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Ohio State Season Preview: Week 1, Florida Atlantic

By Nate Thompson

ATHENS, GA - SEPTEMBER 15: Justin Fields #1 of the Georgia Bulldogs passes against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders on September 15, 2018 at Sanford Stadiuym in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATHENS, GA - SEPTEMBER 15: Justin Fields #1 of the Georgia Bulldogs passes against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders on September 15, 2018 at Sanford Stadiuym in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Ryan Day looks on during the second half in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2019 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Ryan Day looks on during the second half in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2019 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

The 2019 Ohio State football schedule is an interesting one to say the least. I’ll take a look at each game in the upcoming season.

The Florida Atlantic Fightin’ Owls are coming to Columbus on August 31st to do battle with our beloved Ohio State Buckeyes. The Owls play in the Eastern division of the C-USA, and are led by head coach Lane Kiffin and quarterback Chris Robison.

Last season, FAU finished with a 5-7 record. Now I know what you’re thinking, this is just a non-conference tune-up game to get through and hopefully get the starters out by halftime.

Let’s examine that thought to determine whether it’s true, or if we have to quote our dear friend Lee Corso and say “Not so fast my friend”.

The Rundown

Florida Atlantic finished last season as the 14th best offense in college football mostly due to the success of running back Mike Singletary, who was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 2019 NFL Draft. Quarterback Chris Robison returns after a sub par 2018 campaign.

Robison should not be overlooked though; he was a 4-star recruit out of high school and had committed to Oklahoma. He was dismissed for violating team rules and fell in the hands of Kiffin and the Owls.

The 2018 Florida Atlantic defense finished 88th in the country. Giving up that amount of yardage in a conference like the C-USA is very telling.

Even with the replacements the Buckeyes are forced to make on the offensive line, this matchup should prove to be a good testing ground for the new guys to get the hang of things at game speed.

So how will Ryan Day’s team perform in Game 1?

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