The Nebraska football team shouldn’t need much help to defeat Bowling Green on Saturday night. After all, the Huskers are almost 31-point favorites heading into their Week 2 matchup against a Falcons team that lost to FCS Tarleton State last week. Help appears to be arriving all the same, with the obvious goal of getting Owen Chambliss ready for the weeks to come in a game against a severely overmatched MAC squad.
Chambliss has been nursing a hamstring injury that was first alluded to by defensive coordinator Rob Aurich in the final week of training camp. Before the Huskers fully turned their attention to preparing for Week 1, Aurich met the media and said Chambliss had missed an entire week of practice.
That week spread into the prep for Ohio, and while there was hope he might see a few snaps against the Bobcats, he came out before that game looking ready to watch from the sidelines. In the wake of a blowout victory, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said he wasn’t sure when Chambliss would be available to play.
The concern was never about even getting the linebacker on the field for North Dakota; it was simply hoping that he’d be back in time to help once the Big Ten schedule starts. With the conference schedule still the biggest target, Husker fans shouldn’t expect to see Chambliss a ton on Saturday night. However, if he can play at all, it’s a positive step forward.
Why getting Owen Chambliss snaps against Bowling Green is crucial for Rob Aurich's defense
Chambliss is an important part of Aurich’s defense not only because he can man the middle of the field but also because he’s very comfortable in the attack, since both men spent 2025 with San Diego State, forging one of the best defenses in the country.
2025 was truly a breakout season for Chambliss, who logged 109 tackles (his previous career high was 32) and 5 pass breakups. The linebacker also had 4 sacks and an interception.
It’s not a huge stretch to believe that if Chambliss had been on the field against Ohio, a defense that struggled mightily in the first quarter last week, it might have been able to shore things up sooner.
In the long run, how the Nebraska defense improves from one week to the next is the biggest key for Aurich, Rhule, and the Blackshirts. How much they can improve and how much Owen Chambliss can be on the field on Saturday night is a bigger point to watch than the point spread against Bowling Green.
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