The extra possession it delivered, the momentum it provided, the victory over Iowa it ultimately helped earn -- that onside kick the Gophers pulled off on Saturday was an enormous jackpot for a football program that needed a boost.
But that crazy kick, the giant bounce into the air and the descent at the perfect spot for Kim Royston to fall on it, still is bringing benefits to the Gophers this week. They just don't get to see them.
"I guarantee you, Michigan State is working on [defending] that this week," using practice time to prepare for it just in case, Gophers special teams coach Jay Sawvel said. "Wisconsin will work on it. Everyone will have [a defense] for it."
Not that it necessarily matters. Coach Jerry Kill and his staff has used the same onside-kick strategy for 13 years, and though the head coach insists the play is "a 50-50 shot," Sawvel said their success rate is actually much higher. While at Northern Illinois, they even ran it twice in the same game, shocking Central Michigan with their audacity three years ago to rally from a 20-point deficit.
"It's always about the execution. I mean, say what you want about Iowa, but their [coverage defender] had no chance," because the Gophers blocked so well, Sawvel said. "The only time we have not gotten that kick [successfully] in the last six or seven years is when we kicked one that basically took an extra hop and went over us, out of bounds. If you get the kick right, you've got a great chance of making it work. But getting the kick just right is the difficult part."
Now let's add to the degree of difficulty. Let's say the responsibility for the most critical part of the play is handed to a walk-on novice, a former soccer player whose collegiate football experience amounts to ... well, nothing. Whose high school football experience amounts to ... nothing? Whose entire competitive career can be summed up ... how?
"I was in Punt, Pass and Kick when I was young," he said.
Ah. Perfect.