Saturday Superlatives: The best of college football's opening weekend

We're closing the chapter on Week 1 of the college football season by handing out some superlatives.

Best game

No. 16 Auburn 27, No. 11 Oregon 21

It was the only game between ranked teams on this opening weekend. For two teams that entered the season as fringe playoff contenders, it also had more implications than any other game.

Auburn-Oregon wasn't always pretty - at times, the sloppy play offered a reminder that it was Week 1 - but it did provide a high-stakes fourth quarter in AT&T Stadium.

The Ducks dominated the first half, outgaining the Tigers and winning the turnover battle. The quarterback matchup between senior Justin Herbert and true freshman Bo Nix boiled down to experience. Herbert entered the locker room 10-of-16 passing; Nix was 6-of-18.

Yet Oregon only led 14-6 at halftime.

The Ducks squandered two red-zone opportunities, missing a 20-yard field goal and losing a fumble. The mistakes opened the door for Auburn to regroup, and Gus Malzahn's team did. Nix led Auburn on touchdown drives of 69 and 60 yards in the fourth quarter, culminating in the winning throw to Seth Williams.

Best finish

Nevada upsets Purdue with walk-off kick

The first Friday of the season was like an appetizer for Saturday's main course. But Purdue-Nevada was filling.

The Boilermakers spent the first half convincing viewers they could be a factor in the Big Ten West, jumping to a 24-7 lead on the arm of Elijah Sindelar.

They spent the second half simply trying to hold on. Nevada freshman Carson Strong completed 30-of-51 passes for 295 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Cooks to tie the game at 31 with 52 seconds left.

Two plays later, Sindelar threw his second interception, leading to this setup: a true freshman, walk-on kicker and a 56-yard field goal.

After Purdue used a timeout in an attempt to ice him, Brandon Talton coolly drilled a 56-yard kick at the buzzer, giving the Wolf Pack the upset win on their home field. The only thing that could make it sweeter? After the game, Nevada head coach Jay Norvell put Talton on scholarship.

Best celebration

Mack is back

Six years removed from his last game as Texas head coach, Mack Brown won in his return to North Carolina on Saturday. His Tar Heels came from behind to top South Carolina 24-20. After an emotional on-field interview, Brown showed that at 68, he's still got the energy.

Players of the week

QB Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma

It's probably time to adjust Jalen Hurts' Heisman odds.

The Sooners-via-Alabama quarterback was as impressive as he could be Sunday, accumulating 508 total yards and six touchdowns in No. 4 Oklahoma's 49-31 win over Houston.

The Cougars ranked 119th in scoring defense a year ago, so Hurts wasn't facing the best competition he'll see this season. But he completed 20-of-23 passes, ran for 176 yards, and proved that he and head coach Lincoln Riley will work well together.

QB Joe Burrow, LSU

LSU entered the season as the third-best team in its own league, but the No. 6 team in the country. For the Tigers to be a surprise addition to the College Football Playoff, they'll need Joe Burrow to take another step forward.

Burrow was terrific in LSU's 55-3 rout of Georgia Southern, throwing for 278 yards and five touchdowns. The touchdowns set a career high, and so did Burrow's completion percentage (85.2).

RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin

Jonathan Taylor has already secured his place in college football history as a rusher, with a record 4,171 yards as a freshman and sophomore.

The scary part? Taylor looks even better in 2019.

Wisconsin thumped South Florida 49-0, and Taylor debuted some improvements to his game. He caught two passes, taking them for 48 yards and two touchdowns. He had 16 receptions and no touchdowns through the air in his first two seasons.

Taylor remained just as difficult to stop on the ground, running for 135 yards on 16 touches.

RB Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State

While Notre Dame and Louisville still have to play Monday, the nation's leading rusher coming out of the weekend is Oklahoma State's Chuba Hubbard.

A Canadian track star, Hubbard ended last season with 145 yards in a Liberty Bowl victory against Missouri.

He decimated Oregon State on Friday, rushing for 221 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries in a 52-36 win.

His speed is unquestioned, but what Hubbard showcased Friday was an ability to handle a large workload. The 6-foot-1, 207-pound sophomore is the ground threat on an offense that appears to have a dynamic trio - Hubbard, quarterback Spencer Sanders, and receiver Tylan Wallace.

Best things you missed

An important win for Virginia

While there was only one game between ranked teams during opening weekend (Auburn and Oregon), the ACC played a handful of conference matchups as it debuted its new television network.

The most meaningful of those? Virginia, the Coastal division favorite, against Pittsburgh, last year's division champion.

While the Panthers lost 11 starters from last year's team, Saturday still provided a proving ground for the Cavaliers. Virginia lost to Pittsburgh at home a year ago. This time, the Cavaliers went to Heinz Field and won decisively 30-14.

Under-the-radar Heisman candidate Bryce Perkins (181 yards passing, 44 rushing) didn't post overwhelming numbers, but the Cavaliers didn't turn the football over. Defensively, they sacked Kenny Pickett four times and intercepted him twice. Safety Joey Blount had one of the best individual defensive performances of the weekend with two sacks and an interception.

The other reason Virginia left the weekend a big winner? Rival Virginia Tech lost its opener at Boston College. The Cavaliers already have a game up on two of the presumed contenders in the Coastal.

The Mad Hatter, at it again

There wasn't much to highlight about Kansas football's season opener. The Jayhawks struggled to put away Missouri Valley Conference opponent Indiana State, even trailing 17-16 in the final five minutes.

It took an eight-play, 75-yard drive in the final minutes, punctuated by a 22-yard touchdown from Carter Stanley to Daylon Charlot, for Les Miles to leave his KU debut a 24-17 winner.

But the Mad Hatter did pull out a gimmick for the ensuing two-point conversion.

State of Washington QBs light up scoreboard

As far as their recruitment went, Jacob Eason and Anthony Gordon didn't have much in common.

Eason, the Washington quarterback, was a five-star recruit who began his career at Georgia. Gordon, Washington State's new starting quarterback, attended City College of San Francisco before Mike Leach signed him.

Recruiting stars didn't matter Saturday, as both quarterbacks posted massive numbers in games that weren't must-see TV.

Eason completed 27-of-36 passes for a career-high 349 yards and four touchdowns. The Huskies topped FCS opponent Eastern Washington 47-14. Meanwhile, Gordon was even better in a 58-7 rout of New Mexico State. He finished 29-of-35 for 420 yards and five scores.

Both the Huskies and Cougars entered the season ranked, despite introducing new starting quarterbacks, and both teams left Week 1 looking like players in the Pac-12 title race.

Mark Cooper is theScore's NCAA writer. You can find him on Twitter @mark_cooperjr.