Pittsburg State University’s Saturday road game in Hays, Kansas, was on the line before the team ever hit the gridiron, but the long snapper came through.

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The Gorillas team bus broke down en route to take on Fort Hays State, but fortunately freshman automotive technology major Timmy Malinowski quickly diagnosed the broken turbo hose clamp, the Journal Star reported.

In fact, the diesel mechanic in training was watching “Vice Grip Garage” on YouTube as the sputtering bus pulled into a rest area.

“I thought they were joking,” Malinowski, named the 2021 Journal Star Defensive Football Player of the Year, told the newspaper about his teammates encouraging him to take a look under the hood when the driver seemed stumped.

Although Malinowski quickly identified the problem, and even found a spare clamp on board, he hadn’t exactly come prepared to work.

Fortunately, Malinowski’s trusty Leatherman multi-tool was knocking around in his bag, and the day was saved, CBS Sports reported.

“Got it fixed in about five minutes,” he told the Journal Star.

Pittsburg State head coach Brian Wright praised Malinowski’s actions.

“You know, we got a lot of talented people here,” Wright told CBS Sports.

“Not just on the football field, but a lot of great people that can do a lot of great things that are gonna be very successful long after their experience here at Pitt State,” he added.

The Pittsburg, Kansas-based Division II Gorillas later defeated Fort Hays State34-24 in their regular-season finale, the Journal Star reported.

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