Oklahoma State Freshman Rodney Fields Jr. is Primed for More Carries
The Oklahoma State Cowboys had a heartbreaking 38-35 last-second loss to the undefeated BYU Cougars on Friday night, leaving many fans of Cowboy football pondering the future. It is an Oklahoma State football team that has been decimated by injuries this season, but there were glimmers of hope for the future in the hard-fought battle with the Big 12 powerhouse Cougars.
With the 0-4 start to the Big 12 schedule and only five games remaining in the regular season, at what point will the Cowboys cut their losses this season and turn their eyes toward the future?
Is Rodney Fields Jr. the future of the Cowboys’ run game?
Ollie Gordon II played a phenomenal football game with 107 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in the narrow loss to BYU. At some point, we have to come to the conclusion that Gordon is playing on borrowed time. He was obviously fighting through an injury late in the football game and with his high NFL draft stock, Gordon may pump the brakes for the remainder of 2024.
With Gordon nursing an injury against BYU, true freshman Rodney Fields Jr. made his Oklahoma State debut. Fields rattled off a 22-yard run early and finished the night with 38 yards on eight carries. He converted a crucial fourth downplay in the fourth period in which the Cowboys would score the eventual go-ahead touchdown.
What an effort from Rodney Fields Jr. for the first down 💪 pic.twitter.com/pRwYft1wkq
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 19, 2024
Fields lists the small southeast Oklahoma lumber community of Wright City as his hometown, but he played his senior season for Del City. He finished his high school career with 3,100 rushing yards, 1,000 receiving yards and 54 total touchdowns.
If the coaching staff decides to protect the career of Ollie Gordon II moving forward, then Rodney Fields Jr. is a viable option to close out the remainder of the Big 12 season in preparation for 2025.
Fields (5-foot-8, 185 pounds) is undersized compared to Gordon (6-foot-2, 225 pounds), but what he lacks in size, he makes up for in heart. In his first collegiate carry on Friday night, Fields lowered his shoulder and met the stout BYU defense head-on. He followed it up with a 22-yard carry and later converted a crucial fourth and short.
Rodney Fields Jr. may have Wright City Lumberjax blood coursing through his veins, but by the end of his collegiate career, Fields has all the tools to be mentioned among the running back greats who have called Oklahoma State University home.
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Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.