Gophers kicker Matthew Trickett finds a groove, with help from his friends

Matthew Trickett struck the football with his right foot and saw it was on its way to splitting the uprights, so the Gophers kicker turned to shake hands with holder Mark Crawford to celebrate a successful kick against Nebraska.

Thing was, Crawford didn't immediately reciprocate.

"He was still staring at it,'' Trickett said. "I looked back, and it still needed a little bit more time to get there.''

Get there it did, a 47-yard field goal kicked into a stiff wind that started the Gophers on their comeback from a 10-0 deficit to a 20-13 victory on Saturday in Lincoln.

"Typically, it doesn't take that long for the refs to signal it's good or not,'' Trickett said Tuesday, giving a glimpse of the all-or-nothing drama that a kicker must go through.

"We had to get points on the first drive,'' Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. "That was critical.''

Trickett wasn't done. He added a season-long 49-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to give the Gophers a 13-10 lead. On Monday, the Big Ten named the senior from Cleveland its Special Teams Player of the Week.

"It's definitely extremely special,'' Trickett said. "I was not expecting it at all. But, you know, it's something that comes with all the preparation and the work we do.''

In saying "we,'' Trickett is giving credit to Crawford, who's also the team's punter, and long snapper Brady Weeks. That trio, along with kickoff specialist Dragan Kesich, who had touchbacks on all five of his kicks, led a solid special teams effort.

"We just have such high expectations for ourselves that when something like that happens, we're pleased with it, that we did our job and everything,'' Trickett said. "But it's not something that we need to be overly excited about because that's why we're here.''

Trickett, in his second year with the Gophers after transferring from Kent State, relies heavily on Crawford, the 28-year-old native of Perth, Australia, to keep him focused in key situations, such as the 47-yarder into the wind.

"I always wait for Crawford to get the spot. And then I whispered in his ear as we're right there, 'Just wait for the wind to die down a little bit. … Whenever you feel like it's dying down a little bit, snap the ball,' '' Trickett said. "I have full faith and trust in Mark and Brady and all the guys on the line to do their jobs.''

Trickett has put together a highly efficient season so far, making 10 of his 11 field-goal attempts and all 35 of his point-after tries. That's been a nice rebound from 2021, when he went 17-for-25 on field goals and 36-for-38 on PATs.

"I'm very confident in myself,'' he said. "… I have the ability to kick 60 [yards] and beyond, but really, whatever the team needs. I want to be able to have that faith and have that trust that Coach Fleck has in me that when an important kick is needed.''

In 2019 with Kent State, he went 29-for-34 on field goals, tying for the national lead in made field goals and earning Mid-American Conference Special Teams Player of the Year honors.

Wanting to play in the Big Ten, he took a gamble on himself when he transferred to Minnesota, and now his decision is paying off.

"Dreams are always dreams for a reason,'' Trickett said. "There's always a new one, and you've gotta keep chasing that, so I just learned to not be comfortable with where I'm at and keep chasing perfection, really.''