Justin Fields: 'I Was Healthy Enough' to Play for OSU vs. Alabama Despite Injury

Ohio State star Justin Fields lamented his showing in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game after the Buckeyes suffered a 52-24 loss to Alabama.  

"I didn't get the job done," Fields told reporters after the game. "I was healthy enough."

The status of his ribs had been an ongoing storyline in the buildup after he suffered an injury in OSU's Sugar Bowl win over Clemson.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day acknowledged Fields was carrying some sort of problem into the game, telling reporters he was "not 100 percent."

The junior quarterback was being a bit too hard on himself. His final numbers weren't great (17-of-33, 194 yards, one touchdown), but OSU lost because it had no answer for the Crimson Tide offense. Mac Jones threw for 464 yards and five touchdowns, and Najee Harris and Brian Robinson Jr. combined for 148 yards and two scores on the ground.

Fields will presumably be moving on to the NFL next.

He still has eligibility left, and the opportunity to win a national championship could prove alluring after having come so close in 2019 and 2020. But the Georgia native doesn't have much to gain personally by spending a third season with the Buckeyes.

After Trevor Lawrence, he might be the No. 2 quarterback on the board in the 2021 NFL draft, all but assuring he'll be a high pick.

Fields and Day echoed how Monday's defeat could be a learning experience for the players:

Fields will leave big shoes to fill for his successor in Columbus.