Ohio State Football: 3 bold predictions for season-opener vs. FAU
By Phil Poling
Ohio State football kicks the 2019 season off against Lane Kiffin and the FAU Owls. Here are three bold predictions for the season-opener in Columbus.
Ohio State’s Ryan Day has three games under his belt as a head coach, but Saturday’s matchup with Florida Atlantic will mark a new era for Ohio State football. People won’t be focused on departed-coach Urban Meyer, nor will they be obsessed with former Buckeye Tate Martell. It’s Ryan Day’s show.
Georgia transfer Justin Fields will be the face of the program and the star of the show, but he’s also got plenty to prove. He was named the starter on Aug. 19 after a position battle with Kentucky transfer Gunner Hoak, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be the starter all season.
After all, Fields is replacing first-round draft pick Dwayne Haskins under center, so expectations are high and he’ll need to produce.
The Buckeyes are replacing players elsewhere, too, but plenty remains from last year’s team that went 13-1. A handful of players will need to step up, most notably at wide receiver, but Buckeye opponents will see a heavy dose of Heisman-hopeful J.K. Dobbins. Junior defensive end Chase Young will lead the Ohio State defense in 2019, and he’ll have the help of a veteran group surrounding him.
The Florida Atlantic Owls went just 5-7 in 2018, but Lane Kiffin has a solid roster and, still, an imaginative offensive mind. He lost a few key players on offense to the NFL Draft, but all that means is a fresh group of Owls are expected to flourish.
With all that in mind, here are three bold predictions for the 2019 season-opener between Ohio State and Florida Atlantic.