Ohio State cruises to 45-21 win over FAU after hot start

Justin Fields hit Jeremy Ruckert on a 3-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and J.K. Dobbins leapt over the line for a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter for the Buckeyes, who were outscored 18-17 in the second half after leading 28-3 at halftime.

Blake Haubeil connected on a 46-yard field goal to finish the scoring for Ohio State with 3:01 left in the fourth quarter.

By then most of the 103,228 in attendance had left.

Larry McCammon ran for a 3-yard touchdown and Chris Robison threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to John Raine in the second half for the Owls, who also got a 28-yard field goal from Vladimir Rivas.

Fields finished his Ohio State debut 18-for-25 passing for 234 yards and four touchdowns. He added 61 yards and another touchdown on the ground.

FIRST HALF RECAP

After a nearly flawless first quarter Ohio State leads Florida Atlantic 28-3 at the half.

The Buckeyes outgained the Owls 220 to negative-4 in the opening 15 minutes while running out to a 28-0 lead.

Justin Fields got the scoring started when the Buckeyes’ new starting quarterback scampered 51 yards untouched on a keeper.

Barely two minutes later, he hooked up with Jeremy Ruckert from 25 yards out for his first touchdown pass in scarlet and gray, then he found Binjimen Victor with a 32-yard touchdown pass at the 9:12 mark of the first quarter.

Fields completed the first quarter hat trick with a 29-yard touchdown toss to Chris Olave, who badly beat a defensive back on a post pattern.

That made it 28-0 with more than half of the first quarter to go, but the Owls defense started figuring a few things out after the early barrage.

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After scoring touchdowns on their first four possessions, the Buckeyes went punt, punt fumble lost, punt, fumble lost.

The Owls capitalized on the second fumble when Vladmir Rivas banged through a 28-yard field goal with :33 on the clock. That capped a 22-yard scoring drive that began at the OSU 32 when J.K. Dobbins lost a fumble fighting for more yards on a third down carry.