Justin Fields: Ohio State star expects thumb 'will be good by Friday night'

COLUMBUS — Justin Fields didn’t leave any doubt about his status.

The Ohio State quarterback expects to play, and that’s all he’s going to reveal about his injured thumb.

There may still be looming questions about just how close to full strength the Buckeyes superstar will be in the Sugar Bowl rematch against Clemson on New Year’s Day, which is yet another callback to the uncertainty that swirled around his health in the buildup to the College Football Playoff last season. But Fields and the rest of the Buckeyes who previewed the semifinal showdown on Monday afternoon after practice made clear that he’s preparing at a high level for his shot at redemption against the Tigers.

“I’ll be good by Friday night,” Fields said. “[Ready] to play.”

Fields got in a little bit of trouble with the coaching staff for revealing too much information about his status last year, so it’s not a surprise that he would be tight-lipped about the sprain he suffered late in the Big Ten title win over Northwestern. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day also doesn’t address specifics about injury, so he also didn’t add anything else beyond indicating again that Fields would be “fine” to take on Clemson.

Beyond his thumb, though, Fields is under the microscope for Ohio State after the first real rough patch of his career with the program after throwing five interceptions in the last three games. The Buckeyes obviously won all three of those outings and Fields only has one career loss on his resumé, but he’s generally graded on a higher standard because he’s proven himself to be a truly elite quarterback.

“Well, I think the first thing is you just have to win the game,” Day said. “I think one thing that happens a little bit at Ohio State is that people want you to win a certain way here. And I think sometimes that’s a little dangerous.

“But right now, there’s only one goal: Win the game. It doesn’t matter if you win 6‑3. Doesn’t matter if you win 52‑51. Just win the game. I think that has to be the approach, not: ‘We’re going to beat a team by 28 points, we’re going to throw for 500 yards and be on the Heisman trophy watch or whatever.’ It’s win the game. If you win the game, you move on. That’s what matters. So I think that’s the focus.”

Fields is always the primary focus from the outside, though, with his program-changing potential always front and center in evaluating the national-title chances for the Buckeyes.

Once again he’s got Ohio State in position to chase one in the College Football Playoff. But those turnovers and a bit of inaccuracy in his last outing are both uncharacteristic for a passer who blossomed into a Heisman Trophy finalist in his first year as a starter primarily because he rarely made mistakes with the football.

Fields has obviously still been invaluable for the Buckeyes, but he’s also been critical of his performance and is aware he’ll need to be sharper against an opponent as talented as Clemson.

“To be honest, I feel like everything happens for a reason,” Fields said. “I think with what happened in those games and me maybe not playing as well as I wanted to, maybe God was sending me a message that I need to do more and work harder. So, that’s kind of how I’m looking at it. I’m looking at it as a challenge.

“I mean, for this game I’ve been preparing my butt off. I haven’t prepared like this the whole season. … I’m not necessarily mad about the way I played. Of course I was mad after the game, but now I’m just motivated.”

The underdog Buckeyes will obviously need Justin Fields on the field to finish the deal against Clemson this time.

And he made clear that’s exactly where he’ll be on Friday night.

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