Nebraska football dominated Bowling Green out of the gate Saturday and, for the most part, didn’t let up until the game clock hit zero.
A flurry of long shots to the end zone and dominant pressures from the Blackshirts put NU ahead the entire game.
The Huskers won 56-7 over the Falcons and fired on all cylinders in their first night game at home this season. For Nebraska, Week 2 saw solid execution from its wide receiver room, the debut of a vital defensive leader and confident quarterback play from the new kid on the block.
Here are five Huskers who stood out in Saturday night’s matchup:
Wide receivers Jacory Barney Jr. and Kwazi Gilmer
A Bowling Green takeaway cut Nebraska’s opening drive short when Falcons senior cornerback JoJo Johnson stripped the ball out of junior wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr.’s hands.
“I’ll take the blame for that,” Barney Jr. said postgame. “We just put it in the past and just attacked the next drive.”
Instead of walking away frustrated, Barney Jr. connected with a pass from senior quarterback Anthony Colandrea for a 35-yard touchdown on the next drive. Barney Jr. closed out scoring for the Huskers in the first half by pulling in a 32-yard long shot to the end zone.
Perhaps the only other slip-up he had besides that forced interception came in the third quarter. On what could’ve been a 45-yard rushing touchdown for Colandrea, Barney Jr. was called for holding, and Nebraska came up scoreless on the drive.
Despite the few missteps, he ended the night with eight catches for 115 yards on top of those two touchdowns and wasn’t the only receiver who impressed.
Junior Kwazi Gilmer also scored twice in the first half, rounding out scoring in the first quarter with an impressive 12-yard grab while airborne in the end zone. In the middle of the second quarter, he added to his highlight reel once more with a diving 4-yard touchdown reception in the end zone.
He would go on to grab six catches for 39 yards on top of those two scores. Both Barney Jr. and Gilmer were two reasons why the Huskers led the entire contest.
Blackshirts Owen Chambliss and Donovan Jones
Nebraska’s defense looked rusty in Week 1, but all the Blackshirt engine needed to roar once more was some time and the debut of one of its vocal leaders.
Senior linebacker Owen Chambliss most recently played at San Diego State, but made the move with first-year defensive coordinator Rob Aurich over the offseason. He did not play against Ohio last week due to a hamstring injury, and while his Husker debut came a week later than expected, it certainly did not disappoint.
Chambliss notched four total tackles and provided excellent communication while he was on the field. There was a clear shift in tenacity from Week 1 to Week 2 from the Blackshirts, and Chambliss played a big part in that. He will continue to care for that hamstring injury and was sidelined for a short Saturday night because of it.
“I was super anxious before the game,” Chambliss said postgame. “It felt amazing to step out there and play. Wednesday or Thursday this week, I knew I was going to be able to go. In the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to attack rehab the best I can.”
On the exterior, junior defensive back Donovan Jones notched five tackles, one for a loss, and snatched an interception in the first quarter, setting the tone for what was a dominant night on defense.
Altogether, the Blackshirts looked exceptionally better this week, and fans can expect Chambliss and Jones to be two players who will hold the group to this new standard moving forward.
Anthony Colandrea
The new kid can play.
Despite throwing an interception on his first drive of the game, similar to how Barney Jr. responded, Colandrea came back swinging and let his passing game do the talking.
He threw 20-for-24 for 222 yards and found the end zone four times with his arm. Colandrea found 33 more yards on the ground and never quite lost that competitive edge as he was seen visibly upset after multiple plays, even when Nebraska was up by three scores or more.
“I felt like last week we prepared well, but we honestly didn’t watch a lot of tape together,” Colandrea said postgame. “I think we watched a lot of tape together this week and were on the same page with one another.”
Through two weeks as a Husker, Colandrea already has seven passing touchdowns and 497 yards through the air. The dual-threat is a breath of fresh air for Nebraska fans, who had to watch a young T.J. Lateef power through the end of last season.
The Huskers finish their non-conference schedule next Saturday and will host North Dakota. Kickoff is set for 6:15 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
Matthew Malloy is an assistant sports editor for The Daily Nebraskan. Follow him on X at @matt_malloy1.