For a few moments at least, DeJon Gomes was back in his element.

Before Saturday’s game, Nebraska coaches and players had seen on film that Idaho quarterback Nathan Enderle had a tendency to stare down his receivers.

That’s exactly what he did on this play.

The ill-fated second-quarter pass never reached its intended target.

Gomes zipped in front of the receiver, snatched the ball and suddenly found himself back in his high school days, with nothing but 40 yards of green in front of him.

“I didn’t see anything but the end zone once I got the ball in my hands,” Gomes said.

After transferring from City College of San Francisco following his sophomore year, Gomes has been a playmaking standout in the Nebraska secondary.

With his pick-six Saturday and his goal-line strip against Western Kentucky, Gomes has solidified his status as a big-play force and an NFL talent.

But if it were up to him, Gomes very well might not even play defense.

Gomes arrived at City College after playing both running back and defensive back at Logan High School in Union City, Calif.

He came with the expectations of being in the offensive backfield, but City College was short on cornerbacks.

After a discussion with the coaching staff, Gomes agreed to switch to defense, though he says “my heart was at running back.”

The transition has been a successful one, and it’s arguable that Gomes is one of the most important players on NU’s vaunted defense.

His nose for the ball has allowed him to have a hand in a turnover in nine of the Huskers’ past 12 games, with many of them coming at critical times.

His diving fourth-quarter interception to set up the lead-taking field goal in the Big 12 Championship and another fourth-quarter pick to help the Huskers pull away from Missouri are just the beginning of his highlight reel.

“He’s a very instinctive player,” secondary coach Marvin Sanders said.

“If you’re going to keep throwing at him and keep taking chances at him, sooner or later he’s going to make a play.”

But Gomes’ instincts alone do not make him a turnover machine.

Coaches say he treats the film room like another class, sometimes watching film after his teammates have left.

“It’s not an accident when he makes those plays,” defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said.

“He spends as much time up in that film room as any player on this team and prepares himself. And then he sees it, and he has a jump on it because he spends so much time studying.

“He works hard to put himself in position to make those plays.”

Gomes said he believes how one prepares during the week directly affects gameday performance.

“When I was younger, one of my coaches told me that you work during the week, and it will pay off. It’s almost like a party on game day,” he said.

“That’s my mindset. I know if I’m in the film room a lot studying our opponents, I’ll have that confidence on Saturday.”

Gomes is also a master of all trades, able to play numerous positions.

While he spent most of last year solely at cornerback, Gomes has played safety and often lines up at linebacker in NU’s dime package.

“He thinks he’s a hybrid,” Sanders said. “Coach Bo and coach Carl have constructed a system that fits his athletic abilities.”

One position Gomes doesn’t spend any time at is running back.

With a logjam of talent in the NU backfield and his prowess in the secondary, Gomes knows his days in the backfield are likely over.

But every once in a while, a quarterback makes a mistake, and then the fun begins.

“(The coaches) stress being aggressive on defense, and they stress getting turnovers,” Gomes said.

“I just try and get my hands on the ball as much as I can and show what I can do.”