Fifty-Six to Seven, and the Same Sixty-Five Yards

Husker Nation, they spent a week at the podium talking about standards. Saturday night they went out and met most of them.

Nebraska 56, Bowling Green 7, in front of 86,193 at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers are 2-0. Bowling Green, who lost at home to an FCS team a week ago, are 0-2.

Nebraska led 35-0 at the half and did not allow a point until 14:53 of the fourth quarter.

Colandrea threw four, and two men caught two

Anthony Colandrea went 20-of-24 for 222 yards and four touchdowns — a career best, and the most by a Nebraska quarterback since Dylan Raiola threw four at Maryland last season.

He threw three against Ohio. This is the first time in his career he has thrown three or more in back-to-back games, and the first time any Husker quarterback has done it since Tommy Armstrong Jr. in 2016.

Jacory Barney Jr. caught eight for 115 yards and two scores, one off his career high in receptions, and went past 1,000 career receiving yards on the 35-yarder that opened the night. He came in on 991.

Kwazi Gilmer caught the other two — the first two-touchdown game of his career.

And here is the one nobody will have: the last time two Nebraska players each caught two touchdowns in the same game was Brandon Kinnie and Kyler Reed against Colorado, on 26 November 2010.

The rush lanes held

This was the thing. Rob Aurich said it plainly on Wednesday — Ohio’s quarterback ran for 75 yards, more than half of Ohio’s entire rushing total, and that it was discipline rather than talent.

Bowling Green ran it 32 times for 85 yards. Two point seven a carry. No quarterback run appears anywhere in the box score.

Whatever was said in that room during the week, it took.

The Blackshirts scored

Derek Wacker picked up a fumble and took it 25 yards for a touchdown at 9:29 of the fourth — Nebraska’s first fumble return for a score since Williams Nwaneri went 29 yards against Houston Christian last season.

Donovan Jones had the other takeaway, an interception in the first quarter that handed the offense the ball on the Bowling Green 38 and turned into seven points.

Andrew Marshall led with seven tackles, his most in a Nebraska uniform. Dwayne McDougle III matched him in his first start. Owen Chambliss made his Nebraska debut and finished with four tackles — solid, unspectacular, and exactly what a man on a snap count coming off a hamstring should look like.

The one thing that didn’t change

Seven penalties for 65 yards.

Last Saturday it was nine for 65. Rhule opened his Monday press conference on the penalty chart before anyone asked him about it, said there was no excuse and that it could not happen. They cut two flags off the count.

The yardage did not move an inch.

What it adds up to

546 yards of offense. 264 on the ground after 248 last week — the first back-to-back 200-yard rushing games since 2023. Ten straight regular-season non-conference wins. Third straight year opening 2-0.

Bowling Green managed 169 yards all night and did not cross the goal line until the fourth quarter was a minute old.

Husker Nation, a team that talks about its standard all week and then plays like that on Saturday is a team worth watching. Now let’s see it against somebody who can hit back.