Former Colorado Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo, who was himself a presidential candidate in 2008 and who is also known for his staunch attitude on social issues, endorsed Rick Santorum for president at an event in Colorado earlier this week. The endorsement itself was to be expected — Tancredo and Santorum ally naturally — but a picture Santorum took that day has since made the Internet rounds. The GOP presidential candidate dropped to one knee and clenched his fist to his forehead in a circle of similarly-posed supporters. His Iowa campaign manager posted the “Tebow” photo to Tumblr.

In the past, several of the presidential candidates sought the endorsement of the popular Denver Broncos quarterback himself. The favor of Tim Tebow today might not count for as much as it would have a month ago, when the possibility of a truly miraculous run and win at the Super Bowl still existed, but Tebow is still the object of fan fascination and his signature pose is increasingly iconic.

Santorum’s association of himself with the athlete makes complete sense on one very obvious level: They’re both stand-up men who aren’t shy about sharing their faith.

But is Santorum like Tebow in terms of lacking the traditional skills associated with his position? If we send him to the general, will he be able to compete? Santorum proves himself increasingly prepared for the national stage with his message discipline. Even as Mitt Romney lands himself in hot water for his optically-awful comments about “the poor” and as Newt Gingrich blames his decline on anybody but himself, Santorum steadily delivers his message, ramping up his efforts slowly but surely as money continues to pour in and the GOP increasingly takes a look at him. His win in Iowa shows that he’s capable of capturing unlikely victories — and it’s his plan to do that again and again in less-prominent-but-still-delegate-rich states. In the general, he’d aim to do that in some incredibly important swing states, including his home state of Pennsylvania.

News comes today, though, that Santorum might not make the ballot in Indiana. Vote counters in Marion County, Ind., suggest Santorum is a couple dozen signatures shy of the hurdle, but his campaign has asked for a recount and says they’re confident they have enough signatures to ensure Santorum’s name appears on the ballot. We’ll have to wait to see what’s true. In an election in which every last little move matters, any kind of perceived disorganization is costly — but, at a time when the nation has an enormous appetite for underdogs, Santorum might yet make it to the Super Bowl.