how to play American football. Couple that with owning the head-to-head tiebreaker over OSU, and it would be off to Indy even if the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines a week later.

Both keep a shot at the College Football Playoff alive with a win. Penn State would more or less be eliminated with a loss, and Ohio State would have to have some things break the right way for it to still be out front in the mix.

So who’s going to win this titanic struggle between lions and nuts? Here’s five reasons we believe the Buckeyes will walk out of the ‘Shoe victorious Saturday evening when all the shouting and athletic feats of endeavors end.

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Next … Downright offensive

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Watch: Aaron Murray says Jake Fromm’s experience could be difference maker if Georgia gets to CFP

Georgia football great Aaron Murray says that UGA QB Jake Fromm’s experience could be the difference maker if the Bulldogs get to the CFP.

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No moment is too big for Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm, who has played in two SEC Championships, a Rose Bowl and a national title game all in just his first two years.

Now, as Fromm’s third season is coming to an end, he will have a chance to play in at least one more huge game, the conference championship vs LSU in two weeks.

If Fromm is able to guide the Dawgs to a win in Atlanta over the Tigers, then Georgia, assuming it does not drop a regular season game to Texas A&M or Tech, will punch its ticket to another College Football Playoff.

If that scenario plays out, there’s one former Bulldog who thinks Fromm’s experience will be a huge factor in the postseason.

Aaron Murray, the SEC’s all-time leading passer in just about every possible category, discussed Fromm’s experience compared to LSU’s Joe Burrow, Ohio State’s Justin Fields and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, the players who they predict will fill the other three spots.

“Justin Fields has never played in a championship game, never played in the playoffs,” Murray said on he and Drew Butler’s college football show hosted by CampusLore. “Joe Burrow, never played in a championship game, never played in the playoffs. Trevor Lawrence, two games. Played in the playoffs last year and then he won the national championship.

Jake Fromm has played in multiple SEC Championship Games, played in a national championship game, played in playoff games.

He has more experience than all these guys combined,”

Murray went on to talk about why that experiences is so important, pointing to the fact that’s just a different type of game.

“It’s a big stage, man. These playoff games are not a regular season game. It’s not a game at home, it’s not a rivalry game. Everyone in the country’s watching this.”

In Fromm’s two SEC Championship appearances, he is 41/61 for 484 yards and five touchdowns. In the College Football Playoff two seasons ago, Fromm went 36/61 for 442 yards and three touchdowns.

WATCH: Former Ohio State QB JT Barret discusses Justin Fields’ Heisman chances

Former Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett sat down with CampusLore and discussed the chances of Justin Fields still winning the Heisman.

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There’s not too many former Ohio State players that bleed scarlet and gray more than former quarterback J.T. Barrett. He’s still an all-time favorite of many Buckeye fans, and despite an NFL career that’s yet to come to much fruition, he was about as tough and fiery as they come when he played in Columbus.

In fact, there are a handful of players that had — and still do — a special relationship with Urban Meyer, and he’s one of them.

So, when Barret speaks on all things Ohio State, most of Buckeye nation like to listen to what he has to say. In that case, we’ve got something to point to.

While being interviewed by former Georgia Quarterback Aaron Murray, now with CampusLore, Barrett was asked about the Heisman chances of current Ohio Stat quarterback Justin Fields. Barrett acknowledges that LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is the likely favorite right now, but compliments Fields and believes he’s right there to make a late push if Burrow were to falter.

“I think his ability to just throw the football on time, the things they have set up, the plays they have involved, a great group of receivers they have, said Barrett. “It’s been really great for them. Attacking defenses, whether it be his legs, or like I said throwing the football on time. So, it’s been very tough for defenses to stop him. I think you’re right with saying that I think Joe Burrow right now is the Heisman guy, but then Justin Fields if he continues doing what he’s been doing, he’ll be that next guy up.”

If you remember, Barrett himself flirted with the Heisman Trophy back in 2014 and might have won the thing if not for an injury against Michigan that took him out of the magical run towards a national championship.

For now, any kind of Heisman campaign will live and die by what happens against Penn State on Saturday for Fields. But Barrett and others still believe it’s possible. Just win and the rest will take care of itself.

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Justin Fields’ mother, high school coach come clean on decommitment from Penn State

When Justin Fields first exploded on to the scene, he committed to Penn State. Six months later, he changed his mind. What happened? His mother and coach weighed in.

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields has come a very long way in two calendar years. In his second collegiate season at his second school, Fields is an outside Heisman Trophy candidate. Two years ago he was wrapping up his career as a high school phenom at Harrison High School (Kennesaw, Ga.).

Fields first committed to Penn State. The Nittany Lions were one of the first prominent Power 5 programs to chase Fields following a breakout 10th grade campaign, and he felt a bond with then-Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead. Despite the geographic distance from Georgia to Happy Valley, Penn State felt like a fit.

So what happened to convince Fields to head instead to Athens, Ga.? The Cleveland Plain Dealer connected with Fields’ mother and his high school coach, Matt Dickmann, to get to the bottom of his decision.

The first major driver of his decision? Concern about Moorhead’s longterm future.

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“His offensive mind for me was like, OK, you can excel under this coaching” Fields’ mother Gina Tovey told the Plain Dealer. “But we knew how good he was, and we read that he was a target for a head coaching job. As much as he said, ‘No, no, I’m not going to do it, we were like, I think it’s coming sooner rather than later, and then we don’t know what what we have.

“So that was one of the deciding factors as far as decommitting goes.”

The other major factor? A sudden tsunami of interest from the nation’s other major programs. In the end he picked Georgia, the SEC power next door, though his inability (or Georgia coach Kirby Smart’s unwillingness) to unseat Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm precipitated Fields’ offseason transfer to Ohio State.

That has in turn brought him full circle, to an Ohio State-Penn State where he’s suddenly lining up on an opposite sideline than he expected.

“I think coach Franklin’s a good coach, and I had a great relationship with coach Moorhead,” Fields told the media after a 56-21 victory at Rutgers. “I know a good amount of the (players), so just have having those relationships. I still talked to a few of them. They’re all great guys over there.”

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Watch what Penn State head coach James Franklin said about Ohio State ahead of the game Saturday

Penn State head coach James Franklin met with the media during his weekly press conference to preview Ohio State. Find out what he said.

Ohio State is all set to host a top ten Penn State team this Saturday in Columbus. It’s the biggest game to date with a ton on the line. If the Buckeyes can win, they will clinch the Big Ten East Division and keep things between the guardrails for a Big Ten Championship and appearance in the College Football Playoff.

There’s no doubt Nittany Lion head coach James Franklin knows the challenge ahead of his team as it prepares to game plan and find a way to knock off perhaps the most dominant and complete team in the country.

But under Franklin, the last three games between the two have been decided by five total points, so if anyone program has the confidence and ability to pull of the upset, it’s the Penn State program.

He made himself available to the media Tuesday to preview the game and we have all of those comments for you thanks to the Penn State Football Facebook page.

Click on the below and listen to Franklin rattle off several Ohio State players that jump out on film, talk about the injury status of star wide-receiver K.J. Hamler, his relationship with Ryan Day, and more. He, like many, had some very complimentary things to say about this Buckeye team — calling it perhaps the best he’s seen on tape since he’s been at Penn State.

As a warning though, if you know anything about Franklin, he does like to hear himself talk. There’s some good stuff in here though.

https://www.facebook.com/PSUFball/videos/730634534124758/

 

WATCH: All 41 touchdowns from superstar Ohio State QB Justin Fields

The Ohio State football team has raced out to a dominant 10-0 start behind the excellence play of Justin Fields. Watch all his TDs here.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have been nothing short of impressive this season. They’re the No. 2 ranked team in the nation and are in a perfect position to win out.

They’ve been absolutely dominant against every opponent because of their disruptive defense and potent offense. That offense has been led by quarterback Justin Fields, who transferred to Ohio State after a season in Georgia.

A Heisman candidate, Fields, through his first ten games for Ohio State, has 41 touchdowns — 10 on the ground and 31 through the air.

With over 2,100 yards passing and another 370-plus on the ground, Fields could go down as the Buckeyes best dual-threat quarterback in the program’s illustrious history.

With that in mind ahead of the Penn State game, we’re feeling a little sentimental. In case you missed any of those scores, or just want to re-live them all, let’s take a look at all 41 touchdowns by Fields courtesy of a video shared on Twitter by The Buckeye Nut.

The Buckeyes need Fields to continue this type of dominance as their next three outings may be the team’s most challenging yet. They’ll be taking on Penn State, Michigan and then either a likely Wisconsin or Minnesota in the B1G Ten Championship Game.

From what we’ve seen of Fields, don’t expect him to slow down against a tough defense. After all, he did put three touchdowns on Wisconsin who had the best defense in the nation at the time.

Ohio State vs. Penn State 2019 football Preview And Prediction

Ohio State is all set to host a big one against a top ten Penn State squad on Saturday and we’ve got your preview and prediction.

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Records

Ohio State (10-0), Penn State (9-1)

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Saturday, November 23
Game Time: Noon ET
Network: FOX
Venue: Ohio Stadium – Capacity: 104,944
All-Time Series: Ohio State leads 19-14
Last Meeting: Ohio State defeated Penn State 27-26 in 2018

All the games matter, it’s what makes college football so special, but some games matter just a little more. For Ohio State, it’s been business as usual for the first ten games of the season, but now the real fun begins.

Penn State comes to town on Saturday for another highly touted matchup which will basically decide the Big Ten East champion. With a win, the Buckeyes clinch the division crown. Should the Nittany Lions pull the upset,  they’d still need to take care of Rutgers in the season finale which wouldn’t be much of a problem.

Penn State has become somewhat of a secondary rivalry to TTUN and has provided much more drama in the past few seasons than the Maize and Blue. In 2016, it was PSU pulling the upset with a blocked field goal in the final moments of the game. The 2017 and 2018 editions saw two of the most epic comebacks in Buckeye history.

The stakes are high once again this year. So much so, ESPN’s College Game Day will be in town, along with FOX’s Big Noon Kick crew and BTN’s Tailgate pregame show. You know something special is in the air when all three converge on the same scene.

Will the Buckeye’s finally be tested or steamroll another opponent on their way to the College Football Playoff? Let’s take a closer look.

Next … The game plan

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