Three things on the Ohio State Buckeyes’ Christmas wish list

Ohio State Buckeyes running back Trey Sermon (8) celebrates scoring a touchdown with teammates during the fourth quarter of the Big Ten Championship football game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. Ohio State won 22-10.Big Ten Championship Ohio State Northwestern
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Trey Sermon (8) celebrates scoring a touchdown with teammates during the fourth quarter of the Big Ten Championship football game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. Ohio State won 22-10.Big Ten Championship Ohio State Northwestern /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields (1) rushes upfield ahead of Northwestern Wildcats linebacker Blake Gallagher (51) during the first quarter of the Big Ten Championship football game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020.Big Ten Championship Ohio State Northwestern
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields (1) rushes upfield ahead of Northwestern Wildcats linebacker Blake Gallagher (51) during the first quarter of the Big Ten Championship football game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020.Big Ten Championship Ohio State Northwestern /

#3: A healthy Justin Fields

The first thing that the Ohio State Buckeyes will be wishing for on their Christmas list is a healthy Justin Fields. Fields suffered a self-described sprained thumb on his throwing hand in the Big Ten Championship matchup against Northwestern.

Fields played through the injury and did not miss a single snap in the Buckeyes’ most important game of the year up to that point. Despite this, he did not play like the Justin Fields that Buckeye fans have come to know and love over the past two years.

He finished the game completing 12 passes on 27 attempts. He threw for 114 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. This is one of the worst games that Fields has had during his Ohio State career. This performance could easily be explained away by the injury on his throwing hand paired with the effectiveness of the rushing attack.

However, it is almost certain that Trey Sermon will not be having a 331 yard two-touchdown game in the playoffs. Along with this, the competition in the playoffs will be much stiffer than Northwestern.

If the Ohio State Buckeyes want to even have a chance against the Clemson Tigers, they need a healthy Justin Fields playing at the elite level that has come to be expected of him.