Ohio State Football: Buckeye offense better off with Fields than Burrow

Two Heisman trophy candidates this season are Justin Fields and Joe Burrow – one current Ohio State QB and one former Ohio State QB. How do they compare?

Current LSU and former Ohio State quarterback Joe Burrow has his team off to a 6-0 start and ranked No. 2 in the nation. Current Ohio State QB Justin Fields also has the Buckeyes off to a 6-0 start and ranked No. 4 in the nation.

How do the two compare, though? Did the Buckeyes make the right choice in letting Burrow walk?

I know that it was not between Burrow and Fields because Ohio State had Dwayne Haskins when Burrow chose to transfer but let’s still have fun and compare the two.

So far this year Burrow has 2,157 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and three interceptions. Fields, on the other hand, has 1,298 yards through six games, 18 touchdowns and one interception.

However, Fields has 283 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground compared to Burrow’s 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Fields also is averaging five yards a carry while Burrow is averaging three yards a carry.

It is clear Burrow is more of a pocket passer while Fields is more of a dual threat but production-wise I think they are about even as Burrow has 27 total touchdowns and Fields has 26.

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So, I do think that both of them would be great for the Buckeyes and are equal in terms of how valuable they are. LSU’s offense is averaging 52.5 points per game and Ohio State’s is averaging 49.3 – both in the top five in the country.

I do, however, think that Fields is the better option for one reason.

Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins has rushed for 826 yards and is averaging 7.1 yards per carry so far this year while LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire has ran for 494 yards and is averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Last year, Dobbins only averaged 4.6 yards per carry while in 2017 he averaged 7.2 yards per carry.

The difference is simple. In 2017 the Buckeyes had J.T. Barrett at quarterback who was a threat to run the ball and this year they have Fields who can run the ball. Last year, the Buckeyes had Dwayne Haskins who was a pocket passer, which is the same situation Edwards-Helaire is in.

Defenses are now forced to worry about two runners at once – Fields and Dobbins – instead of just worrying about the running back. So, if Burrow was at Ohio State, defenses would not need to worry about his ability to run and could load the box to stop Dobbins.

This means that Ohio State’s offense is more dynamic with Fields because he allows Dobbins to be great.

I think both Burrow and Fields are terrific and both could be great in the NFL. I just think Fields’ ability to run gives Ohio State another dynamic, which ultimately makes the offense scarier. I am thankful we have Fields as our quarterback.