Could ‘third time’s a charm’ be in the cards for Lane Kiffin’s Florida Atlantic Owls?

Kiffin, FAU’s 44-year-old head football coach, begins his third season at the helm in a noon kickoff Saturday (Fox TV) at Ohio State (AP preseason No. 5).

It’s not to say that Kiffin’s run hasn’t been productive thus far – because it has.

Kiffin’s first season in 2017, FAU was 11-3, won a Conference USA regular season title and blasted Akron (50-3) in the Boca Bowl.

Last season was predicted to produce similar results, as FAU was the preseason media pick to repeat as conference champions and earn a second Boca Bowl – or better – postseason bid.

However, what did happen was a gut punch for all involved, as the Owls finished 5-7 overall, 3-5 in league play.

What was especially painful were the back-to-back, three-point losses to end the season – at North Texas State (41-38) and at home to Charlotte (27-24).

A win in either of those final two games in 2018 would have made FAU bowl eligible with six wins. Instead, the Owls spent the offseason wondering what might have been.

Said Kiffin to the Sun Sentinel about the 2018 season after the big year before, “Once you think you got it made and you got it figured out, that’s when we’re all in trouble.”

Kiffin won’t let his team dwell on the past, and really can’t with his Owls set to face the Buckeyes first, then host UCF (AP preseason No. 17) the following Thursday (7:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network) on Howard Schnellenberger Field at FAU Stadium.

Kiffin’s Owls go into the season without some big contributors from the previous two campaigns.

Gone are the leading running backs Devin Singletary (1,339 rushing yard, 22 touchdowns) and Kerrith Whyte Jr. (916 yards, 8 TDs) from 2018, along with the top receiver, Jovon Durante (65 catches, 875 yards, 5 TDs). On the defensive side, the Owls will need to replace their No. 2 (safety Jalen Young 59 tackles) and No. 3 (linebacker Andrew Soroh 56 tackles) tacklers.

That said, there are a number of key returnees for Kiffin to work with.

Back for his sophomore season will be quarterback Chris Robison, who was held out of spring practice due to a suspension by Kiffin. Robison, who rejoined the team during summer workouts, started 11 of FAU’s 12 games in 2018. He threw for 12 touchdowns while completing 192-304 passes (62.2 percent) for 2,540 yards – against 12 interceptions.

Robison, (No. 2 pictured at right), is in a three-way battle with sophomore Nick Tronti and junior Justin Agner to keep his starting job.

The top receivers back are senior tight end Harrison Bryant (No. 40 pictured top at right), who caught 45 passes for 662 yards and 4 TDs a year ago and junior slot receiver Willie Wright – 46 receptions, 474 yards, 2 TDs.

The top two running backs in camp have little, to no, experience – juniors BJ Emmons and James Charles.

Emmons sat last year out and played the previous season at the junior college level. He started his career at Alabama when Kiffin was offensive coordinator there. Charles rushed for 20 yards on five carriers in 2018.

That’s a far cry from the one-two punch from last season of Singletary and Whyte.

Leading tackler from a year ago, senior linebacker Rashad Smith (86 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions) will lead the defense. Other key returnees on defense include junior cornerback James Pierre (55 tackles, 9 passes broken up in 2018) and junior safety Zyon Gilbert (51 tackles).

Expectations are nowhere near as high for FAU this season, as a preseason media poll had the Owls third (behind Marshal and FIU) in Conference USA’s East Division. But predictions don’t always go the way they should – just look at what happened to FAU last season.

So, don’t count Kiffin’s Owls out of another postseason bid – as third time’s a charm could come true for FAU in a big way.

FAU 2019 SCHEDULE

Aug. 31: at Ohio State, Noon

Sept. 7: UCF, 7 p.m.

Sept. 14: at Ball State, 2 p.m.

Sept. 21: Wagner, 6 p.m.

Sept. 28: at Charlotte, 3:30 p.m.

Oct. 12: Middle Tennessee State, 4 p.m.

Oct. 18: Marshall, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 26: at Old Dominion, 3:30 p.m.

Nov. 2: at Western Kentucky, 4 p.m.

Nov. 9: Florida International (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami), 6 p.m.

Nov. 23: at Texas-San Antonio, 6 p.m.

Nov. 30: Southern Mississippi, 3:30 p.m.

Bold: FAU homes games

Photos contributed by: Bob Markey / Courtesy of www.FAUOwlsNest.com