Ohio State QB Justin Fields Says Knee Injury Is at 80-85% Ahead of Clemson Game

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields still isn't fully healed from a knee injury that has been bothering him throughout the 2019 season.  

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Fields said his left knee is between 80-85 percent heading into Saturday's College Football Playoff semifinal matchup with Clemson. 

"My knee's probably not where I want it to be right now," he said. "But I think with treatment every day and just resting it every day, hopefully, it will be better by the game."

Fields aggravated his knee against Penn State on Nov. 23 and against Michigan on Nov. 30. He briefly left against the Wolverines in the third quarter, but he was able to return and finished out the Buckeyes' 56-27 win.

After transferring to Ohio State from Georgia during the offseason, Fields had an excellent first season as a starting quarterback at the college level. The 6'3", 223-pound dual-threat QB was a 5-star recruit and the second-ranked prospect in the class of 2018, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

Although he did not have many opportunities while situated behind star Jake Fromm on the Bulldogs' depth chart, Fields showed enough during his time in Athens to catch the attention of first-year Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day. 

He led Ohio State to a Big Ten title and perfect regular season (13-0), and he finished third in Heisman Trophy voting. The Georgia native has thrown for 2,953 yards, run for 471 yards and accounted for 50 touchdowns with one interception.

Senior Chris Chugunov is the Buckeyes backup and would be called into action if something happens to knock Fields out of the Fiesta Bowl.

Without Fields, Ohio State would likely emphasize the ground game even more, with running back J.K. Dobbins taking on a bigger workload to take pressure off the inexperienced backup.