The snap and then the kick. Next comes the apparentness that the kick is wide. No, this wasn’t Ray Finkle missing the Super Bowl-winning kick for the Dolphins. It’s Boise State kicker Kyle Brotzman in the team’s game against Nevada Nov. 26.

Brotzman first missed a 26-yard kick in the final seconds of regulation that could have solidified the win for the Broncos right there.

“You’ve got a lot of things riding on you with just one snap and kick. It’s pretty much a kicker’s dream to kick a last-second field goal to win the game,” Brotzman said.

Unfortunately, he had no such luck with that attempt. But two minutes later he got his chance in overtime when he attempted a 29-yard kick.

The net in between the two posts of the field goal bore the Allstate logo with two hands cusped together as if they were waiting for the ball to fall into place. But they remained empty handed as the ball soared wide.

“It’s a tough thing to just try and block that last kick out. It wasn’t more than two minutes ago that you just missed that game-winning kick,” Brotzman said. “I think that was still in the back of my mind and I didn’t want to fail again.”

With the loss came the end of Boise State’s perfect season as well as any shot they had at a BCS title game as well as possibly hindering the team’s QB, Kellen Moore’s, chances to win the Heisman (Even though Auburn’s Cam Newton is probably going to win it anyway).

Brotzman admits to tearing up once the game was over and he got to the locker room. I’d be willing to bet he likely full-on cried at some point though.

Speaking of betting, the undefeated Broncos were considered by some to be a sure thing, drawing people to bet on them. When Brotzman later checked his Facebook, it was filled with messages by haters who said they had money riding on the game and he blew it.

What those people need to realize is that gambling is called that for a reason and when doing it in sports, where there can be so many different outcomes and anything can happen, there is a risk involved as there is with all gambling.

Fortunately, along with the hate mail which included some wishing death upon Brotzman, there were also well-wishers who wanted the senior to know they are behind him and it’s not his fault.

Multiple Facebook pages have been made to support the Meridian, Idaho native, who is only nine yards shy of holding the NCAA record for the most yards kicked.

The support that has been built up around Brotzman is a refreshing thing to hear about when so much pressure is put on athletes to perform to perfection. Some may say that a kicker has just one job and that they should always have successful kicks, but sometimes things, including soaring footballs, just don’t fall into place.

Although his unsuccessful kicks to win the game may be what people remember, it is not those two kicks that lost the game alone, just like how a missed last minute shot doesn’t mean that the person shooting it lost the game.

Throughout sports history, many people have missed the last second attempt to win a game. The missed kicks might still burn now or cause some to cringe, but ultimately everyone will move on since Brotzman is not the first to miss a game winner. And he won’t be the last.