Nebraska rebounded from its uneven win against Ohio this past week, blowing out Bowling Green 56-7. The Huskers scored 35 points in the first half, then closed out the game by scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
On the night, Nebraska totaled 546 yards on offense and held Bowling Green to 169 yards. The defense also scored a touchdown, and special teams even blocked a punt. However, while Nebraska's win was a near-perfect night, there were still mishaps and drives that left more to be desired.
Here are the position grades for Nebraska's massive 56-7 win over Bowling Green.
Quarterbacks: A-
Anthony Colandrea looked nearly unstoppable in the first half. He threw four touchdown passes and nearly 200 yards. Colandrea finished 20-of-24 for 222 yards and four scores,
including two 30-plus yard strikes to Jacory Barney Jr. That is already a significant step from last week.
Though he also record an interception, it came on a mishandled reception despite a bullseye pass. Colandrea also had a 45-yard touchdown run, but it was called back due to a holding penalty. Instead, he rushed for 33 yards on four carries in the win.
TJ Lateef then came in for Nebraska's final drive and finished six-for-eight for 60 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 22 yards on two carries. But Lateef also missed a couple of long passes.
A strong first two games from Colandrea, and a solid drive from Lateef, but the question now becomes whether or not this level of play carries over to the next week.
Running Backs: A
The running back trio of Jamal Rule, Mekhi Nelson and Isaiah Mozee combined for 191 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Each back got the ball eight times in the win as well, and each back broke out a run greater than 15 yards.
Rule totaled 88 yards and broke out a 59-yard score in the second quarter. Mozee finished with 55 yards and scored his first touchdown of the season. Nelson earned 48 yards.
Kwinten Ives also scored in the air off a six-yard reception, finishing the game with two catches for 25 yards. Nelson also snatched two passes, totaling 34 yards. Mozee grabbed one reception for 14 yards.
Overall, another big day for this group.
Wide Receivers: B+
Barney couldn't secure his first reception, leading to a turnover on the second play of the game. He also negated another big touchdown drive due to a penalty. Those were the only two major hiccups for Nebraska's receiving corps on the night, but such hiccups can be game changers down the line.
Barney did haul in eight catches for 115 yards, his third career 100-yard game. He also snatched two touchdowns from 30-plus yards. Kwazi Gilmer also hauled in two touchdowns, finishing the game with six catches for 39 yards, rounding out the main aerial attack in the win.
Other receivers did get touches, though. Cortez Mills Jr. earned two catches for 23 yards. Luke Lindenmeyer picked up two catches for 16 yards. Quinn Clark got a 10-yard reception. Nyziah Hunter earned one catch for four yards, and Demitrius Bell finished with one reception for two yards.
Another good outing for the receiving corps, but it needs to continue cleaning up its game and stay sharp if Nebraska wants to compete against the Big Ten.
Offensive Line: B+
For the second week in a row, Nebraska's run game thrived on open holes, leading to another massive outing on the ground. Colandrea also got time in the pocket to make throws, not flushing out as often as last week.
Even though Bowling Green also surrendered around the same number of rushing yards to Tarleton State, Nebraska's control of the trenches can help the team take another step in the right direction.
But it wasn't a perfect night. Colandrea got sacked once, and Nebraska suffered three tackles for loss. A holding penalty and an ineligible receiver downfield penalty also pushed the Huskers back on two separate drives.
Another good step for the line, but it still has a few more spots to clean up.
Defensive Line: B+
While the pipeline opened up holes and kept Colandrea primarily clean, the Blackshirts' front line primarily swallowed up Bowling Green's run game and kept Jay Kastantin on his toes. As a result, the Falcons finished with 85 rushing yards on 32 carries and 84 passing yards on 10 completions.
The group also forced multiple turnovers and stops. Williams Nwaneri tipped a pass at the line that led to a pick. Malcolm Simpson stripped sack Kastantin, leading to a touchdown. Riley Van Poppel even earned a tackle for loss.
However, in the third quarter, Bowling Green controlled the clock, draining over 11 minutes across just two possessions. Much of that came because the Falcons adjusted and found ways to gain 90 total yards: 45 on the ground and 45 in the air.
Bowling Green's Nakai Amachree managed to finish the night with 53 yards on 13 carries. Though he picked up 15 yards on a single run, that is still an average of over three yards per carry without that play. On top of that, one of the sacks was on a trick-play halfback pass that was flagged for intentional grounding. The strip sack also came in the fourth.
The line can keep slowing down opponents, but it needs to shut down the run more consistently and get to the quarterback earlier.
Linebackers: B+
Derek Wacker scooped up the Bowling Green fumble and scored, capping off a defensive performance that was mainly consistent from the second level.
Kastantin's longest run of the game was only nine yards, and it came early in the game. He ended up finishing with just four yards due to the strip sack.
Dexter Foster and Owen Chambliss led the second level in tackles. Foster earned five. Chambliss grabbed four in his Husker debut after being out last week.
This group didn't allow anything cataclysmic to happen, but they also didn't make any big plays without help from the other position groups. If the group wants to become an impactful part of this defense, it needs to start doing just that before Big Ten teams begin to challenge it.
Defensive Backs: B+
Nebraska's aerial defense, as mentioned before, kept Bowling Green to 10-of-16 for 84 yards and one touchdown. Donovan Jones also got the pick off the tip, making it two straight games with an interception for the group.
The Falcons also finished the first half with just 4-of-7 for 20 yards, never getting anything downfield that threatened the Huskers. That's a solid half for the secondary.
However, the third quarter became a frustrating stretch, including five completions for 45 yards. Then the Falcons started the fourth with a 19-yard touchdown reception, made possible by a couple of missed tackles from the secondary.
This is the main takeaway that the group needs to address. Even if it can shut down downfield passes against Big Ten teams, allowing short passes to become big plays cannot be a trade-off.
Special Teams: B
As mentioned before, Nebraska blocked a punt in the win. The block ended a long drive by Bowling Green at the start of the second half. That was the highlight of the night for the group, but it didn't summarize the game for the third phase.
The punt return team coughed up three holding penalties, pushing the team as far back as their own 13-yard line. Though it didn't negate any big returns nor hinder any of Nebraska's drives, multiple holding penalties in one game cannot continue.
Nebraska, however, only totaled 26 yards on six punt returns. Barney led the group, earning 12 yards, but on four attempts. The punt team also didn't see action on the night. On kickoffs, Bowling Green had two kick returns on the night, but totaled 26 yards. Nyziah Hunter totaled 54 yards on two kick returns.
There was also a failed 55-yard field goal attempt, which fell short in the third. Overall, it was a mixed night for Nebraska's special teams, but there's room for growth.
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This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: Report card from Nebraska's 56-7 takedown of Bowling Green
