Cornhusker Counseling: Triumphs and Traumas from Nebraska's Win Against Bowling Green

Nebraska football is 2-0, and this one was never really in doubt.

The Huskers dominated Bowling Green 56-7 Saturday night at Memorial Stadium, jumping out to a 35-0 halftime lead and cruising through the second half.

It was a much more complete performance than Nebraska's season-opening win over Ohio. The offense was explosive, the defense created havoc, and Nebraska looked like the team everyone expected to see against an overmatched opponent.

But it wasn't perfect.

A sluggish third quarter, another frustrating night of penalties and some questions on special teams gave Matt Rhule and his staff plenty to work on heading into Week 3.

Here are our triumphs and traumas from Nebraska's win over Bowling Green.

Triumph: Anthony Colandrea

Two games. Two impressive performances from Nebraska's new quarterback.

Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen challenged Anthony Colandrea to improve his completion percentage and he was up to the challenge by completing 20-of-24 passes for 222 yards and four touchdowns against Bowling Green.

All four touchdown passes came in the first half as Nebraska built a 35-0 lead.

Colandrea did get credited with his first interception of the season on Nebraska's opening possession after the ball was ripped out of the hands of Jacory Barney Jr. but his response might have been more impressive. He settled in immediately and helped Nebraska score touchdowns on each of its next five possessions.

Through two games, Colandrea looks comfortable running Dana Holgorsen's offense. He's making quick decisions, getting the football to Nebraska's playmakers and giving the Huskers another dimension with his legs.

The competition gets much tougher down the road, but so far, Colandrea looks like exactly what Nebraska needed at quarterback.

Triumph: Jacory Barney Jr. and Kwazi Gilmer

Last week, dropped passes landed Kwazi Gilmer in the trauma category.

This week? Welcome to the triumphs.

Gilmer and Jacory Barney Jr. gave Bowling Green's secondary problems all night, combining for all four of Colandrea's touchdown passes.

Barney finished with eight catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns, including a 35-yard touchdown to open the scoring and another 32-yard score late in the second quarter.

Gilmer didn't have the same volume, but he made his opportunities count with two touchdown receptions of his own.

The second was probably the catch of the night, as Gilmer went up for the football near the sideline and somehow managed to get his feet down in the end zone.

Nebraska knew it had weapons at wide receiver entering the season.

Saturday night gave us a glimpse of just how dangerous this group can be when everything is clicking.

Triumph: Defense Creates Havoc

Blackshirt — Sep 12, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Bowling Green Falcons running back Ke'marion Baldwin (4) is dragged down by Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker Pierce Mooberry (56) during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Outside of the third quarter, this was exactly what Nebraska wanted to see from Rob Aurich's defense.

Bowling Green finished with just 169 total yards, nine first downs and seven points.

Nebraska forced five three-and-outs in the first half and came away with an interception when Donovan Jones picked off Jay Kastantin, setting up another Nebraska touchdown.

The Huskers weren't done.

In the fourth quarter, Malcolm Simpson got to Kastantin for a sack and forced a fumble that Derek Wacker scooped up and returned for a touchdown.

That is the type of havoc Nebraska's defense was missing against Ohio.

The Huskers were faster, more disruptive and consistently put Bowling Green behind schedule.

There will be much bigger tests ahead, but after some concerns following Week 1, this was an encouraging step forward for Nebraska's defense.

Trauma: The Third Quarter Lull

Sep 12, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule reacts to an interception by the Bowling Green Falcons during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What happened at halftime?

Nebraska went into the locker room leading 35-0 after completely dominating Bowling Green for 30 minutes.

Then the third quarter arrived.

Nebraska had just one offensive possession in the quarter, and Bowling Green controlled the football for more than 11 minutes.

The Huskers actually appeared to score on a long Colandrea touchdown run, but a holding penalty brought it back. The drive eventually ended with a missed 55-yard field goal.

Meanwhile, Bowling Green put together its best drive of the night, eventually scoring on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Against Bowling Green, a bad quarter doesn't matter much when you're already leading by five touchdowns.

Against Big Ten competition, it could change an entire game.

Nebraska has talked about putting together a complete 60-minute performance. Through two games, we're still waiting to see it.

Trauma: Penalties, Penalties, Penalties

Here we are again.

Penalties were one of Nebraska's biggest problems against Ohio, when the Huskers were flagged nine times for 65 yards.

Nebraska cleaned things up slightly against Bowling Green, but seven penalties for 65 yards still isn't good enough.

More importantly, some of them came at costly times.

A holding penalty wiped out what would have been a 45-yard Colandrea touchdown run in the third quarter. Another holding call later in the same possession helped turn a promising drive into a 55-yard field goal attempt.

These mistakes didn't matter in a 49-point win.

Eventually, they will.

Nebraska can overpower Bowling Green while consistently putting itself behind the chains. That becomes much more difficult when Oregon, Indiana, Washington, Ohio State and the rest of the Big Ten schedule arrive.

Two games into the season, penalties aren't just an isolated problem anymore.

They're becoming a trend.

Trauma: Special Teams Could Be an Issue

This one might be the biggest concern moving forward.

Nebraska's special teams weren't necessarily disastrous Saturday night, but there continue to be enough warning signs to make you wonder what happens when the Huskers are eventually in a close game.

The most obvious example came in the third quarter.

Nebraska sent Kyle Cunanan out for a 55-yard field goal attempt after its drive stalled. The kick didn't just miss it didn't appear to have enough distance.

A 55-yard field goal is certainly not automatic at the college level, but knowing Nebraska doesn't have a kicker who can get the ball there is a huge concern when margins are so small in confrerence play.

There were also more penalties in the special teams game that continued a concerning trend from Week 1. Nebraska has now been penalized five times on special teams in two games.

Against Ohio, special teams didn't really help Nebraska. Against Bowling Green, they still left us with questions.

At some point this season, Nebraska is going to be in a game where three points could be the difference.

Right now, it's fair to wonder how comfortable the Huskers should feel when that moment arrives.

The Bottom Line

This was much closer to what Nebraska fans wanted to see.

The Huskers won 56-7, piled up 546 yards of offense and held Bowling Green to just 169. Colandrea continued to look comfortable, Barney and Gilmer showed what Nebraska's receiving corps can become, and the defense finally started creating the type of havoc we've been waiting to see.

There are still problems.

Nebraska disappeared for much of the third quarter, the penalties remain frustrating and special teams could eventually become a real concern.

But Nebraska is 2-0.

And unlike Week 1, the triumphs significantly outweighed the traumas Saturday night.

Want more from No Block No Rock? Check out their YouTube channel, subscribe for weekly episodes, and visit nbnrpodcast.com for more content.

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarkingNebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

Add us as a preferred source on Google