They’re not the eleventh team in the country.
And that didn’t seem to be a private quarterback through broken ribs.
But that’s the state of Ohio, and Justin Fields.
And now the Buckeyes are heading to the national championship game against Alabama on January 11 after Clemson No. 2 in the National Semi-Finals of Sugar Bowl, 49-28.
Fields, the Ohio State quarterback, beat the Tigers on six landing passes Friday at the Sugar Bowl, adding 4 after suffering a heavy blow to the right ribs defeated at the time of fourth at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
The movement came thanks to Clemson’s supporter, James Skalski, who was expelled just after pointing fields at his helmet. Fields even had to temporarily leave the game because of that and made a grimace of pain for the rest of the night.
“They’re killing my ribs,” Fields later told ESPN.
Still, he landed bomb after bomb to blow up the No Tigers. 2 (10-2), much to the chagrin of Clemson’s coach, Dabo Swinney, who qualified for the Buckeyes (7-0) in his last ballot in the Amway Coaching Array.
Swinney defended his previous poll this week, saying, “I just don’t think it’s fair that three groups have to play thirteen games to be the champion and a team has to play eight. “
After starting the season later than Clemson due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Buckeyes’ smallest pattern length of a season has created some mystery about their effectiveness. Fields also sprained the thumb on his right hand in the final game, prompting him to start this game with a white board.
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None of this mattered in the end. Not the thumb Not the short season. Not even the ribs, which possibly or possibly wouldn’t break.
After Fields’ injury, the clock stopped at 5:57 for playing in the first half and the Buckeyes led 21-14, left the game for a play, returned and temporarily fired an indirect pass to catcher Chris Olave for a 9-yard landing, helping to put Ohio State 28-14 with 5:12 in play before half-time.
ESPN reported that Fields had been x-rayed at halftime, while the state of Ohio had a 35-14 lead.
He’ll have until January 11 to recover from his next game, when the No. 3 Buckeyes face Alabama No. 1 by national name in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Fields, a georgia transfer, finished 22 of 28 passes for 385 yards, adding two landing passes in the second half for 56 and forty-five yards.
Follow USA REPORTER TODAY Sports University, Brent Schrotenboer, on Twitter @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday. com