Nobody ever thinks about it.

When a team pulls off a massive upset, players throw helmets in the air. It’s a natural reaction after a triumphant moment.

But what happens to those helmets? Do they just get returned to the locker room?

Well, as C.J. Beathard’s helmet found out, that’s no guarantee.

The Iowa quarterback was among many players that threw their helmets in the air after Keith Duncan’s game-winning kick on Saturday night to beat Michigan. The problem was that Beathard apparently lost track of his helmet. Add in tens of thousands of fans on the field, and it turned into a needle-in-the-haystack situation.

Beathard’s helmet did indeed leave the stadium with someone. It apparently got a nice tour of Iowa City, too. Fortunately, Iowa City police recognized that normal people shouldn’t be wearing expensive Hawkeye helmets downtown:

In Beathard’s defense, he probably wasn’t the only Iowa player searching for equipment in the frenzy of Saturday night.

Now he and the Hawkeyes will look to build off the monumental victory and finish the season on a winning streak.

Iowa still has matchups against two talented defensive lines in Illinois and Nebraska. It’s probably a good thing Beathard got his helmet back.