GLENDALE, Arizona — Is there any sport Justin Fields isn’t good at?
Before he became a 5-star recruit as a quarterback Ohio State’s Fields was a very good baseball player.
When he was in high school, he told the now defunct website SEC Country that he was going to play football in college but might play college baseball “my second or third year just to keep my skill set up.”
Apparently he hasn’t completely discarded the idea of playing college baseball despite his success as a quarterback at OSU.
“I played baseball my whole life. My first year of not playing baseball was my senior year. I might pick up baseball again, we’ll see about that,” Fields said during Fiesta Bowl media day on Thursday.
Fields played shortstop in high school in Kennesaw, Ga. He said his baseball background “helps a lot in football.”
“Making those throws on the run at shortstop, going to my right and left and making those throws, that helped me a lot,” he said.
Also on media day, Ohio State quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich told about taking Fields on a golf course for the first time.
Fields impressed his coach. “At the point of contact … boom,” Yurcich said. Fields also drove the green on a short par four hole.
DOBBINS SETS RECORD: J.K. Dobbins came into Saturday’s game needing 99 yards to break Eddie George’s single season record of 1,927 yards. He got the record before the first quarter was over with 141 yards on six carries, including a 68-yard touchdown run and a 64-yard run.
OSU TURNS TABLES ON CLEMSON: Clemson had outscored its first 13 opponents by a combined score of 170-17 in the first quarter before Ohio State took a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter Saturday night.
The Tigers had been held scoreless in the first quarter twice earlier this season, though. Texas A&M and North Carolina also did it.
DROUGHT ENDS: Blake Haubeil’s field goal in the first quarter produced the first points by a Big Ten team in a College Football Playoff game since Ohio State’s 42-20 win over Oregon in the championship game at the end of the 2014 season.
In the two CFP games involving Big Ten teams since then Clemson shut out OSU 31-0 in 2016 and Alabama shut out Michigan State 38-0 in 2015 in semifinal games.
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY OFFENSE: Going into Saturday night’s game, Ohio State had thrown 129 touchdown passes in the three years Ryan Day has been on the coaching staff.
In Woody Hayes’ last three seasons as OSU’s coach from 1976-1978,his quarterbacks threw a total of 11 touchdown passes.
FRESHMAN STARTS: Zach Harrison started at the defensive end spot opposite Chase Young.
SPICY OR MILD? Clemson running back Travis Etienne admitted at Fiesta Bowl media day that his mother sometime brings him one of his favorite meals, Popeye’s chicken, the night before games.
But his assessment of his snack didn’t exactly sound like a job as a spokesman for Popeye’s is in his future.
“It doesn’t help me. It probably hurts me more. It’s just like a piece of home, I guess,” he said.
LATE NIGHT WITH LAWRENCE: Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence doesn’t recoil from defensive lines but he is hesitant about long grocery store lines.
Earlier this week he talked about how his notoriety has affected his ability to go out take care of
things like shopping.
“I’m glad people know me but it can be tiring sometimes. I try to go late at night. I tried to go a couple of times in the middle of the day and I couldn’t get anything done. So I go right before something closes and get in and get out,” he said.
