Today, Luke Gifford happily shares the story, especially in public speaking engagements, as a shining example of overcoming adversity and failure.
At the time, however, Gifford would have rather crawled into bed and assume the fetal position, never to show his face in public again.
A Lincoln native and longtime Nebraska football fan, Gifford was fulfilling a lifelong dream in playing his first game as a Husker in the 2015 season opener.
The game began with Nebraska scoring first and taking a 28-24 lead into the fourth quarter against BYU. It ended with Gifford on his back, in the end zone, with a dude in a Cougar outfit stomping on his face in jubilation.