When Nebraska took the field for its first punt less than two minutes into the game, the Huskers did so with one noticeable exception.

Ten members of the punt team lined up in their respective positions, but there was no punter to kick the ball away. That was NU’s way of honoring the late Sam Foltz, who was tragically killed in a car crash on July 23.

As the play clock ran down, the Memorial Stadium student section unveiled a black “SF27” banner to honor the former All-Big Ten punter, and cheers rang throughout Memorial Stadium.

“The crowd responded just as I thought they would,” head coach Mike Riley said.

Nebraska intentionally did not snap the ball and took a five-yard delay of game penalty, which Fresno State head coach Tim DeRuyter quickly declined.

"I talked to coach Riley about that,” DeRuyter said. “The officials first told me in our officials meeting before and then I talked to Mike before. No hesitation. It is tragic. I was talking with our coaches, and I can't imagine losing a son. And if we can't teach our guys to not do something classy like that then what is college for? I said we were going to decline the penalty. We were going to do that."

In addition to the gesture on the opening punt, both Nebraska and Fresno State’s players all sported “SF27” decals on their helmets. Prior to the game the team announced that junior kicker Drew Brown - one of Foltz’s best friends on the team - had been awarded the very first Sam Foltz Memorial Scholarship.

Nebraska also renamed its HERO Leadership Award the Sam Foltz Hero 27 Leadership Award, which will be presented to 27 student-athletes who embody the qualities Foltz did both on and off the field.

“It was a special thing,” Brown said. “It was special to see the entire crowd get up and cheer and give a lot of applause. Especially Fresno State, I have a lot of respect for those guys because they were clapping and they were pumping up the crowd too. It’s something special, and I’m never going to forget it.”

True freshman punter Caleb Lightbourn eventually made his Husker debut on Saturday, punting four times for an average of 36.2 yards. However, his second punt attempt of the game ended up getting blocked, leading to a touchdown by Fresno State that cut Nebraska’s lead to 14-10.

- Robin Washut

When all was said and done, Nebraska kicked off its 2016 campaign with a 33-point victory to start the season 1-0.

But there were far to many glaring mistakes that occurred during the game for Riley to feel to good about the 100th victory of his college head coaching career.

Not only were the Huskers leading by just four points at halftime before pulling away in the second half, they also committed seven penalties for 80 yards, had a punt blocked, and simply committed far too many mental errors that could have cost them much more than they did.

“I have many mixed emotions about this game,” Riley said. “Obviously when you rush for that many yards you’ve done some pretty good things. I thought defensively it seemed like we made a lot of good plays and did some good things.

“But games get real cloudy for me when you get a punt blocked and a procedure penalty that takes away a first down. When you get a big, big penalty when you’re going to get a team off the field, when you get a targeting foul that gives them new life and then a touchdown. So I have really mixed emotions about this game. Lots of stuff that has to change.”

Along with the penalties and self-inflicted mistakes, quarterback Tommy Armstrong struggled to do much of anything in the passing game.

While Nebraska rushed for an impressive 292 yards and converted all five of its trips inside the red zone into touchdowns, Armstrong ended the night completing just 5-of-10 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Even worse, 57 of those yards came on one scoring toss to Alonzo Moore in the fourth quarter.

“When we get a chance to throw it, we’ve got to make sure we complete them,” Armstrong said. “There were a few times where I could’ve led guys a little bit more. There was a bunch of miscommunication with myself and some of the guys. The offensive line gave me great time to complete passes, but certain aspects of the game I’ve got to make sure I'm smarter.”

Riley expected there to be some first-game jitters and some rust that needed to be knocked off, but he knows his team needs to make a big jump in its overall execution going forward.

“We just have to be better than that,” Riley said. “I thought we’d take a step forward with penalties, and it didn’t feel like it. I thought we’d take a step forward with not lining up illegally, and it didn’t feel like that. Getting a punt blocked is just horrible. Fielding punts and guys running into each other, it’s sloppy. It just doesn’t feel real good.”

- Robin Washut

When linebacker Luke Gifford shoved Fresno State quarterback Chason Virgil to the ground after he let go of the football late in the second quarter, most of the 90,000 fans in attendance had a feeling what was coming next.

Because Gifford pushed Virgil high enough to where it appeared he made contact with Virgil’s head, the officials immediately flagged the play for targeting.

The call stood after further review, marking the third time in NU’s past three games dating back to last season that a Husker defender had been ejected as a result of the NCAA’s targeting rule.

Sophomore safety Aaron Williams almost made it four when he was initially flagged for targeting in the second half, but the ruling was overturned after further review.

While the majority of Memorial Stadium was baffled at the ruling, Riley said it was and would continue to be on the coaches and players to adjust to the new emphasis on player safety in college football.

“I think that we all understand the emphasis,” Riley said. “It’s up to us to figure out what they’re going to call and help out kids. Then it’s up to the kids to avoid that… The emphasis of all this, don’t get me wrong, I think it’s all good. But the point is what’s the interpretation, how do we coach it, how do we change that?”

Junior safety Kieron Williams agreed, saying he was all for making the game safer even if it meant changing the entire mentality when it came to tackling and delivering big hits on opposing players.

“The game is changing, but I think it’s for the better,” Williams said. “When you’re out there, you have to play reckless, but you also have to try to protect those guys, too. I would never want to injury guy. I don’t think that’s the point of the game.”

- Robin Washut

After making his name with a breakout performance in Nebraska’s Foster Farms Bowl win over UCLA to end last season, Devine Ozigbo picked up right where he left off with another career outing on Saturday night.

The sophomore running back helped set the tone for the Huskers’ offense by racking up a career-high 103 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries in the win.

"It felt good,” Ozigbo said. “I honestly wasn't sure about the numbers. I knew they had to be all right but 17 carries is nice, I like it. Especially with Terrell (Newby), I know Terrell had some good runs so as long as we're moving the ball on the ground, if I'm getting my carries I'll just do whatever I can with those."

Even though he came into the season opener listed as No. 2 on the running back depth chart, Ozigbo had six more rushes than any other Husker ball carrier in the game. Newby, who got the start on Saturday, ran for 56 yards on 11 carries.

Ozigbo said he’s not concerned about when or how often he gets the ball going forward. The only thing he’s worried about is continuing to make an impact whenever he get his chances.

“If I stay loose, I'll be ready,” Ozigbo said. “You have to stay locked in, Coach (Reggie) Davis preaches that. Stay ready, your opportunity could come at any time. That's one thing all the backs definitely are focused on. If your number is called you have to go up there and get your best run."

- Robin Washut

***Nebraska's win marked the 100th career college coaching victory for Riley. Riley was the all-time winningest coach in Oregon State history with 93 wins and now has seven victories at Nebraska. He becomes one of just 10 active coaches with at least 100 victories at a Power Five conference school.

***Nebraska won its 18th consecutive night home game at Memorial Stadium and improved to 44-5 all-time in home night games.

***Moore finished with a team-high three catches for a career-high 92 receiving yards and also had a career-long 24-yard rush. With his 57-yard touchdown, each of Moore’s past four scoring catches have covered at least 32 yards.

***Armstrong became the second player in school history to surpass 8,000 career total offense yards, joining Taylor Martinez. Armstrong now has 8,148 yards of total offense in his career, second at Nebraska behind Martinez’s 10,233 career total offensive yards.

***By limiting Fresno State to just 31 rushing yards, Nebraska has now held three of its past four opponents to less than 100 rushing yards dating back to last season.

***True freshmen making their Husker debuts tonight included Lightbourn, defensive backs Lamar Jackson and JoJo Domann, and I-back Tre Bryant.

***Huskers making their first career starts in tonight’s game included offensive tackle David Knevel, offensive guards Sam Hahn and Tanner Farmer, defensive tackle Mick Stoltenberg, Kieron Williams and Lightbourn.

***Senior wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp had one reception for six yards, marking his 27th straight game with a catch, the fourth-longest streak in NU history.