Nebraska gets Bowling Green on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium, and the setup looks a lot different from the one the Huskers faced last week against Ohio. The Falcons are coming off a 20-13 loss to FCS Tarleton State, which means they arrive in Lincoln with something to prove. Kickoff is set for 6 o’clock on FS1.
Bowling Green quarterback Jay Kastantin was sharp in that opener, completing 24 of 30 passes for 262 yards. He’s the kind of quarterback who can make a game uncomfortable if everything else around him is working, and Nebraska has already seen a version of that challenge. Ohio’s Nick Poulos gave the Huskers problems early last week before Nebraska settled in and rolled to a 49-21 win.
The Falcons are coached by Eddie George, now in his second season. George won the 1995 Heisman Trophy over Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier and came to Bowling Green after finding success at Tennessee State, where he was the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 2024 following a 9-3 season. Bowling Green went 4-8 last year.
That history matters, but the present matters more, and the present says Nebraska should like this matchup. Bowling Green has had only two winning seasons since 2015, both 7-6 campaigns. The Falcons are ranked 134th by The Athletic, down from 122 in the preseason, while Nebraska sits at 58th, the same spot it held before the season.
There’s a clear path for the Huskers on offense. Tarleton State ran for 250 yards against Bowling Green, and Nebraska’s ground game looked plenty lively against Ohio.
True freshman Jamal Rule ran for 122 yards on 15 carries, Mekhi Nelson added 64 yards on 10 carries, and Isaiah Mozee chipped in 31 yards on six carries. Nebraska finished with 248 rushing yards on 42 carries, a 5.9-yard per play average.
If the run game keeps humming, Bowling Green may have a hard time holding up. The Falcons’ run defense looks like a spot Nebraska can attack, especially behind a retooled offensive line. FanDuel has the Huskers as a 29.5-point favorite after Nebraska opened as a 23.5-point favorite against Ohio.
And if the ground game stalls? Nebraska still showed last week that it has another route. Anthony Colandrea threw for 275 yards and looked comfortable doing it.
The Huskers also have momentum on their side after shaking off a rough defensive start against Ohio. The Bobcats scored on their first three possessions, but Nebraska settled in and controlled the rest of the game. Whether that came from adjustments, speeches, or pride, the defense answered.
That side of the ball could get another boost. ESPN reported Thursday night that linebacker Owen Chambliss, who didn’t play against Ohio, would be available against Bowling Green.
The environment should help, too. This is Nebraska’s first night game of the season, and it’s Bowling Green’s first road game. Coming into Memorial Stadium at night is a tough ask for any MAC team, especially one still carrying the weight of a season-opening loss.
Still, there are a couple of ways Bowling Green can make this interesting. Great quarterback play is one.
Winning the turnover battle is the other. Kastantin already showed he can put up numbers, and he’ll need to be even better against a Nebraska defense that should be locked in.
Nebraska linebacker Donovan Jones summed up the challenge this week: “He’s a good player and they’re a good team.
“They played Tarleton State and they are also really good team. Their defense is flying around. So, I think just locking in on all those little things and just going into this week knowing that they have a player back there and we have to prepare.”
Bowling Green protected Kastantin well last week, too, as Tarleton State did not record a sack. That kind of pass protection matters if the Falcons want their quarterback to stay in rhythm.
They also have a tight end worth watching. The 6-foot-3 target had just one career catch entering 2026, then came away with 10 receptions for 102 yards against Tarleton State. He had offers from Air Force, Colorado, Colorado State, Marshall and Memphis, among others.
The Falcons did move the ball in the opener, finishing with 366 total yards, the second-best mark in the MAC behind UMass’ 397 yards against Rutgers. Their 262 passing yards were tied with Miami (Ohio) for the most in the conference.
That production is real, but Nebraska has the edge in too many places for Bowling Green to feel comfortable for long. The Huskers have the better ranking, the better momentum and the more obvious path to control the game.
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 🡒]