A week after rolling past one of the top teams in the Mid-American Conference, Nebraska will look to repeat its success against another MAC squad when it meets Bowling Green on Saturday night in Lincoln, Neb.
The Cornhuskers (1-0) are coming off a 49-21 season-opening win at home against Ohio in a game they started slowly before kicking into gear.
Bowling Green (0-1) fell 20-13 at home last weekend to FCS program Tarleton State.
A pair of newcomers led the way for Nebraska in its opener. UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another, while freshman Jamal Rule had 169 all-purpose yards and three scores.
Nebraska rushed for 248 yards, its most in a game since 2023, but the lopsided result was not without mistakes.
“We have some areas that showed up in that game that weren’t good enough,” Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule said. “We have a lot to improve upon.”
Bowling Green will begin a two-game road swing against power conference teams — it will visit Iowa State on Sept. 19 — after a disappointing start to the season. The Falcons’ loss to Tarleton marked the first time since 2023 that Bowling Green didn’t win its opener.
“This is a young football team that I’m watching grow every week,” said second-year Bowling Green coach Eddie George, a former Heisman Trophy-winning running back at Ohio State who played nine seasons in the NFL.
“This is one we have to learn and grow from.”
The Falcons got 262 passing yards, on 24 of 30 attempts, from Jay Kastantin, while receiver Jeremiah Scoby caught 10 passes for 102 yards.
Saturday will mark the first meeting between the Cornhuskers and Falcons. Nebraska is 6-0 all-time against current MAC schools.
Bowling Green last beat a power conference foe in 2023, at Georgia Tech, but has not taken down a Big Ten squad since winning at Minnesota in 2021.
