George Rohl, now a freshman tight end for the Minnesota Gophers, had the words Ellsworth, Wisconsin, ringing through televisions nationwide, rising up to grab a touchdown to tie the score at 17 in the fourth quarter against undefeated No. 8 ranked UCLA.

The Gophers could not hold on to win Saturday, but that did not take away from the moment for Rohl. He was a three-star recruit that graduated from Ellsworth in the spring,

It was second and goal from the 4 yard-line with about 13 minutes remaining in the game when quarterback Drake Lindsey faked a hand-off and floated a pass to the middle of the end zone, a perfect placement to give Rohl the chance to rise up and make a play for his first touchdown as a Gopher.

When Rohl heard the play call in the huddle, he knew there was a chance the ball would come his way. The emotions were high after he scored, saying he briefly “blacked out” before being swarmed by his teammates for the celebration.

Rohl said Ellsworth being mentioned on the broadcast means a lot to him, and he heard from plenty of friends and family back home after the game.

“That’s awesome. It’s cool to represent Ellsworth. I got a lot of texts from the people back home, so it was awesome to hear from everybody and reconnect with some people I haven’t talked to in a bit. It means a lot for sure,” Rohl said.

The catch was Rohl’s second of the year, as he has earned his spot in the tight end rotation during his freshman season.

“Just been working hard. Putting my head down and listening to the coaches and doing everything I can to execute what they’ve told me to do,” Rohl said. “Grateful for all the opportunities I get, and I’m going to keep working hard and doing my best.”

Minnesota is 5-4 on the year and has been a part of some special moments thus far. The team won an electric 27-24 game at Washington, then returned home to beat Michigan 20-14, greeted by a field storming from the hometown fans. To follow that up, the Gophers won 13-10 on a walk-off field goal against No. 15 Iowa. In recent weeks, the team has gone toe-to-toe against defending National Champion Indiana and undefeated UCLA, having a chance in the fourth quarter against both.

The program is one that prides itself on culture, and if you have followed the team at all in recent years, you know Head Coach PJ Fleck has run with the phrase “Row the Boat.” He began using the phrase as a way to honor his son who died in 2011 from a heart condition.

A USA Today news article on the origin of “Row the Boat” reads:

“‘As you hold your son as he passes away, your whole life changes,’ Fleck said. ‘What you believe in, how you’ve believed in it, what you’ve done to that point, where you’re going to go and how you’re going to live your life all changes. But Row the Boat is really my second son’s life as I continue to live his life for him. It’s his life.’ Fleck also said there are three parts to rowing a boat: An oar, the boat itself and a compass. The oar is ‘the energy you bring to your life,’ the boat is ‘the sacrifice’ and the compass is ‘who you surround yourself with,’ according to Fleck.”

Rohl has been impacted by the culture already over just a few months of being a part of the program.

“It’s been awesome. Everything with that has just helped me become a better man,” Rohl said. “I’m going to use the stuff with the culture when I’m a father to my kids.”

Minnesota’s three remaining games are on the road against Penn State on Nov. 14, at home against Northwestern on Nov. 21 and on the road against Wisconsin on Nov. 27.