Fields shows he’s ready for OSU spotlight

COLUMBUS >> Josh Myers got caught offguard Aug. 31 in Ohio Stadium.

Ohio State’s sophomore center had unequivocal confidence in the guy he was going to be snapping the ball to in the Buckeyes’ seasonopener against visiting Florida Atlantic.

But Myers had been there before. He had been a first-year player running out of the tunnel in Ohio Stadium in front of 100,000-plus rabid fans.

There were supposed to be, ya know, butterflies.

Apparently, neither Myers nor anyone else told that to Justin Fields, who was making not only his first start as a Buckeye, but also his first college start period after transferring from Georgia in the offseason.

Fields threw for four touchdowns and ran for another, leading the Buckeyes to a 45-21 win over the undermanned Owls and showed that there IS life after the departure of record-setting quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who left for the NFL after the 2018 season.

“I expected first-game jitters,” Myers said of Fields, “but he was on point. He played really well.”

Which is good news for the Buckeyes going forward.

Ohio State’s margin for error at quarterback was whittled to virtually nothing within months of the Buckeyes’ 2823 win over Washington in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Haskins bolted for the NFL, where he was the firstround draft pick of the Redskins, and his 2018 backup, Tate Martell, transferred to Miami after Fields announced his transfer to Ohio State.

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JAY LAPRETE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields looks for an open receiver against Florida Atlantic during the first half of Aug. 31 in Columbus.