Nebraska gets a chance to keep its opening-week momentum rolling Saturday, and the matchup on paper looks about as friendly as it gets. The Cornhuskers are coming off a Week 1 win over Ohio, not State, and now they draw Bowling Green in a game that has plenty of people asking whether this is a trap or just a straight-up soft landing.
The early read from the SMQ team is clear: this one looks like Creampuff City.
Bowling Green is coming in off a rough loss to FCS Tarleton State, 20-13, and the numbers from that game jump off the page. Tarleton State’s Tylan Hines ripped off 250 rushing yards against the Falcons, a development that has to have Nebraska’s running back room paying close attention. If that ground game showed anything, it’s that Bowling Green can be pushed around.
Still, the Falcons weren’t completely buried. Tight end Jeremiah Scooby caught 10 passes for 102 yards, and Nebraska’s pass rush will have a real test after the Huskers didn’t create much pressure on Ohio last week. That’s one area worth watching if Bowling Green can find any rhythm at all.
There’s also a broader complaint hanging over this early stretch: why is Nebraska starting with such a soft schedule? Around the country, other programs are taking bigger swings.
Ohio State is playing Texas. Minnesota (!!)
is facing Mississippi State. Michigan is taking on Oklahoma.
Nebraska, meanwhile, gets Bowling Green. Sheesh.
For Nebraska, though, the formula here is simple: RUN THE DAMN BALL. That’s the path the SMQ team sees, and it leads to a comfortable result.
Prediction: Nebraska 45, Bowling Green 14. The Huskers get the win, the cover, and the over.
In Other News...
Anthony Colandrea Just Sparked A New Nebraska Quarterback Debate
Anthony Colandreas showing in Nebraskas win over Ohio gave the quarterback conversation a little more texture, and it is not hard to see why. Former Husker quarterback and coach Joe Ganz came away impressed not just with the box score, but with the way Colandrea carried himself during the game, pointing to the kind of leadership and accountability teammates respond to in tight moments.
The performance itself backed up the praise. Colandrea finished 18 of 32 for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns, and the combination of production and poise has a way of nudging a debate forward in Lincoln. When a quarterback draws that kind of endorsement from a former Husker who knows the position as both a player and a coach, the conversation around Nebraskas future at the position tends to get louder, even if the full answer still has to wait. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Evans Just Gave Nebraska Fans Another Reason To Believe
Justin Evans keeps stacking up the kind of recognition that tends to matter in a program trying to build something sturdier than a single season. The Nebraska fifth-year offensive lineman was named to the 2026 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Watch List, a nod that centers on leadership, courage, integrity and sportsmanship as much as what happens between the lines. With 32 career starts already on his rsum, Evans has become one of the more dependable veterans on the roster, and the preseason praise has followed accordingly, from second-team All-American mention to a Rimington Trophy watch spot.
For Nebraska, the latest honor is another reminder that Evans is carrying real weight in the locker room as well as on the field. The Witten award will move through semifinalists and finalists later this season before a winner is announced in spring 2027, so the larger picture is still unfolding, but Evans has already put himself in a spot where his profile keeps rising for reasons beyond just offensive line play. In a season where the Cornhuskers are trying to keep momentum and credibility moving in the right direction, that kind of recognition is hard to overlook. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas Defense Gets A Key Return At The Perfect Time
Owen Chambliss is back in the Nebraska defense for Week 2, and the timing could hardly be better for a unit looking to settle in after the opener. The First-Team All-Conference linebacker from the Mountain West brings a blend of pass rush, coverage and quarterback containment that should give the Cornhuskers more range at every level of the defense.
Just as important, Chambliss will wear the defensive headset, a role that should help clean up communication and cut down on assignment mistakes. For Nebraska, the return is about more than adding another experienced defender - it gives the Huskers a stabilizing voice in the middle of the field at a point in the season when those details can shape everything that follows. [Read more 🡒]