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LINCOLN —  After opening the season with a 49-21 win over Ohio on Saturday, Bowling Green Week is officially here.

Head coach Matt Rhule met with the media ahead of Monday's practice. Here is what he had to say.

Final Thoughts on Ohio

As he did after the game on Saturday, Rhule pointed out that the penalties need to improve.

"If you want to look at our scoring, it basically mirrors along with our penalty chart," Rhule said. "We improved our focus, but there is no excuse for that. It can't happen."

Nebraska had four penalties in the first quarter, two in the second, three in the third, and none in the fourth. Scoring by quarter was seven, seven, 14, and 21. From the last non-special teams penalty to the end of the game, the Huskers outscored the Bobcats 28-8.

Rhule wanted better tackling from his defense. He did say last week that angles in openers tend not to be as good as a few games into the season.

"I thought it was good. It wasn't great; it was good," Rhule said.

A place Rhule wants to see improvement is on tackling the quarterback. Nick Poulos had 70 yards and a touchdown on the ground against the Blackshirts on Saturday.

"I thought we did a good job of shutting down the run game, but allowed the quarterback to get out in some of the pass-rush situations," Rhule said. "In some of the zone reads and crucial downs, guys not taking the quarterback, not taking assignment football, also cannot happen."

Bowling Green

Rhule said he's excited for a night game, something that always brings big energy to Memorial Stadium.

"There's nothing quite like Memorial Stadium at night," Rhule said.

Rhule described quarterback Jay Kastantin as not a dual-threat guy, but an athletic QB who can take off if the opportunity presents itself. That will be another challenge for the Huskers to bring discipline and stick to their assignments.

The Falcons are led by 1995 Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George. He was at Ohio State at the same time Rhule was at Penn State. The two programs met twice when George and Rhule were on the teams.

In 1994, No. 1 Penn State crushed No. 21 Ohio State, 63-14. George had six carries for 25 yards.

In 1995, No. 5 Ohio State slipped past No. 12 Penn State, 28-25. George had 24 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown.

"I have memories of standing on the sidelines watching Eddie George play," Rhule said. "I didn't play that young, but they had a great team." 

Injury Update

Linebacker Owen Chambliss didn't play in the season opener against Ohio. After the game, Rhule sounded optimistic that Chambliss would be back. On Monday? Not so much.

"Not sure if he'll be back or not. I hope so, but I'm not sure," Rhule said.

That means plenty of Vincent Shavers Jr., Dexter Foster, and Dawson Merritt in the middle.

As for other injuries or ailments from the Ohio game, Rhule said nobody has anything lasting from dealing with the heat, which saw field temperatures reach at least 140 degrees.

"Maybe the coaches, but not the players," Rhule joked.

Other Notes

• Jeremiah Jones is "going to be a great defensive player," but he just needs reps and playing time to reach his ceiling.
• Expect to see roles for Mac Markway and Demetrius Bell go up.
• Offensive line good enough to beat Ohio but not good enough going forward.
• Always happy to go through a game with no turnovers from the quarterback.
• Liked how each of the running backs played. No plans for big changes in how that room is utilized.
• The elimination of redshirts and the implementation of 5-for-5 removed the stress of which underclassmen could and couldn't play.

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