COLUMBUS, Ohio –– Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said Monday that he “definitely” expects junior quarterback Justin Fields to take the field for the upcoming national championship game, but Fields didn’t take the podium to discuss his own expectations.

The two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year finally got the chance to address the media Thursday for the first time since immediately following the Sugar Bowl, where he was leveled with a wicked hit to the ribs in the second quarter. While his comments may not dispel all concerns about his midsection, there was no uncertainty that Fields will be suiting up for Ohio State next week.

“I’ll be good by Monday night,” Fields said.

Fields, who was the offensive MVP of the Sugar Bowl with a six-touchdown performance, was originally scheduled to appear on a press conference Monday before being switched out for senior running back Trey Sermon.

While the change may have underscored the questionable injury status of the Buckeye passer, Day said Fields told him he actually felt better waking up on Saturday than he thought he would.

However, that didn’t mean the pain was in the past for Fields.

“The days that I didn’t expect to wake up kind of hurting was two or three nights after the game,” Fields said.

Given the obvious level of pain Fields was experiencing throughout the game following the hit, evident by his labored movements, agonizing facial expressions and limp, a couple of his post-game comments about how the injury was handled by the medical staff on the sideline drew the ire of concerned spectators.

Fields said after the game that he wasn’t given a specific diagnosis by team doctors when he went to the medical tent, and was simply given “a shot or two” before heading back into the game.

On Thursday, though, Fields said those remarks were taken out of context.

“I just want to make one thing clear, is that my full trust is in the trainers here at Ohio State, and [team physician Dr. Jim Borchers]. I wasn’t hesitant on taking anything that they would give me, but I was just trying to do whatever I could do to get back on the field,” Fields said.

Fields said the situation was handled “the way I would’ve wanted it to be handled,” by the medical staff, and said he has personal relationships with all of the trainers.

Day said earlier this week that nothing would change about practice or preparation for the upcoming matchup with Alabama due to Fields’ injury, but the Buckeye quarterback said Thursday he is focused on getting “as much treatment as possible” to try to get back to 100 percent before the national championship.

The gutsy performance Fields displayed in the Sugar Bowl won him no shortage of praise from teammates, coaches opponents and media last weekend, but as for how it might affect his ability in what will likely be Fields’ final collegiate game, he said he isn’t even thinking about it.