Huskers Handle Their Business in a Workmanlike Blowout

Dave Feit thinks Bowling Green was the perfect non-conference cupcake game, but he wonders what might have happened if Tennessee had still been on the schedule.

Third-string linebacker Derek Wacker scores a fourth-quarter touchdown on a fumble return. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I understand it was not for everybody, but Nebraska's 56-7 victory over the Bowling Green Falcons was close to my definition of a perfect non-conference cupcake game.

It was a gorgeous late summer night with the first hints of a fall chill in the air (a welcome departure from the Ohio game played on the surface of the sun). Night games will always and forever be superior to 11 am kickoffs. And most importantly, Nebraska understood the assignment and executed it very well.

Despite a turnover on the game's second play, Nebraska came out and took care of business on Saturday. They led 14-0 after one quarter, and 35-0 at the half. All three phases looked sharp and made multiple splash plays.  

After giving up a 68-yard completion on the first play of the Ohio game, the Blackshirts allowed just 84 yards passing in the entire game against Bowling Green. Could NU have pitched a shutout? Possibly, but it is hard to find a lot of faults with their performance.

On offense, the Huskers looked sharp and explosive. Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen was clearly having fun calling plays, spreading the ball around to the 15 different Huskers who recorded a carry or reception.

Most importantly, Nebraska appeared to leave the game without any notable injuries and played 91 of the 115 players on the opening day roster.  

So, what do we know about the 2026 Huskers after two weeks?  

Aside from having the inside track to the MAC Championship Game in Detroit, the honest answer is "it's too soon to tell."

Nebraska hasn't faced a true challenge in their first two games, and likely won't get one against North Dakota. There's a lot to be optimistic about, but until the level of competition goes up, it's all speculation.  

Maybe - on a weekend where the Big Ten went 10-6, including 2-6 against P4 teams - Nebraska should not apologize for winning… even if their original schedule had them playing Tennessee instead of Bowling Green.

All I know is it was a gorgeous night for football, Nebraska handled their business, and fans were left to enjoy a postgame celebration of America's 250th birthday.

Sometimes, that's good enough.

Things I believe

This team will go as far as Anthony Colandrea takes them.  

Two games is a very small sample size, but two things are becoming evident. Colandrea has the talent - with his arm and legs - to give Nebraska a chance to win every game on their schedule. Colandrea was 20-24 on Saturday for 222 yards and four touchdowns. He added four carries for 33 yards.  

More importantly, Colandrea led the Huskers to points on six of his nine drives. The drives he led that didn't result in points ended with an interception*, halftime, and a missed field goal. The missed field goal came six plays after a 45-yard touchdown keeper by Colandrea was negated by a holding call.

*On the second play of the game, Colandrea threw a pass to Jacory Barney Jr. that ended up in the hands of a Bowling Green player. It was ruled an interception, even though it was closer to a catch and fumble.

Colandrea has shown that he is a quarterback willing to take some risks and make some throws with a high degree of difficulty. Against Ohio and Bowling Green he was able to get away with it. But against the ranked teams on Nebraska's schedule, I can think of a few throws that would have been picked off. That's the risk Nebraska appears willing to accept this year.

A year ago, Nebraska played it safe. Whether that was due to the plays called or the decisions of last year's QB, we didn't see a lot of high leverage throws. I believe a big part of that was done to protect a defense that struggled to get stops and turnovers. Colandrea getting the green light to be himself shows that there is trust in the defense - and the QB.

Special teams continues to be a net positive.

Let's take a look at what Nebraska's special teams units did on Saturday:

• Kickoffs: Bowling Green attempted two returns in the first half. On the first, Keelan Smith made the tackle at the 17-yard line. On the second, Pierce Mooberry made a beautiful open field tackle at the 15. They did not attempt any returns after that.
• Kickoff return. Nyziah Hunter had two nice returns for a total of 54 yards. Both were returned to - or beyond - the 25.
• Punt return. Quinn Clark blocked a punt, and Nebraska put strong pressure on a couple of other kicks. Jacory Barney Jr.'s return totals (four for 12 yards) aren't great, but I'll give him credit for being fearless. He has the look of somebody capable of taking any return to the house.
• Punts. The offense did well enough to give Archie Wilson the night off.  

It wasn't all perfect. Kyle Cunanan was short on a 55-yard field goal attempt. NU committed three holding penalties on punt returns.  

But all in all, Nebraska's various special teams units are playing well.

Make assumptions about Nebraska's future opponents at your own risk.  

Let's take a look at how Nebraska's future opponents fared this weekend. No. 1 Ohio State gave up 21 straight points in a loss to No. 4 Texas. No. 6 Oregon was upset by Oklahoma State. Illinois lost to Duke. Rutgers dropped to 0-2 with a loss at Boston College. Washington only beat Utah State 16-14. And Iowa did its typical Iowa things in a 16-13 victory over Iowa State.

The temptation is strong to look at those results, combine them with Nebraska's 49-point victory, and start talking yourself into big things to come.

Resist that urge.

The majority of those teams are going to get better as the season progresses. We get ourselves in trouble when we assume a team that struggles out of the gate won't improve by October or November. Once the "preseason" games are over, Nebraska's road gets bumpy with nine straight teams that are capable of beating the Huskers. Nebraska usually gets their opponents' best shot. I don't expect that to change because of a rough weekend in Week 2.

Things I don't know

Is there any separation in the running back race?  

I get the feeling that many Husker fans would like for one of the running backs to become The Guy and get the bulk of the touches similar to Emmett Johnson a year ago.  

Based on his flashy debut against Ohio, most fans would like to see Jamal Rule take control of the job. Rule continued to impress on Saturday, rushing for a game-high 88 yards on just eight carries, including a 59-yard burst in the second quarter. Mekhi Nelson gained 82 total yards - 48 on the ground and 34 through the air - on 10 touches. Isaiah Mozee gained 69 yards on his nine touches and scored his first career touchdown.

All told, Nebraska's three-headed running back monster had a combined 24 carries for 191 yards (just shy of eight yards per carry) and two touchdowns. Three running backs, eight carries each.  

As the excellent Arbitrary Analytics pointed out, Nebraska's staff seems to be taking a Moneyball approach to their running backs, content to replicate Johnson's success in the aggregate.

Could one - or all - of the running backs run away with the job by the time November comes around? Absolutely. But at this point in the season, there's no reason to let one back dominate the carries.

What happened in the third quarter?  

When Nebraska went into the locker room at halftime, everything was going great. The Cornhuskers had scored 35 points and allowed just 41 yards.  

But in the third quarter, the Falcons gained 94 yards and set up their lone touchdown. Nebraska gained a total of eight yards on six plays. BGSU won the time of possession battle 11:36 to 3:24. It is rare to see a team that wins the game by 49 points have a quarter where they are statistically dominated like that. Did Bowling Green make better adjustments? Did Nebraska get complacent? Is this an area for concern?

Bowling Green came out after halftime with a clear plan to chew up the clock with a ball control offense. On their first drive of the third quarter, the Falcons gained 33 yards on 13 plays. Their second drive of the quarter was more productive (49 yards on five plays before the quarter ended), but that happens.  

Meanwhile, Nebraska struggled to get out of its own way on offense. Two holding penalties - including one that took a Colandrea touchdown off the board - put the Huskers in a hole. I liked the decision to attempt a 55-yard field goal, but Kyle Cunanan's kick was short.

I'm not worried about the third quarter performance at all. It's fine to be disappointed that Nebraska didn't maintain their first half dominance, but there's no reason for panic.

What would have happened if Nebraska had played Tennessee?  

As you might remember, the Bowling Green game was a late addition to Nebraska's 2026 schedule. The game was added after Nebraska canceled its home-and-home series with the Tennessee Volunteers. The Huskers would have hosted Tennessee this season and travelled to Knoxville in 2027.

I'm not looking to relitigate the decision. As you may recall, people tended to fall into one of two camps:

• People who want marquee helmet games on the schedule (and on their TVs) and think Rhule canceled because he didn't think Nebraska could beat a perennial SEC power.
• Fans who want Nebraska to win as many games as possible and understand that adding another ranked team to an already tough schedule is foolish - especially since the CFP Committee has yet to prove that they will reward teams for scheduling hard non-conference games. It is worth noting that the game was canceled before the SEC adopted a nine-game conference schedule - something the Big Ten has been doing since 2016.

Personally, I see both sides of the argument. As a season ticket holder, Tennessee moves the needle a lot more than a lower-tier MAC team. But if the Bowling Green game is the difference between Nebraska making a bowl or having a divisive offseason of hot seat speculation, I'll always take the win.  

Tennessee replaced the Nebraska series with a home-and-home against Georgia Tech. The No. 18 Vols traveled to Atlanta on Saturday and won 45-24, dropping the Yellow Jackets to 0-2.

I didn't get to watch the Tennessee - Georgia Tech game, but I feel confident that the Huskers would have had their hands full with the Vols. Tennessee ran for 299 yards against Tech, a 2025 Husker weakness that has not been tested this season. I don't think it is out of line to suggest that NU loses that hypothetical game by two touchdowns (or more).

Did NU ultimately make the right call? That is definitely open for debate.

Huskerigami Update

A “Huskerigami” is a final score combination (win or lose) that has never happened in the 130+ year history of Nebraska football.

Final score: 56-7

Is that a Huskerigami? No. It has happened three times before. The first time was a 2006 win over Nicholls State of the FCS. That is the most recent game in which a Husker opponent did not complete a pass (the Colonels were 0-3 through the air). The most recent 56-7 score was a 2024 loss at Indiana.

5 Things I loved

1. Wide receivers. A day of big plays from the WR room. Jacory Barney Jr. had a game-high eight catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Kwazi Gilmer had two touchdowns, including an impressive toe-dragging catch in the end zone. Nyziah Hunter had a highlight-reel hurdle and was outstanding as a blocker. And that doesn't include the three reserves who also made catches.
2. Anthony Colandrea. Nebraska's quarterback is a fiery leader with a knack for big plays. But more importantly, he's putting the offense in good situations and distributing the ball to his playmakers. I've previously used an analogy of Nebraska's quarterbacks either being a scorer (shooting guard) or distributor (point guard). It will be interesting to see where Colandrea falls as the season progresses.
3. Derek Wacker. The special teams standout from Yutan was a step away from catching the blocked punt on the fly which could have led to a nice return. Instead, he bobbled the short hop and got blasted by a pair of BGSU players. In the fourth quarter, Malcom Simpson knocked the ball out of the quarterback's hands and the football gods blessed Wacker with a perfect bounce. Wacker scooped the ball up and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.  
4. Jamal Rule. Two more successful conversions on fourth down. He didn't have a carry after his 59-yard touchdown burst in the second quarter. He didn't need to. His status as a fan favorite continued to grow with a post honoring a past owner of his 25 jersey - Tough Tony Davis - and signing autographs for kids after the game.  
5. Andrew Marshall. Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, you'll find the Marshall Islands, a chain of small volcanic and coral islands home to approximately 35,000 people. Somewhere in the middle of the Memorial Stadium turf, you'll find Andrew Marshall Island, a one-man Bermuda Triangle for opposing receivers. In addition to his lockdown coverage, Marshall made two key tackles on third down - including a TFL - to get Bowling Green off the field.

Honorable mention: Williams Nwaneri, Donovan Jones, offensive line, Isaiah Mozee, Jashear Whittington, Riley Van Poppel's baseball themed celebration, Demitrius Bell, Mekhi Nelson, Luke Lindenmeyer, Dexter Foster, Vincent Genatone, TJ Lateef, Kwinten Ives, Conor Booth, Mason Goldman, every Husker who made his NU debut, Nebraska's impressive USA 250 celebration, drones that shoot fireworks, and the Cornhusker Marching Band's touching tribute to the Iowa band member who died last week.

5 Areas for improvement

1. Penalties. The Huskers were called for seven penalties, including holding calls on three different punt returns in the first half. For the second straight week, a downfield penalty took a long touchdown off the board.
2. Pass rush. The stats say the Huskers had two sacks on Saturday. Bowling Green was called for intentional grounding on a halfback pass. Jamir Conn was the closest Husker, so he got credit. Malcom Simpson's strip of the Falcon quarterback in the fourth quarter was also recorded as a sack. Other than that, Nebraska was not particularly close to tackling a quarterback behind the line of scrimmage.  
3. The pursuit of 300. At halftime, Nebraska had 185 rushing yards. It looked like a vintage 300-yard day was all but a lock. But then NU ran a total of six plays in the third quarter and decided to go full air raid with TJ Lateef in the fourth, finishing with 264 yards. On a related note, it is hard to find a lot to be critical about in a 49-point win.
4. Eddie George. I will go to my grave believing that the greatest Heisman Trophy injustice of all time was George winning over Tommie Frazier in 1995. (Yes, this includes Ndamukong Suh in 2009.) I am convinced that Heisman voters opted for George because they were embarrassed by several previous winners being NFL busts (or, in the case of Charlie Ward, an NBA player). George was clearly more likely than Frazier to have a successful pro career, but he was NOT the best college player in 1995.
5. Husker fan spelling. Kudos to the fan who displayed an "Eddie George U stole my Heisman" sign at the game. Just one problem: the sign's maker put "Tommy Frazier" on it.

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