Ohio State football: 5 reasons the Buckeyes will demolish FAU

4. The Buckeyes’ defense has become better as a unit

One of the biggest conundrums in recent history of Buckeye football has been the issues concerning their defense. The Buckeyes were great on defense just a few years ago and only looked to be going in the right direction. It always just seemed like the personnel was there but nothing was actually coming together.

The Buckeyes placed top ten in the nation defensively from 2014 through 2017. Last season, the Buckeyes were a dreadful 68th in the nation in total defense. This type of production is unacceptable by any standard and definitely by Buckeye standards. It’s understandable that the Buckeyes lost some key names on defense during this time such as Joey Bosa, Sam Hubbard, Nick Bosa, etc. but falling that far down can’t be caused by just a few players.

A new coaching staff is in place for the Buckeyes defensively as well this season. New additions to the staff are Jeff Hafley, Greg Mattison, Al Washington, and Matt Barnes. This change is for the better as the defense struggled a bit under last season’s staff headed by Greg Schiano. The Buckeyes will be able to start fresh under new guidance which will hopefully lead to positive results.

The defense is highlighted by a bevy of familiar names from last season. Every position includes a player who has significant experience. However, this defense is headlined by none other than defensive end Chase Young. He was a star in the making last year as he flashed in just about every game. Young doubled almost all of his stats from the prior season and had nearly ten sacks.

Even with the great season Young had, it’s clear that he still has far more potential. This is looking like a definite breakout season for Chase Young. He will certainly be in contention for a top pick in the NFL Draft following this season if he chooses to leave. The sky is the limit for Young and he will surely spearhead this defensive front.

Along with Young, this defense boasts immense talent at every position. This defense can be as explosive as ever with the added experience and fire they’ll bring from the prior season being a bit disappointing. They’ve had a whole year to regroup which will show this time around.

However, the Buckeyes will absolutely have to show this improvement early in the season. FAU has had a top ten offense in the nation since Lane Kiffin began as head coach in 2017. This was expected as he’s been an offensive coordinator for the better part of his coaching career.

The Owls are led by sophomore quarterback Chris Robison. He was very prone to mistakes last season as he threw just as many interceptions as he did touchdowns. The real highlight of this offense was their run game. The Owls’ rushing attack was led by junior Devin Singletary and junior Kerrith Whyte.

Neither of those running backs will be back this season though. They are replaced by transfer BJ Emmons. He had very little playing time with the team but he is in line for plenty of work this season. FAU runs the ball quite a bit and scored most of their touchdowns on the ground. Last season’s duo scored 30 rushing touchdowns with nearly 2,500 yards accrued.