2026 MAC Football Week 2 Game Preview: Bowling Green Falcons at Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Bowling Green Falcons (0-1) won't have long to lick their wounds after a lackluster showing last weekend– not that second-year head coach Eddie George wants to.

George chose to take an optimistic bend to the loss during Monday's press availability, framing it as an opportunity to focus less on the outcome itself and more on the process to "move the team forward", pointing out how BGSU limited Tarleton State to three points in the second half and only allowed 10 points on short field possessions.

But that mindset won't make the task ahead any easier, as BGSU now goes on the road to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0), who are fresh off a victory over BG's MAC peer Ohio, under the lights at Memorial Stadium for a national TV game.

Game notes

• Date and Time: Saturday, Sept. 13th, 2026 at 7 p.m. Eastern time
• Location: Tom Osborne Field at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.
• TV information: The game will air nationally on FS1. A valid subscription is required.
• Streaming options: The game will be available via the Fox Sports App. A valid subscription is required for viewing. Other applicable cable/satellite streaming services are also available with a valid subscription. Other streaming carriers include Sling, DirecTV Stream, fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, or YouTube TV.
• BGSU radio: Todd Walker (play-by-play) and John Gibson (color) will provide the away call for Eagle FM 99.
• Gambling Considerations: Nebraska is 30.5-point favorite, with an over/under of 50.5-51.5 by book, per Covers.
• All-Time Series: First-ever meeting

Nebraska outlook

Nebraska had to sweat it out– literally and figuratively– against a feisty Ohio Bobcats side which rallied to stay competitive right up until the fourth quarter.

On paper, Bowling Green does not present as much of a challenge, but considering how slow of a start Nebraska had against Ohio, they'll want to prove as quickly as they can they're capable of more consistent play.

The Huskers seem to have found something good in the run game, accumulating four rushing touchdowns and 248 yards against the Bobcats. True freshman Jamal Rule had a monstrous debut, with 142 rushing yards (team-high), 47 receiving yards and three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) to pace the offense. Mehki Nelson is just as capable, with 64 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

QB Anthony Colandrea arrives after playing at UNLV in 2025, where he was one of the Mountain West's best gunslingers. Last week, it took him a while to get his legs under him, but once he did, he was electric, with 298 total yards (275 passing, 23 rushing) and four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing). He has some decent weapons in Jacorey Barney and Kwazi Gilmer on the outside, with Nelson and Rule also capable receivers out of the backfield.

Defensively, the Huskers initially struggled to contain Ohio's pistol-based running attack, allowing Ohio QB Nick Poulos to gain 31 yards on the ground and over 100 in the pass game– including a 68-yard dart to Riley Neer on the first play from scrimmage.

By game's end, they settled down, forcing Ohio to settle for two field goals on promising drives and giving up an early TD in the fourth quarter before the Husker offense slammed the game shut. In all, they gave up 303 total yards and notched an interception to aid the effort late.

Jamir Conn led the team in tackles (eight) on the day, while Donovan Jones swatted down two passes in the defensive backfield. As a unit, they collected two sacks and four TFLs.

Nebraska has some work to do, but they're a solid group of prospects who should find a lot easier time getting pressure against a BGSU line that is charitable described as a work-in-progress.

Bowling Green outlook

Even in the loss, there were positive signs to point towards for Bowling Green.

The Falcons outscored Tarleton State by a margin of 13-3 after the Texans jumped BG in the first 28 minutes, and looked efficient on offense once they made adjustments.

The defense also bowed up, allowing just 111 yards in four second-half drives while forcing a punt and two turnovers-on-down prior to TSU's final offensive effort– which ended in a fumble recovered by the Falcons.

Former D-II prospect Jay Kastantin was a shocking candidate to win the starting QB job, but was admirable in his debut, completing 80 percent of his passes for 262 yards, while Austyn Dendy (60 yards, one touchdown) led the rushers. Tight end Jeremiah Scoby, who had just one career reception prior to last week, exploded onto the scene with 10 receptions for 102 yards on the afternoon, potentially cementing a role for himself in the future of the offense.

On defense, the defensive backs limited the passing attack to just over 200 yards total, with no receiver getting more than 50 yards individually. The pass rush also looked effective, with former Central Michigan EDGE Kade Kostus collecting a TFL, sack and fumble to directly impact the game at the line. He has made for a nice running mate opposite Eriq George. Linebacker Dorian Pringle collected 16 tackles, the most by a Falcon defender since 2021.

Alas, one can't ignore the 250 yards given up to Tylan Hines on the ground– including two explosive plays of over 70+ yards. Last week's tape showed Nebraska is just as– if not more– capable of producing long runs to wear down defenses. BG will have to do significant work in practice to identify what went wrong and address it.

Game outlook

At the end of the day, Bowling Green is ultimately a 30-point underdog for a reason. You can't lose to an FCS team (regardless of their caliber) and expect anyone to have belief in you.

A road game to one of the rowdiest road environments in the country certainly won't help either. It's very likely BG will end up 0-2 at the end of the game.

But as Eddie George suggested, the team is about next few weeks are about moving the team forward and figuring out how to progress towards positive development.

Nebraska should win handily; the question is how much of a fight the Falcons will show in the process. If the Falcons find a spark even in the midst of unfavorable conditions, that's something to be built upon.