Can Corey Fields Bounce Back After A Poor MEAC/SWAC Challenge Performance?

After a terrible performance against Jackson State, the South Carolina State quarterback faces an uphill battle going forward.

Saturday could not have gone any worse for Corey Fields.

The South Carolina State quarterback performed abysmal against Jackson State in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge. Officially, he finished 5-for-16 for 59 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. But the touchdown, albeit a beautiful throw, came with less than 30 seconds in the game with no chance of a comeback. 

Not to mention, it was after Fields was pulled in favor of Andre Washington and then ultimately placed back in for the game's last drive.

After only gaining six yards on their first three drives, the offense started to move after taking the ball out of Fields' hands and focusing on the running game, which included a trio of redshirt freshmen.

It was opposite the expectations many had for Fields. a graduate signal-caller who many believed would resemble more of his 2021 self that led South Carolina State to a Celebration Bowl victory. Instead, all eyes were on new Jackson State quarterback Jason Brown, who put on a record-setting performance in his debut.

Coach Buddy Pough was asked about Feilds' struggles during the MEAC weekly coaches call and said it concerned him.

"We need to try to work on his accuracy," Pough said. "We definitely have enough pieces in place to be more effective than we were in the game on Saturday. We've got a week not to try and hone in on some of his ineffectiveness.

"We are going to get him going at a higher rate of pace this week."

Accuracy was a clear issue for Fields early on, overthrowing his receivers by a wide margin on the first drive. On deep passes, his throws were often short, and his one interception was put on a platter for the Tigers' Tim Steward. 

You could see the skill in the completions, hitting receivers on timely routes near the sideline and throwing a dart to Justin Smith-Brown in tight coverage. But those throws were few and far in between.

Even with adjusting to a new offensive coordinator in Kevin Magouirk and the play of the Jackson State defense, no one expected a quarterback at his experience level to look so inept. Hopefully, the touchdown at the end provides some momentum to build with because if this is the Corey Fields of 2023, Pough's farewell season will be long.