Nebraska has big problems brewing. Bowling Green is rolling into town on Saturday night and OC Dana Holgorsen and staff must figure out not only who is going to touch the ball, but how.
On top of that, Rob Aurich and Matt Rhule are surely discussing whether to hold Owen Chambliss out until Big Ten play or get him a few reps before then. It’d be nice to see how the defense operates behind the most skilled and knowledgeable player on the defensive side of the ball. Bench him. I think I’d rather have him healthy and ready to go when it counts.
And let’s get the special teams on the field as much as possible. If there are kinks, as seemed evident against Ohio, get those worked out before they can really hurt you.
It’s game two of the non-conference. Nebraska may have scored 35 in the fourth quarter and things may have looked up late against Ohio, but there is plenty of work for this Husker team to do. I didn’t even mention penalties, the pass rush, or keeping the quarterback from picking up plays with his legs. The to-do lists this last week were bigger than you think.
Holgorsen on Offense
This game won’t be about establishing the run or working on the pass. This game will be about spreading the ball around and getting the right guys touches, whether that’s running backs, wide receivers or tight ends. And look for the pass completion percentage to be targeted as well. The Huskers won’t be playing for stats, but there are numbers they want to hit because those numbers show they are getting work done in the right areas.
Holgorsen said as much earlier in the week when talking about the wide receivers.
“I’m not just trying to get these guys stats,” he said. “I’m just trying to spread the ball around. These guys work hard. Nyziah (Hunter) is a guy we’ve got to get the ball to more. We threw him one screen, and he willed his way 60-some yards down the sideline for a touchdown. He needs more touches. One is not okay for him.”
You can say what you want, but Holgorsen is right. For his offense to be effective the defense needs to think every man is a threat. Hunter needs to see the ball more. Colandrea has three of the top receivers in the conference and defenses need to believe that. They also need to believe when the fourth guy comes in (Quinn Clark) he’s just as dangerous. We didn’t see that in game one.
“It’s what I thought it would look like,” Holgorsen said when asked about the running backs. “Those guys play hard. I thought they were all three good players and had flashed at times. So, it’s just good to see it in the game, obviously. Just happy with how all three of them played.”
Spreading the ball around holds true of the running backs as well. Isiah Mozee got the first carry last week, but Rule and Hunter had the hot hands. Mozee didn’t get to show what he is capable of and listening to Holgorsen, that will change against Bowling Green.
“It’s a good problem to have,” he said. “Whoever you feel likes going with the hot hands – our goal going into that game was to try to get them all equal playing time and equal touches. Is it fair? Is it unfair? I don’t know. It’s a good problem to have, and we’ll probably try to figure it out.”
Figure it out? Interpret that as three guys to watch for against the Falcons, Hunter, Mozee and Luke Lindenmeyer. Holgorsen had high praise for Lindenmeyer last week. With 16 knockdown blocks and two receptions for 44-yards, look for there to be more than two balls thrown his way Saturday.
Bowling Green Defensively
As of now Bowling Green head coach Eddie George is better known as a player and Heisman Trophy winner than as a coach. But he’s working on resolving that. Starting his sixth year as a head coach he went 4-8 and 2-6 in MAC play last season. He went 24-22 in his four seasons at Tennessee State, taking the Tigers to a 9-4 record in his final season. He’s working with 55 new players this season.
Defensively Bowling Green fielded a respectable unit last season. They finished 42nd nationally, just 12 spots behind Nebraska. They allowed 343.1 yards per game. 201.7 yards passing and 141.4 yards rushing. They allowed 24.2 points per game (63rd of 136) while facing schools like Louisville and Cincinnati. The top player to watch is son of the head coach, Eriq George, who totaled 26 tackles and 4 sacks last season. The 6’3”, 300-pound George led a defense that recorded 22 sacks and 16 turnovers last season, 6 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries.
DC Joe Bowden played linebacker with Eddie George in the NFL as both a Houston Oiler and Tennessee Titan. He coached under George at Tennessee State as Assistant HC and linebacker’s coach. Following George to Bowling Green, he was linebackers coach last season and was elevated to DC in 2026.
Leading tacklers last week were middle linebacker 6’0”, 225-pound Dorian Pringle with 16 total and 5 solo, along with free safety 6’0”, 190-pound Kal-EL Pascal, who had 9 total and 4 solo. As a team the Falcons defense registered 1 sack, 2 TFLs and 2 passes defended.
Tarleton State was ranked No. 5 in the FCS and made a quarterfinals appearance in the 2025 playoffs. They have won their last two appearances against FBS opponents, a 30-27 overtime win against Army last season and now a 20-13 win over Bowling Green.
Bowling Green Offensively
The Falcons were one of the worst teams offensively last season, ranking 124th nationally. It’s hard to imagine having a head coach who won the Heisman Trophy as a running back with an offensive coordinator who was an O-line coach not having a successful running game. However, looking at Tennessee State’s offensive numbers in 2024, Bowling Green’s numbers last season and then what the Falcons did against Tarleton State last week, the numbers lean towards the passing side of things. To make it worse, the Falcons threw 12 interceptions to just 13 touchdowns last season and surrendered 28 sacks.
George’s 2024 TSU team was predominately a passing team averaging 234.8 yards per game compared to 101.7 yards per game rushing. Obviously not happy, George retained offensive line coach Greg Nosal when he was hired at Bowling Green and promptly named him OC. Having played for Frank Beemer at Virgina Tech, where he also began his coaching career, he was Tech’s O-lineman of the year in 2011.
Under George, Bowling Green wants to establish the run, and they’ll attempt to do that with Austyn Dendy. Last season the 6’1”, 225-pound Dendy rushed for 493 yards and 5 TDs while averaging 98.5 yards per game. Something he accomplished in just five games after transferring from Missouri. He’s a physical runner gaining 60 yards on 15 carries for a 4.0 yard per carry average and 1 TD last week against Tarleton State.
While not always a good rushing team. The Falcons were evenly balanced last season rushing for 155.5 yards per game and passing for 151.3 yards per game. They averaged 20.5 points per game (117th of 136). Even though George has made it clear he wants to run the ball, his team has yet been able to consistently. The Falcon’s first game stats matched TSU’s average almost to a tee with 283 yards passing and 104 yards rushing against Tarleton State last week.
Other players to know on Bowling Green’s offense are quarterback Jay Kastenin and wide receiver Jeremiah Scoby. Last week the 6’4”, 235-pound Kastenin completed 24-of-30 passes for 283 yards and was never sacked. Scoby, who is 5’11” 177-pounds, had 10 catches for 102 yards for a 10.2-yard average.
Against Tarleton State, Bowling Green rushed for 104 yards on 37 carries for a 2.8 yard average and 1 TD. They had 262 receiving yards with a 10.9 yard per catch average and had (3) plays over 20 yards. The Falcons went 6-13 on 3rd down and 1 of 2 on 4th down.
They lost two fumbles in the game and had possession for 34 minutes and 53 seconds.
Nebraska Defensively
The Blackshirts looked bad from the very first play last week giving up a 68-yard pass play and a touchdown two plays later. They righted the ship, but not until Ohio had taken them into the fourth quarter.
Defensive end coach Roy Manning had stated before the season started that he had tried to deemphasize sacks, saying he wanted his defense to collapse and contain quarterbacks first and that the sacks would follow. However, the Blackshirts did neither last week against Ohio, creating only two sacks and allowing the QB to scramble for 70 yards. As of now Rob Aurich’s Simple, Fast, and Violent is a work in progress.
The defensive backfield looked solid, and more depth will need to be found at linebacker. But expect the Blackshirts will look better this week and we’ll see something closer to what we expected in game one.
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!
Art worked designed and owned by Lyle Harmon and ‘Off the Cob’.
Stay on top of Husker football at CarrikerChronicles.com
