Purdue Boilermakers

Big Ten West: Seeking bright spots in Nebraska's stunning loss

Published Sep. 7, 2015 3:43 p.m. ET

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The Mike Riley era certainly started with a bang on Saturday, even if it ended with a thud.

BYU made the debut of Riley one to remember especially for Cougar fans. Freshman quarterback Tanner Magnum who was not with the team last season while he completed his mission in Chile, completed a 42-yard pass to Mitch Matthews as time expired to win the game for BYU 33-28.

There were certainly positives as junior quarterback Tommy Armsrong had a solid statline in his first game in the new pro-style offense that Riley prefers. Armstrong went 24-for-41 for 319 yards and added three touchdowns with one interception.

Looking forward, the Huskers should also be happy with the number of young players that contributed. In particular redshirt freshman running back Mikale Wilbon, true freshman linebacker Dedric Young, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Nick Gates, true freshman safety Aaron Williams, and true freshman wide receiver Stanley Morgan Jr. all played significant roles.

Gophers, Badgers worn down by tough opponents

Sometimes in college football we get those big-time matchups in Week One that fans dream of.

That was certainly the case when Minnesotas took on second-ranked TCU in a revenge game from last season. The Gophers dug themselves a hole early, getting down 10-0 but clawed their way back before ultimately losing, 23-17.

The Gophers defense led by an all-senior secondary held one of the Heisman front runners Trevone Boykin in check, holding him to 26-for-42 for 246 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception.

Boykin told USA Today the Horned Frogs have to be ready for everyone's best shot:

"No game is going to be easy," Boykin said. "We're the No. 2 team in the country, and we're going to get everybody's best swing. We have to counterpunch."

Wisconsin didn't have much time to figure things out with a new but familiar head coach Paul Chryst.

Facing off against the third-ranked team in the country is never ideal but it's especially troubling when facing Nick Saban and Alabama. Wisconsin was breaking in three offensive line starters against perhaps the best defensive line in all of college football.

The Badger kept it close in the first half but were eventually worn down by Derrick Henry and the Tide rushing attack. Wisconsin was outgained 502-268 and struggled mightily on offense without star tailback Melvin Gordon, who is with the San Diego Chargers.

Wisconsin also came out of this game banged up as senior safety Michael Caputo got a head injury on the third play of the game. He led the teams with 103 tackles last year. In addition to that, new tailback Corey Clement was limited with a groin injury. The Badgers should be able to get back on track next week when they play host to Miami (OH).

Quick hits: Northwestern stunned Stanford in Evanston. Freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson played a turnover free game and super sophomore running back Justin Jackson added 134 yards on the ground ... Illinois got the Bill Cubit era off to a rousing start by doing something it never did under Tim Beckman, score 50 points... CJ Beathard showed why the coaching staff couldn't wait to get him in as the starting QB. He threw for 211 yards for Iowa and a touchdown in his debut at Kinnick Stadium.

Greg Smith covers the Big Ten West for FOX Sports. You can follow him on Twitter at GregSmithSports.