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.''