Castro-Fields remains focused on leading young defensive backs
A lot of things have changed now that Penn State is off to an 0-2 start in its abbreviated 2020 football season. A team with aspirations of reaching the Big Ten Championship Game and College Football Playoff now has to recalibrate its goals and expectations and find a way to make the most of its remaining games. How does it do that? To hear Tariq Castro-Fields tell it, the key will be for the Nittany Lions to leave the big-picture thinking to others and to treat the remainder of their season as if nothing has changed.
“We’ve got Maryland this week,” Castro-Fields said. “It’s a big game, just because it’s next. You can’t harp on things, because you can’t change them now. I’m just trying to put in the best workweek I can to be successful on Saturday. I’m just trying to be the overall leader. No matter what, my attention to detail has to be the same, my work ethic has to be the same, my preparation has to be the same, because I’ve got young guys who are watching me and how I act. So I’m just trying to be as consistent as I can be through any trials and tribulations. Whatever may come, I try to be the same guy no matter what.”
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Maryland looks like it has the potential to inflict some tribulations on Penn State this weekend. Led by new quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, the Terrapins are coming off a wild 45-44 overtime victory over Minnesota in which the Alabama transfer threw for 394 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 59 yards and adding two more scores on the ground. In addition to Tagovailoa, the Terps have a solid receiving corps led by Dontay Demus Jr., Jeshaun Jones and Rakim Jarrett.
Penn State comes into the game ranked eighth in the Big Ten in pass defense. In their opener, the Nittany Lions stifled Indiana’s Michael Penix Jr. for much of the afternoon, but they struggled last week against Ohio State’s Justin Fields, as the Buckeyes’ Heisman Trophy hopeful completed 28 of 34 passes for 318 yards and four touchdowns.
Castro-Fields has been one of Penn State’s defensive leaders. The veteran cornerback is coming off a junior season in which he played hurt for much of the year, but he said he’s been feeling healthy lately, and that’s been reflected in his on-field performance.
“I think my mindset of not wanting to lose a day of work has been a blessing to me so far,” he said. “Every day I come in and try to be the hardest worker, always set a good example, because I never know which of those young guys is watching me. I want to be that older guy for them to look at off and on the field – my character, my actions, things like that. I’ve been happy with my performance. I know I have to work on a few little things, but I guarantee you I’ll be working on those.”
While there’s certainly been plenty of disappointment over the Nittany Lions’ early exit from the playoff race, Castro-Fields said that during any football season, players are so immersed in their own day-to-day progress that big-picture goals tend not to be top-of-mind. The CFP and Big Ten title game are “what we talk about before the season,” he said. “But I know how it is during the season. It’s [all about] going 1-0 – that’s the goal we have this week. That’s where my focus is. I’m not looking at the bigger picture or whatever may happen at the end of the season. As long as we take care of this week’s business – practice today, practice tomorrow – success will come on Saturday.”
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