Justin Fields Isn't Surprised By His Excellence in Ohio State's First Three Games: “I Think It’s What I Was Supposed to Do”

In Ohio State’s first three games of the 2020 season, Fields has thrown as many touchdown passes as he has incompletions. He’s accounted for 13 total touchdowns (11 passing, two rushing) while completing 72 of his first 83 passing attempts this year for 908 yards, good for 10.9 yards per passing attempt and a completion percentage of 86.7. He has the nation’s best completion percentage and passer rating among all quarterbacks, and he has yet to throw an interception or lose a fumble, all while regularly taking shots down the field.

All of that enabled Fields to surge to the top of the Heisman Trophy betting odds after Ohio State’s third game against Rutgers. He came in slightly ahead of Alabama quarterback Mac Jones and Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence in odds released by BetOnline last week, even though both of them have played twice as many games. And while most of Ohio State’s single-season statistical records will be out of reach this year because of the significantly shortened season, he’s on pace right now to have the most efficient season ever for a Buckeye quarterback.

While Fields was already excellent in his first year with the Buckeyes in 2019, it’s still been eye-popping to see him complete passes with such tremendous consistency – especially considering that more than half of his 11 incompletions have been catchable, as Eleven Warriors’ Colin Hass-Hill broke down this past week.

He’s certainly made an impression on his Ohio State teammates with just how well he’s played.

“His production has spoken for itself,” Ohio State tight end Luke Farrell said last week. “We have a lot of confidence in our quarterback and what he’s capable of.”

Because of that confidence, though, Fields’ teammates haven’t expressed any surprise at how well he’s played. And he hasn’t surprised himself, either.

“I think it’s what I was supposed to do,” Fields said last week regarding his performance through the first three games. “Of course, (the numbers) are a little crazy. I didn’t expect them to be what they are now, but it’s definitely not surprising by the way I’ve worked in the offseason, so I just think from all the work I’ve put in and all the time I’ve spent in the film room, I just think that it’s paying off right now.”

Fields and his receivers – particularly Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, who have been on the receiving end of the majority of his passing production (they’ve combined for 42 catches, 632 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns through three games) – have consistently referenced that work they put in during the offseason as a factor in their collective success so far in their first three games.

“I get open, and Justin’s going to put the ball where it needs to be,” Olave said after the Rutgers game. “There’s so much chemistry. We worked all offseason. We got the long break. We didn’t start till about Week 8. So we just kept connecting over the summer and over the fall and it’s shown the first three games.”

That said, Fields knows he can’t simply be satisfied with the work he’s put in so far. As well as he played in the Buckeyes’ first three games of the year, he still believes he and the rest of the offense can be better, and so does Ryan Day.

“He has the potential to be special,” Day said. “I still don’t think he’s there, but he’s getting better every week. He puts the work in and he puts the time in to understand what we’re trying to get done, and he practices well.”

Coachspeak aside, Fields’ play in the Buckeyes’ first three games has made it clear he is special, and that’s why he’s well within the conversation to win Ohio State’s eighth Heisman Trophy. It didn’t help Fields’ candidacy that Ohio State’s fourth game of the season against Maryland was canceled, but Jones and Lawrence didn’t play last week either. Florida quarterback Kyle Trask is now considered the Heisman frontrunner by BetOnline, while Lawrence has the best odds on Bovada, but Fields still has the third-best odds at both online sportsbooks.

Regardless, the fact that Fields is among the frontrunners even though Ohio State has only played three games suggests he still has a real chance to win the Heisman, which will now be awarded on Jan. 5 this year, if he can continue his excellent play for the remainder of the season. And Fields has publicly declared that winning the Heisman is one of his goals this season.

He’s trying not to pay much attention to the speculation about who will actually win the award, though.

“Of course I see it on social media, but at the end of the day, it’s like if I don’t continue what I’m doing even this week or next week, all those talks and all that’s a moot point,” Fields said. “So I’m not really focused on that. I’m just focused on staying consistent and just keeping the same routine and just going out there and doing my best each and every play.”

Fields is trying to be as perfect as he possibly can be, saying last week that “my goal is to complete every ball I throw,” though he also said he doesn’t actually think about what his completion percentage is during a game.

“I kind of look at it one play at a time, so on this particular play, I might be looking at let’s get a positive play right here, no sacks, nothing like that,” Fields said. “So I just try to get the ball out of my hands as fast as possible, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that, but there’s always room to improve, so I’m just going to continue to get better.”

“I get open, and Justin’s going to put the ball where it needs to be.”– Chris Olave on Justin Fields

More than any individual goal, though, Fields has said all along that his ultimate goal for this season is to win a national championship, so his primary motivation to keep getting better is to try to lead Ohio State to a title.

“I think you just have to prioritize what goals are most important to you. But I think our team goals are first on my list, because I think people look at that at a different level,” Fields said.