WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.-Northwestern won its season opener, 31-27, over Purdue on Thursday night in a wild, exciting and often ugly game that may have generated more questions than answers.

Five quarterbacks took snaps in the game, three for Northwestern and two for Purdue. The Wildcats produced 31 points in the first half and none in the second. Purdue outpassed, outrushed and outgained Northwestern and even had a player set the school record for total yards. But the Boilers still came up short.

Here are our takeaways from Northwestern’s ninth straight win, the school’s longest since 1995 and the longest current streak in Power Five:

That was the word head coach Pat Fitzgerald used to describe his quarterback tandem of Clayton Thorson and TJ Green, who took turns running the team every couple series throughout the game.

Thorson, a fifth-year senior making his 40th consecutive start, finished 16 of 26 passing for 172 yards. Green, a redshirt junior walkon playing his first extended action of his career, was 7 of 11 for 63 yards and also had a one-yard touchdown run.

Fitzgerald said that the rotation was predetermined and that it could continue.

For much more on NU’s QBs: Quarterback situation still ‘fluid’ for Northwestern

It was quite a college debut for Moore, a true freshman who lived up to the hype – and then some – as one of the most ballyhooed recruits in Purdue history.

The dynamic speedster turned the game around with a 37-yard kickoff on Purdue’s third possession, which he capped with a 32-yard touchdown catch. Then, on the next drive, he took a fly sweep down the sideline for 76 yards and another score to tie the game at 14.

The 5-foot-9, 175-pound speedster wound up with 302 total yards – the third-highest mark in school history – in the first half. He finished with a school record 313 total yards, breaking the mark Otis Armstrong set in 1972.

Moore showed off his lightning speed and a dazzling array of moves and was a threat to go to the distance every time he touched the ball. He finished with two carries for 79 yards rushing and one touchdown, 11 catches for 109 yards and another score, and five kick returns for 125 yards, including a 37-yarder.

“He’s incredible,” said Fitzgerald after the game. Northwestern linebacker Nate Hall called him “a talent.”

Northwestern did a much better job containing Moore in the second half. Now that the film is out, noted Hall, teams will be better prepared to defend him.

It was a mixed bag for a Wildcat defense that most observers think will carry the team this year. They got shredded on one hand, but they created turnovers on the other.

Purdue racked up 472 total yards on 71 plays against the veteran unit, an average of 6.6 yards per snap. In the first half, especially, the Boilers went up and down the field, totaling a whopping 324 yards and 17 points.

Tackling was especially poor for the Wildcats, who had several “incorrect fits,” according to Fitzgerald, allowing Boilers to get loose for big plays. Moore had the 76-yard run and 32-yard catch, while D.J. Knox scampered for 45 yards up the middle on one run.

What bailed Northwestern’s defense out was takeaways. Purdue quarterback Elijah Sindelar threw three interceptions in the opening half and the Wildcats turned all three into touchdowns on their ensuing possessions.

JR Pace had an easy pick of a long strike over the middle at the NU 10-yard line after receiver Cole Herdman fell on the first drive of the game. Hall made an ESPN-Top-10-plays-worthy diving stab to kill a Purdue drive, and Montre Hartage stepped in front of an ill-advised, late Sindelar throw to a blanketed Knox.

Northwestern was more effective in the second half, even if Purdue outscored them 10-0. David Blough, who played the entire second half in relief of the turnover-prone Sindelar, gave the Boilers a more athletic option at QB. He finished with 74 yards passing and 19 rushing.

The Wildcats also finished with five TFL and two sacks.

If any Northwestern fans were worried about life without Justin Jackson, Jeremy Larkin’s performance against Purdue allayed their concerns.

The redshirt sophomore ran 26 times for a career-high 143 yards in his first career start. His highlight was a 46-yard burst up the middle, but he had several runs where he powered through defenders or left them grasping in his wake after a move.

He caught four passes for 20 yards, including a tip-toeing catch down the sideline, and ran several plays as an option quarterback near the goal-line. He pulled the ball out of John Moten’s belly on a zone-read play to score on a four-yard run.

To top things off, Lorenzo Neal flung Larkin to the ground on third-and-11 at the Purdue 33 and drew the personal foul that sealed the game for the Wildcats with 2:06 left in the game.

Larkin said he enjoyed his stint as the Wildcat quarterback, something he did on occasion in high school. Thorson split out to wide receiver to allow Larkin to take the direct snap, but Larkin made one thing perfectly clear: “I don’t want to throw him the ball again, no.”

Northwestern’s offensive line, which always seems to be a question mark going into a season, looked like the veteran unit it is against Purdue, controlling the line of scrimmage throughout the game.

Larkin credited his line for his performance, saying, “I gotta buy them steaks or something. They blocked so good.” On his 46-yarder, Larkin ran through a hole that could have fit three Purdue locomotives side-by-side. In all, Northwestern ran for 166 yards on 42 carries.

Maybe more importantly, the line pass-protected well. With Thorson coming off an injury and Green getting a baptism by fire, the line kept the pocket clean all night. Purdue didn’t manage a sack in 37 pass attempts and weren’t even credited with a quarterback hurry. They had just one TFL in the entire game, indicating that very few defenders made it into the backfield.

Northwestern’s line – from left to right: Blake Hance, JB Butler, Jared Thomas, Tommy Doles and Rashawn Slater – took a lot of criticism for the Wildcats’ slow start last season but improved throughout the year. On Thursday night, they looked like they picked up where they left off.

Northwestern has had slow starts the last couple years but was ready for the bright lights and big stage on Thursday night.

This was not an easy opener: it was the Wildcats' first Big Ten opener since 1984, and a West opponent to boot. Purdue had some program momentum of its own after a bowl win last season, and the student section was amped for a national night game on ESPN. On top of all that, the Wildcats were rotating quarterbacks and playing only half the time with Thorson, their captain, leader and arguably best player.

The Wildcats got off to a dominant start and then withstood some big plays by the Boilers that got them back into the game and got the crowd roaring. They didn't turn the ball over and created three turnovers of their own. They allowed no sacks and just one negative play all night. They were sloppy at times but made enough plays at crucial times to notch a victory.

"The grit that our guys showed tonight was spectacular," said Fitzgerald.