Tracking the performance of Justin Fields in the CFP National Championship vs. Ohio State

Final Update

Justin Fields didn’t quite have the magic he had against Clemson, as he and the Buckeyes fell short on Monday night 52-24. Fields finished by completing 17 of 33 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown. He also led Ohio State in rushing with 67 yards on six attempts.

Update After 3Q

Justin Fields and the Ohio State offense stalled on their second drive of the third quarter, and Alabama is threatening, leading 45-24 after three quarters. Fields has completed 9 of 18 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown. He also has four carries for 66 yards.

Update 6:45 3Q

In just three plays, Ohio State marched right down the field with two big plays from Justin Fields. He found room to run for a 33-yard gain and hit Garrett Wilson for a 20-yard touchdown on a perfectly thrown pass. Ohio State trimmed the Alabama lead to 38-24 midway through the third quarter.

Update Halftime

We’re not seeing the same Justin Fields or the same Ohio State offense we saw pull away from the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff semifinal game. After one half in the championship, Fields completed 6 of 15 passes for 90 yards and went for 29 yards on the ground on two rushing attempts. Alabama leads 35-17 at halftime and will start the third quarter with the ball.

Update 13:00 2Q

Justin Fields took his first big hit of the game, and he got up slowly after an incomplete pass on third down, leading to a punt. A big question going into this game was how healthy Fields would be.

Update After 1Q

Justin Fields completed 3 of 5 passes for 59 yards in the first quarter, and the national championship is tied at seven.

Update 4:55 1Q

After a three-and-out on the first possession, Justin Fields guided the Buckeyes down the field for an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on possession No. 2, capped off by an eight-yard score for Master Teague III. Buckeyes and Crimson Tide are tied at 7.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are going into the College Football Playoff national championship game against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday night. Quarterback Justin Fields will play a huge role in deciding whether Ohio State will put up a fight as underdogs heading into the big game.

Fields guided Ohio State to an undefeated record and completed 73.4% of his passes for 1,906 yards. He threw 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. In his last time out, he took a huge hit in the semifinal victory over the Clemson Tigers but had an incredible statistical performance. He threw for 385 yards and six touchdown passes.

Alabama is expected to put up a ton of points and if the Buckeyes plan to stick in this game nearly double-digit underdogs, they’re going to need a huge performance from their quarterback. Expect him to go toward wide receiver Chris Olave early and often.