Ex-Husky Osborne Leads New Team in Receiving in Debut
Austin Osborne finally got his hands on almost everything he wanted.
Playing time.
Lots of catches.
A college football spotlight in front of 84,314 fans.
The downside is his team lost by more than four and a half touchdowns.
The former University of Washington wide receiver made his debut with Bowling Green and he led the Mid-American Conference team with 8 catches for 46 yards on Thursday night against Tennessee at storied Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.
However, it wasn't nearly enough to prevent a 38-6 setback to the SEC team.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Osborne, who has three seasons of college eligibility remaining, was one of five Husky pass-catchers who entered the transfer portal this past offseason.
He left after appearing in just four games over three seasons and catching 1 UW pass for a negative 2 yards against Hawaii.
So why Bowling Green?
Osborne reunited at the MAC school in Ohio with his quarterback Matt McDonald from Mission Viejo High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, where they set all kinds of passing records.
McDonald is Bowling Green's returning starter from 2020 after transferring in from Boston College, with his initial college football experience not panning out how he wanted either.
Against Tennessee, McDonald completed 25 of 38 passes for 187 yards, but the Falcons generated virtually no rushing attack and were able to produce only a couple of first-half field goals.
The host Vols were led by new quarterback Joe Milton, who transferred in from Michigan and likely would have been the starter against Washington next week in Ann Arbor had he stayed put.
Of all the ironies, Osborne found himself playing against Tennessee, which once made him one of his 14 scholarship offers, as did Michigan.
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