Sunday morning joint virtual press conference with head coaches Ryan Day and Nick Saban in Miami set the stage for the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday night between Ohio and Alabama. Entering a game at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, Day alluded to the injury status of Buckeyes’ junior quarterback Justin Fields.
“Justin had a good week of practice,” Day said, through Patrick Murphy of 247Sports Bucknuts affiliate. “He did a great job of preparation and I think that’s what he felt he did a good job in the last game, he was just getting ready at a high level and he continued to do that this week.”
Fields played due to an injury after hitting the target in the 49-28 victory over Clemson at the Sugar Bowl last Friday. He completed 22 of 28 passes (78.6%) for 385 yards and six touchdowns for an interception, adding 42 yards in eight attempts (average of 5.3).
“I just want to make one thing clear, it’s that I have complete confidence in the coaches here in Ohio and in Dr. (James) Borchers,” Fields said on Thursday. “I wasn’t … hesitant to accept anything they gave me. But I was just trying to do what I could to get back to the field. I think those guys handled it the way I would like it to be manipulated.
“I just put my total trust in these guys and I see how they deal with the guys here, and I have personal relationships with all of them. I just don’t want anything that I said in the post-game interview to be taken out of context and to be like, ‘Oh, they shot him and sent him back outside.’
“No. It wasn’t like that. I think they did a thorough analysis, I think, of my injury and what it was like, and they thought – they did what they thought was best. Yes, I was totally comfortable with that. I’m going to be good at Monday night. “
After No. 3 Buckeyes (7-0) defeated No. 2 Tigers (10-2), Fields opened up his motivation to continue playing. OSU will need Fields in his second national title CFB Playoff by defeating No. 1 Alabama (12-0).
“Yes, I think everyone who doubted us put a little more pressure on us,” Fields said last Friday. “As I said at the beginning of the week, I prepared for this game like I’ve never prepared for a game before. I think it came out on the pitch. And I’m proud of my brothers, proud of my teammates and proud of the way they played.
Get the fastest scores, stats, news, live videos and more. CLICK HERE to download the CBS Sports Mobile App and get the latest news about your team today.
“I definitely had an advantage playing this game and preparing for it every day in training. So I’m proud of my teammates, proud of my coaches and very happy to be here.”