NEW ORLEANS, La. — His ribs ached. Or at least it looked like they ached. They should ache.
Did you see the hit? The hit. Clemson linebacker James Skalski barreled his helmet into Justin Fields’s right side like a submarine torpedo into the broadside of a navy vessel. He sat crumpled on the ground. A few players later, he was back on that same turf, his own offensive lineman peeling him from it. He clutched his right side.
It had to be hard to breathe, right? To inhale. To exhale. Forget about throwing a football.