Evan Fields just had to breathe and stay calm. He felt the jitters, but he knew he needed to let them go.

“Dang, I was in high school a few months ago,” he thought to himself.

Now he was standing on Frank Kush Field at Sun Devil Stadium, a freshman playing safety for Arizona State in an important conference matchup against No. 21 USC. Furthermore, he was surrounded by 53,446 screaming fans excited about their team’s turnaround the past two weeks.

When Fields ran out to the rest of the defense, his teammates noticed his nervousness.

“Even though he didn’t try to show it, eyes don’t lie,” senior Spur linebacker J’Marcus Rhodes said.

Junior safety Dasmond Tautalatasi had just been called for targeting in the second quarter and the officials were working to confirm the call. During the review, Fields put on his helmet and readied for the first defensive action of his young career (he recovered an onside kick in a win over Oregon a few weeks back).

The call stood and Tautalatasi was ejected from the remainder of the game. Fields said there was no conversation at that point. The coaches just told him to get in there.

“His eyes got saucer big,” ASU defensive coordinator Phil Bennett said.

Fields’ first observation was the increased speed of the game. This wasn’t high school. It was faster. The players were bigger.

ASU trailed by 21 points at halftime, but it would’ve trailed by four touchdowns had sophomore receiver Kyle Williams not caught a Hail Mary pass from junior quarterback Manny Wilkins as time expired in the first half.

The Sun Devils received the ball to begin the second half and went on an 11-play, 75-yard drive ending in a Wilkins 1-yard touchdown scamper to make it a two-score game.

On the ensuing possession, Fields missed a tackle as he couldn’t wrap up USC running back Ronald Jones II.

“It was a pretty big miss,” Fields said.

After escaping Fields, Jones ran all the way to the end zone. USC cruised to the finish line after that.

Fields learned his lesson. He said that play was eye-opening and made him realize he needed to use his technique.

“I can’t knock everybody out,” said Fields, who admits he used to body up opposing offensive players and knock them down with pure strength in high school.

But can you blame him for trying?

“He’s really strong for a freshman,” Rhodes said. “He’s a hard hitter, ferocious hitter.”

Division I ball is different, though.

“You’re playing against grown men now,” Fields said.

Bennett said he loves Fields’ honesty. The two had an exchange on the sideline regarding Jones’ touchdown run during a dead period in the game.

It went something like this:

Bennett: “Are you going to wrap up?”

Fields: “Coach, yeah. You just can’t knock these guys down.”

Bennett: “They’re big boys.”

Fields had the one whiff but ended with seven total tackles. It’s just the first step in a promising young career.

Fields, an Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, native, was a three-star recruit on Rivals and had reported offers from Notre Dame, Oregon, Oklahoma State and many others. He said the Sun Devils having a need in the secondary played a factor in his decision, but that he felt most comfortable at ASU.

He’s just getting started. He missed all of Fall Camp and the first two games of the season with an injury, so his fall practice really started the week of ASU’s road contest at Texas Tech.

Fields said he knows he has the talent but needs to add the knowledge to match because “talent will only take me so far.” That’s easier said than done because he’s been playing catch-up since returning from injury.

Scheme. Calls. Coverages. Alignment. There’s so much to learn, especially for a freshman. At times, it gets difficult.

“I was just frustrated because I wanted to know what I was doing,” Fields said. “It’s different. I used to always watch, I couldn’t practice, and it’s different watching it and actually trying to do it.”

Even when the injury meant he could only watch practice, Fields said the coaches never intended to redshirt him. Perhaps that was because of his talent, or maybe ASU’s need in the secondary. Could be both.

“We’ve said all along, Evan’s going to be a really good player,” Bennett said.

That’s high praise from someone like Bennett, who is as candid as college football coaches come. Ask any player on ASU’s defense about the worst remark Bennett has ever made to them. You’ll get some funny answers.

Sometimes, as is the case with Fields, a player will just think about the question and laugh. That could be because whatever Bennett told them could not be repeated.

“I don’t know if I need to … he can get very … I probably couldn’t pick one,” Fields said when asked the question. “It’s a lot, it’s a lot. Today even. I don’t want a coach that’s just going to baby me, I want a coach who’s going to coach me.”

He’ll get his wish. Bennett can be heard screaming each day at practice, but there doesn’t seem to be any favoritism. He yells at everyone.

Fields said it’s just tough love as Bennett wants each player to reach his full potential. He hopes to be yet another athlete to take advantage of Bennett’s 40 years of coaching experience.

So far, so good.

“He’s a willing kid and he’s going to get better,” Bennett said of Fields. “He’s got an extremely bright future.”

Just a few months ago, Fields was “the guy.” He was in high school laying opponents out while dominating games.

Last Saturday, he found himself adjusting to the speed of the college game on the fly. His teammates told him to calm down, be himself and just play. And after one costly missed tackle, he settled down and did just that.

If he keeps progressing and reaches his full potential, he may be able to be the big man on campus in Tempe one day.

“I feel like if I keep working, I can get back to that stage,” Fields said.