In the first half of his first NFL regular-season game, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young threw his first touchdown pass. He’d already thrown his first interception.

The former Alabama All-American connected with tight end Hayden Hurst on a 4-yard touchdown toss with 5:09 left in the first half as the Panthers tied the score at 7-7 in their season-opening game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Young’s first touchdown pass came on a second-and-goal snap and capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive. Young didn’t get a souvenir, though, as Hurst threw the football into the stands.

With the touchdown, Young’s line for the game improved to completing 10-of-13 passes for 86 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Young joined Carolina as the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft on April 27. He was the first Crimson Tide player to be the first selection in an NFL Draft since Harry Gilmer in 1948.

Young became the 15th former Alabama player to start an NFL regular-season game at quarterback on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

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Young’s two seasons as the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback included a Heisman Trophy-winning performance in 2021.

Young’s first interception had come late in the first quarter. On a second-and-16 snap from the Carolina 8-yard line, Atlanta safety Jessie Bates III intercepted a Young throw to Hurst at the Panthers 20.

Three snaps later, first-round running back Bijan Robinson scored his first NFL touchdown on an 11-yard pass from quarterback Desmond Ridder for Atlanta’s first points of the 2023 season.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.