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BYU became the first team to win an opening game at Nebraska's Memorial Stadium in 29 years, clinching a 33-28 victory on a Hail Mary pass from freshman quarterback Tanner Mangum to Mitch Mathews with no time on the clock.
But the win comes at a steep price for the Cougars, who lost senior quarterback Taysom Hill to his third season-ending injury with a fractured foot. Hill's injury came on a non-contact play while running for a touchdown in the first quarter, though the Pocatello, Idaho, native returned after one series by Mangum before exiting for good in the second half.
Here are three quick thoughts on a big win for BYU football.
Hill out for the season … again
Taysom Hill likes to run, and he suffered the third season-ending injury of his career while running in a touchdown on a non-contact play in the first quarter. He returned for part of the second and third quarters, then exited the game for good late and let Mangum take over before finding his heroics.
Hill finished with 268 yards and a touchdown on 21-of-34 passes, and added 72 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries — more yards than the rest of BYU's rushers combined.
With the extent of his injury, which early reports are diagnosing as a Lisfranc fracture, the senior's career may be over. A dark-horse Heisman Trophy candidate, Hill had hopes of leading BYU to one final season before entering the NFL draft and graduating from the university with a degree in finance. His intentions are unknown, but it is unlikely the Idaho-bred athlete will take another snap for BYU again.
Nacua, Dye, Laulile, Takitaki suspended from opener
After last December's bowl game brawl in Miami, BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall kept his cards close to his chest when asked repeatedly about suspensions facing his players for the season-opener at Nebraska.
On Saturday, those suspensions were revealed. The Cougars suspended safety Kai Nacua, H-back Trey Dye, defensive lineman Tomasi Laulile and linebacker Sione Takitaki for the opener for unannounced infractions.
Takitaki's suspension came as the result of two misdemeanor theft charges over the summer involving apparel from the women's soccer and track and field offices on campus. But Nacua, Dye and Laulile, who each were filmed playing significant roles in the Miami brawl by ESPN cameras, were likely due to last year's incident.
Nick Kurtz can handle the ball
After missing all of last season with a foot injury, Kurtz opened his BYU career in style. His first catch as a Cougar went 35 yards down field to set up Hill's first touchdown run, and the junior college transfer finished with 123 yards on five catches, or 24.6 yards per grab, to lead all receivers.
With fellow 6-foot-6 wideout Mitch Mathews on the outside, the duo will be reliable targets for Mangum as he transitions into a full-time starter role for the BYU offense. Mathews finished with 69 yards on three catches, but two of his grabs went for touchdowns — including the last-second Hail Mary to give BYU the win.
Beyond Kurtz and Mathews, BYU appears to have the deepest receiving corps in recent years. Eight other wideouts caught passes for the Cougars, including Devon Blackmon's 43 yards on five catches, Terenn Houk's 59 yards on four catches and even freshman Moroni Laulu-Pututau, who had one catch for 10 yards and a big first down on BYU's final drive.
