Bowling Green Falcons
Bowling Green, Ohio
Record: 0-1
Head Coach: Eddie George (second season)
Opponent Overview
For the second week in a row, Nebraska football is preparing to play a Mid-American Conference opponent from Ohio at home.
The Huskers had a strong second half against Ohio last Saturday to win 49-21, but now they move their focus to a team led by a head coach with NFL experience.
In his second season leading Bowling Green, head coach Eddie George is trying to improve upon last year’s 4-8 record and match his legendary playing career with success on the sidelines.
George won the 1995 Heisman Trophy over former NU quarterback Tommie Frazier and rushed for countless school records at Ohio State before playing in the NFL for nine seasons, primarily with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans.
He also won NFL Rookie of the Year in 1996, was a four-time Pro Bowler, helped the Titans make an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIV and is only the second NFL running back to rush for 10,000 yards without missing a start.
Before taking over as head coach of the Falcons, George spent four years at Tennessee State and led the Tigers to back-to-back winning seasons in 2023 and 2024.
Now a MAC head coach, the former renowned running back has his eyes set on leading Bowling Green to an upset against Nebraska after coming up short to FCS program Tarleton State 20-13 last week.
Offense
Like the Huskers, the Falcons also have a new starting quarterback this year. Fans of the program dubbed junior Jay Kastantin the “long-awaited answer” for Bowling Green, as it has struggled to find a player trustworthy or talented enough to keep the starting job.
Kastantin spent three seasons with Assumption, a Division II school, and was named the Northeast-10 Conference Most Valuable Player last year. Despite losing to the Texans, Kastantin was efficient, throwing 24-for-30 for 262 yards with no turnovers.
He has yet to find the end zone this season, but his accurate arm puts the Falcons first in the MAC for passing offense. Assisting Kastantin is his go-to target, sophomore tight end Jeremiah Scoby, who secured 10 receptions for 102 yards last week.
Also helping is lead rusher sophomore Austyn Dendy, who ran for 60 yards on 15 carries for the team’s lone touchdown against Tarleton State. Expect the Falcons to lean on Kastantin’s air attacks on Saturday, especially after the Bobcats sliced through Nebraska’s secondary last week.
Defense and Special Teams
MAC teams are known for gritty defenses, and Bowling Green’s could be the most aggressive in the conference this year. Yes, the Falcons lost last week, but they came away eighth in the nation in two categories: third-down defense and punt return defense.
Led by junior linebacker Sanders Ellis and safety Kal-El Pascal, who combined for 25 tackles last Saturday, the defense ultimately failed to stop the Texans’ run game. Tarleton State averaged 7.8 yards per carry, for a total of 258 rushing yards against Ellis, Pascal and company.
Keeping this in mind, Husker fans can expect running backs freshman Jamal Rule and junior Mekhi Nelson to build on their impressive performances against Ohio.
George’s son, Eriq, is also a member of the defense. However, the senior defensive end was quiet against the Texans, only notching three tackles.
On special teams, junior Travis Kenner was 2-for-2 on field goals in Week 1 and is in his first year as Bowling Green’s starting placekicker.
On the flip side
I interviewed Falcon Sports Media Network’s Holden Ruck to get his thoughts on Saturday’s matchup. The conversation has been condensed.
Why has Jay Kastantin been dubbed the “long-awaited answer at quarterback” for Bowling Green?
“2022 was the last time Falcon fans were feeling really good about their quarterback, Matt McDonald. That team was pretty solid, but in the following years, we’ve had a number of transfers. Last season, especially going through four quarterbacks, that’s where you look to Jay Kastantin’s performance. He only missed on six passes on Saturday, three of which were drops that probably should have been caught. He made some plays on the ground to keep third downs alive. It’s all optimism for the fans because the benchmark of last season was pretty bad.”
What type of coach is Eddie George? Does his thrilling playstyle from the ’90s show through on the sidelines?
“I would say Scot Loeffler, our old coach, had more fire on the sideline. George kind of subverts expectations in my view. He’s cool, calculated and I think his public persona even bleeds into that a little bit. I mean, he’s a businessman, philanthropist and you’ll see him promoting whiskey on one turn and doing a stint on Broadway the next. A guy like him, he’s got the fire, but it comes through in practice more than anything.”
What do the Falcons need to improve on the most from last week’s game?
“It’s got to be the play calling. You can argue the line’s performance; some guys pass protect better than they run block, but you can’t look at the game tape and tell me that the offensive line was just playing badly. They didn’t let the man get sacked. It’s also worth noting that I think Tarleton would contend pretty solidly as a middle-of-the-road team in the MAC. So, I don’t think that was a terrible loss.”
What’s your score prediction?
“I think they are going to want to push it through the air a little bit, just because the trenches are such a hard fight against Big Ten teams. By final, I’d say it will be 42-10, Nebraska.”
Matthew Malloy is an assistant sports editor for The Daily Nebraskan. Follow him on X at @matt_malloy1.
