Justin Fields Off to Historic Start with Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson
The Ohio State Buckeyes aren't guaranteed the chance to play more than nine games this fall, and considering how quickly things have turned sour for the Wisconsin Badgers, the Scarlet and Gray are grateful each time they take the field.
Years from now, when the record books reflect the final statistics at the end of this season, the natural reaction might be to think that the Buckeyes didn't put up the same kinds of cumulative numbers that we've grown accustomed to seeing. We'll have to look at "per game" averages to really determine where this team might rank all-time in program history.
Except, perhaps there's a chance that some of the passing numbers won't look so different from 12-game or 13-game seasons ... and that's a scary thought.
Justin Fields, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson are off to an historically significant start to the season. Fields is 48-of-55 on the season for 594 yards and six touchdowns.
That's right, he has only one more incomplete pass than he has touchdown passes through two games.
His two favorite targets have been Olave and Wilson, who made team history last night in Happy Valley. Last night marked the first time in program history that two receivers have had 100 receiving yards in the same game, in consecutive games. Those two have combined for 464 yards and three touchdown catches in the first two games. Whereas in the opener, Jameson Williams, Julian Fleming and Jaxon Smith-Njigba rotated in regularly, Olave and Wilson very rarely came off the field last night.
“Of course those two are talented, they definitely make my job easier by the way they perform on the field," Fields said. "I’m just glad they are on my team, I’m glad I get to throw those guys the ball.
“I feel comfortable throwing those guys the ball. Chris is a very fast guy on the outside and I trust him. When I throw the ball up and he is on 1-on-1 coverage, it is usually either him or nobody coming down with the ball, so I put my full trust in Chris and he is a great player and a great receiver.”
Fields connected with Olave on a 49-yard score Saturday night on a ball that was thrown at least that far in the air. Last week, it was a 42-yard strike to Wilson (perfectly in stride) that took the top off the defense.
Fields also made school history on Saturday, when he began the game with seven consecutive completions. Fields tied J.T. Barrett with 16 straight completed passes between the Nebraska and Penn State games.
“I’m proud of his preparation. He worked really hard this week to get prepared in the meeting room, and he was on it,” Day said after Saturday’s game. “And no, I’m not surprised at the way he plays. He does it in practice, and when you can start to take the meeting room to the field quickly, that’s when you really become special. And I think that’s what separates young players from really good veteran players, and he’s starting to do that. He just has a good way of being accurate, he’s got good anticipation and he’s strong.”
There's no way to know for sure how the season will play out. But considering what Ohio State has on the schedule the rest of the year, there's a real chance to think that these three could continue this historic trajectory.
-----
You might also like:
Ohio State Cruises Past Penn State in Primetime Test
Ryan Day Post-game Comments vs. Penn State
BuckeyesNow Players of the Game: Chris Olave and Tommy Togiai
