Football is a beautiful thing. Any FBS (or FCS game for that matter) is a sight to behold after waiting all summer. For the Big Ten, there were no conference matchups just yet. That doesn’t mean that there weren’t some big games. Here’s how Week One went for the Big Ten teams:
Thursday
Ohio 31 @ Rutgers 34
Oh boy. This game started off as expected. Rutgers came out and dominated early on against a MAC school, albeit the 2024 champions of the MAC. The Scarlet Knights scored on all of their first four drives,
plus added a touchdown on a blocked punt. They led the Bobcats 31-14 with under four minutes to go in the first half. Ohio would get a field goal and go into halftime down by two scores. The Bobcats entered the second half by scoring twice in the third quarter to tie the game at 31. Rutgers would then control the clock on an almost eight-minute drive that culminated with three points, a lead the Scarlet Knights held for the final 11 minutes after only allowing the Bobcats one more drive.
Buffalo 10 @ Minnesota 23
Love the Drake. Drake Lindsey, that is. In his first career start, the redshirt freshman put together a solid performance against Buffalo. The score may not directly reflect that, but the stats and especially the eye test speak more than just words. Koi Perich flashed his ability to play two-way as he had Minnesota’s first reception of the game, while Darius Taylor showed signs of returning to his freshman form, rushing for 141 yards on 4.7 yards-per-carry. Jalen Smith and Javon Tracy emerged in the wide receiver room, but it was tight end Jameson Geers who seemed to be Lindsey’s go-to guy. If the Golden Gophers can clean up some of their drops, the ceiling will continue to rise.
Nebraska 20 @ Cincinnati 17
At Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, the Cornhuskers took down Cincinnati in a thriller. The Cornhuskers started off slow in the first quarter but were able to score 13 straight in the second, including Nyziah Hunter’s head-tap touchdown. Coach Matt Rhule had emphasized playing clean, mistake-free football, and that delivered, as Nebraska totaled more than 350 yards of offense and forced two turnovers defensively. What kept the Bearcats in this game was their 200+ rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns from quarterback Brendan Sorsby. Dylan Raiola put together a complete and clean game, while running back Emmett Johnson had over 100 yards on the ground to add to the offensive success the Cornhuskers had. Cincinnati had a shot to win it late, down 20-17 with the ball late in the game. That’s when a Nebraska interception sealed the victory for Rhule’s squad, giving his team the Thursday night victory.
Miami (OH) 0 @ Wisconsin 17
Wisconsin’s defense came to play. For the first time since 2017, the Badgers held their opponent to zero third-down conversions and less than 150 yards. They did lose quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. after a non-contact lower-body injury in the second quarter, but backup Danny O’Neil came in and held his own with support from Edwards on the sideline. Good start to the season for the Badgers.
Friday
Western Michigan 6 @ Michigan State 23
Michigan State had a very clean game as Western Michigan was unable to really do anything. Aidan Chiles played pretty well, Makhi Frazier and Brandon Tullis showed their potential on the ground, and Nick Marsh continued where he left off last season as one of the better wide receivers in the conference. Transfer Omari Kelly led the Spartans in receiving yards, while the defense sacked the Broncos’ quarterbacks four times. All-in-all, a solid showing from MSU.
FCS Western Illinois 3 @ No. 12 Illinois 52
As expected, Illinois came out and destroyed Western Illinois, not giving up any points until the fourth quarter. Luke Altmyer did his job, and Hank Beatty seemingly emerged as WR1 for the Illini (he also had a huge punt return touchdown), but it was the ground game that stole the show. Aidan Laughery ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 11.2 yards-per-carry, Kaden Feagin led the way with 13 carries and averaged 5.7 yards-per-carry and Ca’Lil Valentine also averaged 5.7 yards-per-carry himself. Defensively, Gabe Jacas continued his success from 2025, sacking the Leathernecks quarterback Chris Irvin twice.
Saturday
No. 1 Texas 7 @ No. 3 Ohio State 14
The marquee game of Week One proved that Ohio State’s defense is real and is not to be messed with. The Buckeyes’ new defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia, put on a defensive clinic against the No. 1 preseason team in the country. Texas did outperform Ohio State in the trenches and from a statistical standpoint, but two goal-line stands were the difference between a win and a loss for the Buckeyes. Jeremiah Smith struggled a bit with drops in this one after only dropping one pass all of last season, but it is of note that he only had one reception against Texas in the College Football Playoffs back in January. Julian Sayin’s debut showed his potential while CJ Donaldson Jr. had a solid day on the ground. Carnell Tate made an amazing touchdown grab, which ended up being the difference on the scoreboard. Sonny Styles showed his crazy high ceiling as a Swiss army knife on defense, while Caleb Downs did his thing as arguably the best defensive player in the nation. Even with Texas controlling the line on both sides of the ball, Ohio State’s two huge stops when the Longhorns were in the red zone showed the world that the Buckeyes should have started the season ranked at No. 1.
Florida Atlantic 7 @ Maryland 39
Malik Washington’s debut as a true freshman was nothing to complain about. He threw 43 passes, completing 27 of them for 258 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite targets were Shaleak Knotts and Jalil Farooq, but 10 different Terrapins caught passes against FAU. The big story of the game, however, was the Maryland secondary. The Owls’ two quarterbacks, Caden Veltkamp and Zach Gibson, threw a combined six interceptions. The defense also only allowed seven points, helping to contribute to a strong Week One victory for the Terrapins.
Ball State 0 @ Purdue 31
Last year, Purdue beat FCS Indiana State 49-0 in Week 1 to open the season. The Boilermakers proceeded to lose every game after, ultimately leading to them firing their head coach. The replacement was Barry Odom, whose first game as Purdue’s head coach ended in a shutout. This time, it was an FBS team, albeit Ball State, which only won three games a season ago. The Boilermakers have an FCS matchup next week before the schedule picks up immensely. Ryan Browne did look pretty good at quarterback, though.
Northwestern 3 @ Tulane 23
Preston Stone was flattened by the boulder that was Tulane’s defense, turning the ball over five times (almost six). That’s all to be said here, as you can find much more in-depth coverage about the rest of this game on InsideNU’s website and socials.
Old Dominion 14 @ No. 20 Indiana 27
It’s now Fernando Mendoza’s world, and we’re all just living in it. While Curt Cignetti’s new quarterback from Cal didn’t light up the stat sheet per se, he more than passed the eye test. Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black each looked strong and steady on the ground, while the IU defense forced three interceptions. Old Dominion scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter, making the score seem less impressive, but the Hoosiers were in control the whole way through. Elijah Sarratt only caught three passes, but Indiana was able to dominate this game on the ground. Look for him to get more involved as the schedule picks up, as well as for Mendoza to begin to really shine. Big punt return touchdown too, courtesy of Jonathan Brady.
Nevada 11 @ No. 2 Penn State 46
Scorigami! 46-11 is a new college football final score! Apart from that, nothing here was too unexpected. Penn State dominated Nevada throughout, but the big takeaway is that the Nittany Lions may have some true stars at wide receiver in transfers Kyron Hudson and Trebor Peña. They do have a few more weeks before getting into Big Ten play, though.
FCS Montana State 13 @ No. 7 Oregon 59
A year removed from being too close for comfort against an FCS team in the season opener, Oregon came out and showed just what this team can do. Dante Moore got his first start at quarterback since he was at UCLA his freshman season, and he showed up with three touchdowns and 213 passing yards while only throwing five incomplete passes. Noah Whittington played well at running back, as did Jordon Davison with his three rushing touchdowns. Malik Benson and Gary Bryant Jr. were two of Moore’s go-to targets in this game, as was true freshman 5-star receiver Dakorien Moore. Tight end Kenyon Sadiq had a major highlight play as well, adding to the possibilities for this Oregon offense. Interestingly enough, transfer running back Makhi Hughes from Tulane saw very limited playing time, but it didn’t matter for the Ducks. Matayo Uiagalelei had two sacks and is becoming one of the best pass rushers in the country.
FCS Albany 7 @ Iowa 34
Iowa scored 30+ points? Iowa scored 30+ points! Xavier Williams had himself a day at running back, carrying the ball 11 times for 122 yards and a touchdown. Iowa’s new quarterback, transfer Mark Gronowski from South Dakota State, didn’t need to do much. He did, however, not mess up. Clean game all around from Iowa, but next week will be the big test against in-state rival Iowa State.
New Mexico 17 @ No. 14 Michigan 34
5-star recruit Bryce Underwood got the start for Michigan as the new look New Mexico Lobos came to the Big House. Underwood had a solid showing, throwing for 251 yards and a touchdown, but it was Alabama transfer running back Justice Haynes who stole the show on offense. Haynes carried the ball 16 times for 159 yards and three touchdowns (9.9 yards per carry, including a 59-yard touchdown scamper). There was a small scare for the Wolverines in the second quarter when the Lobos made it a one-score game, but Michigan prevailed at home with its new quarterback of the future. Strange targeting call on Jaishawn Barham, though, which could prove to be a major player when the Wolverines travel to play Oklahoma in Week 2.
Missouri State 13 @ USC 73
The most points USC has scored in a single game since 1930. Missouri State’s first-ever game as an FBS team ended with the Bears being completely outmatched from start to finish. Jayden Maiava got the start as expected, while true freshman Husan Longstreet got the second half and flashed his potential. There may be a quarterback battle brewing in Los Angeles.
Utah 43 @ UCLA 10
UCLA was completely outmatched by Utah in this one. Devon Dampier put the nation on notice for the Utes as he may have entered himself into early Heisman conversations. On the other end, Nico Iamaleava gave the Bruins less than desired. He led his team in rushing yards with 47 and threw for a touchdown, but also only completed 50% of his passes, threw an interception and threw for less than 150 yards. The rushing yards do look impressive, especially considering he was sacked four times. The UCLA defense also was lackluster as it failed to force a turnover, allowed Dampier to throw for 206 yards and two touchdowns and gave up 287 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. At least Pac-12 after dark is back in spirit.
Colorado State 21 @ Washington 38
The Demond Williams Jr. era has begun for Washington. The Huskies were in a close battle with Colorado State but pulled away in the second half to win by 17. Williams Jr. threw for 226 yards and a touchdown to go along with his 68 yards on the ground (he did lose a fumble, though). Standout running back Jonah Coleman had himself a day as well, punching it in the end zone twice while rushing for 177 yards behind a strong offensive line that paved the way for almost 300 total rushing yards. Denzel Boston continued to succeed at wide receiver, catching five passes for 92 yards and an incredible touchdown. Washington’s defense forced one turnover and held the Rams to 265 total yards offensively. Safe to say, the Huskies started the season off in the right direction.
