Ohio State's Justin Fields to Play with Injury: 'I Don't Care How Much It Hurts'

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields made it clear Tuesday that he will not miss Saturday's Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin despite suffering a knee injury last week against Michigan.

According to Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors, Fields said: "In my mind, I'm playing on Saturday, I don't care how much it hurts."

Fields left the game against Michigan temporarily, but he returned with a bulky knee brace and led the Buckeyes to a 56-27 win over the rival Wolverines.

Justin Fields Pass Completion and Injury

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The sophomore star shook off the injury to throw for 302 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 25 yards. Fields is a leading Heisman Trophy candidate this season by virtue of his 2,654 yards, 37 touchdowns and one interception through the air, and 470 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

The No. 1 Buckeyes will need their dual-threat quarterback in the lineup against a No. 12 Badgers team that is dangerous due to the presence of running back Jonathan Taylor, who has 1,761 rushing yards and 25 total touchdowns this season.

OSU is likely heading to the College Football Playoff no matter what happens in the Big Ten Championship Game, but it needs to beat Wisconsin to maintain the No. 1 spot over LSU and Clemson, and it may need to win big.

Getting the top seed is huge because that team will likely face an apparently weaker team like Georgia, Utah or Oklahoma in the CFP semifinal. Meanwhile, the second and third seeds figure to be two of Ohio State, LSU or Clemson, who are the clear top three teams in the country.

While all signs point toward Fields playing and going full bore Saturday, senior quarterback Chris Chugunov will be ready in case the injury is aggravated.

Chugunov replaced Fields for a few plays Saturday, and on the season he has completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 286 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions.