Ohio State's Justin Fields Has Heisman Platform at Nebraska

ESPN GameDay, National Spotlight Could Energize His Candidacy

Many a Presidential campaign has been launched in the Iowa Caucus, but for Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields' Heisman Trophy candidacy, it's the Nebraska kickoff that might pull the trigger.

19 touchdowns and counting for @OhioStateFB's Justin Fields 👏👏👏

Watch every TD from this season ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/vFDFiVmMsF

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 23, 2019

Fields has been better than anticipated for the fifth-ranked Buckeyes (4-0), and that's saying something considering he is the highest-rated recruit ever to play for OSU since the advent of the star-rating system in the early 2000s.

His 19 touchdowns (13 passing, 6 rushing) rank second in the nation entering a 7:30 p.m. Saturday against Nebraska (3-1), which gives Fields a chance for a a national stage on which Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit (ABC-TV) can boost his Heisman chances.

Even though he has the numbers, Fields hasn't the high-profile opponent or the preseason hype of other candidates mentioned more prominently.

ESPN's Week 5 Heisman Trophy Poll looks like this:

1. Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma
2. Tua Tungavailoa, QB, Alabama
3. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin
4. Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
5. Justin Fields, QB, OSU.

 "I know I came in here with kind of a mindset where I have to do all I can to be the best player I can be," Fields said. "So just seeing myself where I am right now, it's not surprising, but it's definitely... like, I guess, I don't know the word, but I'm just glad to be be in the place I am right now."

Fields' progress has surprised Ohio State's coaches 

OSU coach Ryan Day said last week that Fields is "light years ahead" of where the coaching staff anticipated, and that assessment came before Fields accounted for a school-record six touchdowns (4 passing, 2 rushing) in the second quarter of a 76-5 rout of Miami of Ohio.

"When somebody with that little experience comes into a situation like playing quarterback at Ohio State, there's just a lot of things that go on,” Day said. “There's a lot of things that he needs to handle, and so far he's handled them.” 

Justin Fields is the first player with 4 Pass TDs and 2 Rush TDs in the first half since Lamar Jackson in 2016 🔥

14/21 Comp/Att
259 Total Yards
6 Total TDs pic.twitter.com/2z0v4gqmrv

— ESPN (@espn) September 21, 2019

Fields' potential was never in question, but it's one thing to do it and high school and quite another to excel in college at the level Ohio State needs to be a viable national championship contender.

After all, while Fields played in 12 games at Georgia last fall, he completed 27 of 39 passes, mostly in garbage time.

As good as he's been, Fields can still improve

Mike Yurcich, OSU's quarterback coach and passing game coordinator, believes Fields is capable of even more than he's shown so far, but getting there is a daily grind.

"How can we help him become the best quarterback that he can be?," Yurcich said. "You know, we're not there yet, and the best part is, he knows that there's a lot of room to improve. So it's fun working with him. It's fun working with coach Day, and we just need to keep on the path that we're on, just be consistent in our approach on a day-to-day basis.”