Matt Rhule Breaks Down Nebraska's 49-21 Win, Reveals What Needs to Improve Against Bowling Green

The Huskers' head coach said he's proud of his team but knows there are issues to iron out.

Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule huddles with the offense during the 2026 Red-White Spring Game. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska's season-opening win wasn't without its flaws.

While the Huskers totaled 523 yards on offense and allowed just 235 yards outside of Ohio's opening 68-yard play, Matt Rhule knows there are several areas in which his team needs to improve.

Two days after the Big Red's 49-21 victory over the Bobcats, Rhule met with the media Monday and shed light on the biggest takeaways from Week 1 as the Huskers prepare for a Saturday night matchup against Bowling Green.

Nebraska defensive back Rex Guthrie makes a tackle against Ohio. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cornhuskers looked a bit overwhelmed at times during the first half Saturday but put things together after the break.

Rhule knows that sort of performance won't always be good enough to emerge with a win. When asked where his team needs to improve, he identified two areas that have given NU problems in the recent past.

“Penalties and tackling,” he said. "... I didn’t hate the tackling, but I want to get to the point where it’s a suffocating defense.”

“And then the penalties,” he continued. “We have officials at every practice; we have officials at every scrimmage. We haven’t had those penalties called. They happened, but they’re unacceptable; there’s no excuse for them… I’m hoping, with a week in, everyone kind of takes a step starting today in meetings.”

Matt Rhule on the sideline during Saturday's game against Ohio. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He did say the two issues might have been due in part to what can happen in season openers, where “sometimes there is a schematic rhythm of getting into the game.

Dropped passes were another problem Saturday. According to Pro Football Focus, Nebraska receivers had three drops, but Rhule isn't interested in dwelling on that.

“I’m not a big guy on game day of ripping a guy that drops a pass,” he said. “I’m not the one running across the middle. Lots of people spend their time telling other people what they should do; I do that in practice. On game day, it’s their day to go play."

Anthony Colandrea runs for a touchdown against Ohio linebacker Jack Fries. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Part of that quarterback-receiver exchange is on Anthony Colandrea. The UNLV transfer completed 18-of-32 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1. He also ran seven times for 48 yards and a touchdown, though two sacks and an intentional grounding penalty saw his official total fall to just 23 yards.

Despite some slight hiccups in ball security and awareness, Colandrea earned praise from his head coach.

“I thought Anthony was excellent in the game,” he said. “I thought he showed a lot of maturity and, you know, he’s my type of quarterback. I like the way he plays. I also like his ability to adjust in-game. He’ll have to continue to do that.”

Anthony Colandrea celebrates with teammates after his third-quarter TD run against Ohio. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Colandrea's success in his first start at Nebraska was in large part due to his offensive line. Though the former MWFC Offensive Player of the Year was sacked twice, the O-line was not responsible either time, according to PFF.

Even so, the unit was responsible for three quarterback hurries and one quarterback hit. Knowing that the Huskers need to keep their signal-caller upright, Rhule said Geep Wade's unit must continue to improve.

“They played well,” he said. “We asserted our physicality in the second half, but it wasn’t nearly good enough for what they can be. It was good enough to win that game; it was good enough to score 49 points… At the same time, too many techniques that Geep has taught didn’t show up on the tape that we’ve done every day.”

Rex Guthrie intercepts a tipped pass during the fourth quarter against Ohio. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Though every position group has room to improve, Nebraska's head coach was particularly pleased with his secondary. Outside of a 68-yard pass on Ohio's first offensive play, the Big Red allowed quarterback Nick Poulos to complete just 13-of-30 remaining passing attempts for 96 yards.

Several of NU's defensive backs had noteworthy performances, but Andrew Marshall stood out the most. Rhule didn't hold back in his praise for the 2025 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection.

“Marshall played awesome,” Rhule said. “They kind of left him on an island; we did, you know, and kind of helped other places… He came through time and time again… I think Andrew Marshall is really one of the best players we have.”

Owen Chambliss celebrates after a tackle last season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rhule also touched on the absence of starting linebacker Owen Chambliss in Saturday's game. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound defender earned First-Team All-Mountain West honors in 2025. However, a hamstring issue means his status for Week 2 remains up in the air.

“Not sure if he’ll be back or not,” Rhule said. “I hope so, but I’m not sure. He’s an excellent player.”

Chambliss' return would give the Huskers another proven defender in Rob Aurich's first season as defensive coordinator. Expect his availability to be a significant storyline heading into Saturday's game.

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