Nebraska returns to Memorial Stadium this week to face Bowling Green, and the matchup on paper heavily favors the Big Red. Bowling Green is coming off a disappointing 20-13 loss to Tarleton State, a game that exposed a glaring vulnerability in their defense. Tarleton State repeatedly gouged the Falcons on the ground, springing multiple 40+ yard runs and completely physically dominating the line of scrimmage.
The primary reason for those defensive breakdowns boils down to size and personnel up front. Bowling Green’s defensive line is undersized, and Tarleton State moved them around with relative ease. When three of your top five tacklers in a game are defensive backs and safeties, it tells you everything you need to know about what happened at the line of scrimmage. The front seven could not hold its ground, forcing the secondary to step up into the box just to make routine tackles.
That bodes incredibly well for a Nebraska offensive line that showed significant movement, athleticism, and physical push in week 1. The Huskers should be able to dictate the tempo early and often, comfortably churning out 250+ yards on the ground.
Beyond straightforward power running, Bowling Green showed a concerning inability to maintain edge discipline and keep contain. Look for Nebraska to exploit that weakness with perimeter plays. We should expect a couple of well timed reverses or pop passes to get Jacory Barney into open field. That defensive vulnerability will also benefit Anthony Colandrea, giving him plenty of green grass to work with whenever he breaks the pocket or rolls out.
Once Nebraska establishes that outer perimeter and forces the Falcon safeties to cheat up toward the line of scrimmage, it will open up isolated 1-on-1 matchups downfield. Nebraska’s speedy receiving corps will have opportunities to win deep against a secondary forced to overcommit to the run.
On the other side of the ball, the objective for the defense is straightforward and that is to contain an unsteady Bowling Green running game and hold them under 100 rushing yards. Doing so puts the game entirely on the shoulders of BG quarterback Jay Kastantin, forcing him into obvious passing situations. That scenario creates a prime bounce back opportunity for the Husker secondary after a sluggish start in week 1.
More than anything, this game will be defined by Nebraska's edge rushers. After a sub-par pass rush performance in the opener, this unit needs to prove it can consistently generate a push. We need to see 3+ sacks and a steady stream of QB hurries that force Kastantin into quick, uncomfortable decisions.
Expect the Huskers to dominate the line of scrimmage, capitalize on defensive breakdowns for long scoring plays, and cruise past the 40 point mark while keeping Bowling Green under 14. While the game itself may not be a down to the wire battle, it will serve as a crucial barometer for Nebraska’s pass rush development heading deeper into the schedule and into B1G play.
