I do think that Fields is partially the fan's scape goat for an overall running game that has struggled this year and has provided few holes. Kinda like how a back-up QB is always the fans favorite when an offense is struggling. Fields plays because he is dependable and doesn't fumble. The staff has felt comfortable using him in our close games.
But with all of this being said, Fields has never shown a D1 level of RB speed in any of his years here. He has looked "quick" in only one game during his entire UTEP career(the HBU game last year). He is solid and dependable, and while that has value, he is also not a game changer. I personally believe that we sacrifice a couple of yards on almost every carry. And adding 1 or 2 more yards on 15 carries a a game can really add up. When we do create the rare opening for him, it turns into a decent first down run instead of 20 or 30 yard run. His longest carry of the entire season is only 15 yards and he has only gained 152 yards on 47 carries this season, which is very poor. We just aren't getting enough production out of his carries this season. On the other side Awatt is just simply a bigger, faster, and better athlete. He might not be as good as Fields in all of the areas outside of running the ball, but I feel like we really should be developing him faster than the current rate.