College Football Playoff: 5 takeaways from Justin Fields vs. Trevor Lawrence
There might be a ton of enjoyment about the conclude quarterback potentialities in college soccer, and the excitement about these passers became into a bawl to ring in the new 365 days on Friday.
Alabama and Ohio Teach had been victorious in the College Football Playoff semifinal video games, organising a meeting between the Buckeyes and Crimson Tide in the Jan. 11 national championship recreation. There might be plenty to remain unsleeping for in that recreation, however I — and heaps of the soccer world — watched the highly anticipated matchup between Ohio Teach’s Justin Fields and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence with significantly sturdy ardour on Friday night time.
Listed below are five takeaways from their showdown in the Sugar Bowl:
1) Fields had extra at stake than another participant in this 365 days’s College Football Playoff and saved his splendid performance for that stage, which is a mountainous deal.
Friday night time’s recreation modified into the acceptable I’ve ever seen him play. In his previous three starts, Fields had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 4:5 and took 11 sacks. He wasn’t decisive in those contests. It modified into your total reverse epic versus Clemson, though. He modified into urgent, relied on what he saw and let it rip. Fields had as many TD passes (6) as he had incompletions (6), finishing 22 of 28 for 385 yards with one INT and two sacks. It modified into a spectacular performance.
2) Aged Ohio Teach coach City Meyer as soon as told me that he felt toughness modified into an underrated core trait on the quarterback scheme. Correctly, it’s doubtless you’ll presumably perhaps presumably very smartly be no longer going to seek recordsdata from a more challenging performance than Fields’ showing in opposition to Clemson. The Buckeyes’ QB1 took a exhausting hit to the exact side of his physique from Tigers linebacker James Skalski, who modified into ejected for focusing on on the play, however stayed in the recreation and went on to throw four of his six TD passes after the hit.
It be one thing to shield taking half in after struggling an damage and hand the ball off or take a look at down under. He fought by it and modified into taking half in aggressively.
There might be never been any quiz about whether or no longer Fields had the athletic tools groups covet. Tonight, he elevated himself by showing he has the toughness to be triumphant even when he’s a long way from 100 percent.
3) Fields will pick up an very superb bigger stage in 10 days in opposition to a bigger group with a mighty better secondary. He now has the same opportunity Deshaun Watson had (and seized) four years in the past: An opportunity to beat a Reduce Saban-coached defense as your ability final closing statement to your college occupation.
4) Lawrence is nonetheless a special participant with a uncommon mixture of size, athletic skill and arm skill. He modified into no longer at his splendid in opposition to Ohio Teach, however I make no longer judge it modified into the form of performance (33 of 48 for 400 yards with 2 TDs and an INT) that might jeopardize his standing with NFL evaluators. Again in tips that there’s not one of these thing as a superb prospect, and Friday marked beautiful the 2nd lack of his college occupation.
Lawrence came out sizzling. He won the foot flee in opposition to Ohio Teach linebacker Baron Browning to the pylon on a zone learn for the first ranking of the recreation, capping off an eight-play, 82-yard power. Clemson couldn’t gain mighty of a rhythm after that, though.
5) Lawrence purchased away with some abominable throws and modified into under strain plenty as the Tigers fell on the support of, fumbling three instances in the 2nd half of (lost one). That’s one thing he’s going to must smartly-organized up. He’s a dinky bit prolonged alongside with his transport, and he’s no longer on the total under the form of heat he faced Friday night time. But he’s going to seek recordsdata from strain on the next stage because, likelihood is, he will no longer be taking half in for a primarily correct group as a rookie each time he moves on to the NFL. He’ll must feature extra successfully in that form of ambiance.
BONUS) I might well not conclude this submit with out a fast shriek on some non-quarterbacks who wowed us. You might presumably perhaps be ready to create a case that Ohio Teach RB Trey Sermon (31 carries for 193 yards, TD) and WR Chris Olave (6 catches for 132 yards, 2 TDs) helped themselves as mighty as anybody on Friday. Alabama WR DeVonta Smith (7 catches for 130 yards, 3 TDs) and RB Najee Harris (15 carries for 125 yards) persevered their ascent in a rout of Notre Dame, too.