Nebraska Loses To BYU 33-28 On Last Second Hail Mary

It appeared that the Nebraska Cornhuskers had the game in hand, with a 28-27 lead and one second left on the clock, but the BYU Cougars had something else in mind. With BYU starting quarterback Taysom Hill out of the game, backup Tanner Magnum threw a 42-yard hail mary pass to Mitch Mathews for a touchdown to seal the victory for the Cougars.

BYU lead at the half 24-14 after Nebraska jumped out to a 14-7 lead in the first quarter only to see the Cougars score 17 points in the second quarter. Nebraska's run game was anemic in the first half, gaining only 34 yards on 17 carries.

The Cornhuskers got things going in the second half with the run game, as Nebraska scored 14 points in the third quarter to take a 28-24 lead on a Terrel Newby 10-yard run, and 9-yard pass from Tommy Armstrong to tight end Trey Foster.

BYU would pick up a 35-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, making it 28-27 Nebraska. The Cornhuskers had a chance to add to their score, but Drew Brown missed a 41-yard field goal and left just enough time for BYU to execute their game-winning play.

Taysom Hill ended the game 21-for-34 for 268 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Backup Magnum was 7-for-11 for 111 yards and that one hail mary touchdown. Nick Kurtz was the leading receiver for BYU with 5 catches for 123 yards.

For Nebraska, Tommy Armstrong was 24-for-41 for 318 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Jordan Westerkamp was the leading receiver with 7 receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown while Brandon Reilly added 5 receptions for 70 yards.

The loss ended Nebraska's 29-year season opening win streak, the longest in the nation. The last loss suffered by Nebraska in an opener was in 1985 to Florida State 17-13.