OSU: Would Fields have ranked No. 1?
I wrote today about Zac Robinson’s place in OSU history and how he has a chance — it will be difficult — to surpass Mike Gundy as the greatest quarterback in Cowboy history.
But here’s another debate. What if Josh Fields hadn’t gone to baseball after his junior year? What if Fields had come back for his senior season, 2004, and quarterbacked State? Where would he rank?
First, a refresher. Fields quarterbacked two seasons, 2002-03, plus a couple of games off the bench at the end of 2001. His record: 17-9. His victims: OU twice, Nebraska (OSU’s first over the Huskers since 1961), Texas A&M twice (OSU had been winless against the Ags in Big 12 play) and Southern Miss.
Fields set the school record for touchdown passes, 55, three more than Gundy. Fields threw for 6,090 yards; Gundy’s school record is 8,473. Gundy completed 636 passes; Fields completed 445.
Give Fields one more year, and it’s likely he would have broken most of Gundy’s records. But like I keep saying, you can’t go strictly by numbers. Fields played in the more pass-happy 2000s, not the 1980s, though Fields got in on the early days, not these wild, wild West days of the last few years.
Anyway, we also need to project how OSU would have done with Fields at quarterback in 2004. Those Cowboys went 7-5 with Donovan Woods, who was a solid freshman quarterback. They routed UCLA 31-20 in the opener and were 5-0 when they hosted Texas A&M on Oct. 16. And lost 36-20.
They also lost 38-35 in that Bedlam classic at Boone Pickens Stadium, 56-35 at Texas in that wild game in which OSU led 35-7, 31-15 at Texas Tech and 33-7 to Ohio State in the Alamo Bowl.
Where would Fields have made the difference? Two games, I say. With Fields, I believe OSU would have beaten A&M. Those Aggies were solid but not great; they finished 7-5, with a big loss to Tennessee in the Cotton Bowl. They took OU to the wire in College Station but lost at Baylor. Sixteen points is a lot to make up, but OSU was sluggish that night in Stillwater. No way would the Cowboys have been sluggish with Fields.
And despite how well Woods and the offense played in Bedlam, I think Fields would have produced a victory against the Sooners. OSU scored a ton anyway, and Fields wasn’t playing linebacker, but I’ve got to believe he would have found a way to produce four more points. If for no other reason than that late deep ball to Prentiss Elliott, which Woods sailed just beyond Elliott’s grasp, the Cowboys could have captured that Bedlam with Fields.
So improve OSU to 9-3 in 2004 with Fields. Suddenly, his career record is 26-12, which is in Gundy’s ballpark (29-14). Fields’ numbers, for their time, would have been comparable. His weapons would have been a little more impressive (Fields had Rashaun Woods’ to Gundy’s Hart Lee Dykes, but with apologies to NFL vets Tatum Bell and Vernand Morency, they aren’t Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas).
Fields wasn’t going to make all-Big 12 in 2004; Heisman incumbent Jason White had that slot nailed down. But his resume’ would have been glittering after three-plus years of transforming play.
Fields already is the quarterback who lifted OSU out of more than a decade of mediocrity into the upper tier of the Big 12, but give him that 2004 season, and he would be remembered even more for such heroics.
Give Josh Fields that 2004 season, and he would be known as the greatest quarterback in OSU history.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
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Comments
Josh was by far the best thrower of the fade route I’ve ever seen at OSU and most of college football for that matter. That throw made Rashaun an All-American and made Josh a living legend for the pass against OU. It’s a difficult throw that requires a lot of touch. Just think what Zac could do if he could make that throw to Dez as well as Josh could to RW.
YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. GO COWBOYS, GO JOSH!!!! 32BBaller!