Two monumental plays in the first few minutes could already shape the outcome of this year’s BCS National Championship.

Alabama elected to receive after winning the coin toss, then managed to lose thirteen yards en route to one of the ugliest three and outs I’ve seen in a long time. Ingram was stuffed on a first down run, McElroy sacked on a second down drop-back, and misfired on third. And yet on 4th down with 23 long yards to go, head coach Nick Saban elected to FAKE it, which not surprisingly ended in miserable fashion.

After the Texas Longhorns interception, McCoy and company drove back down the field, but McCoy’s upper body took a huge shot on a QB draw and he’s heading to the locker room. It appears to be a fairly serious injury, and his fate for this game isn’t looking good – you’d have to assume at this point McCoy dislocated his throwing shoulder.

Note : Texas just hit a field goal to go up 3-0, then recovered the ensuing kickoff deep in ‘Bama territory, leading to another FG(6-0). The wheels are coming off the Crimson Tide, but a McCoy-less offense won’t scare the fantastic Alabama defense.

Tyrone Prothro will likely never see the field as a player again, but it hasn’t stopped the standout Alabama Crimson Tide receiver from remaining in the hearts and minds of those that saw him play. Known for being able to make quick cuts, snap judgments and electrifying the crowd, the Heflin, AL. native hopes to be on the sidelines again, but this time in a different role.

WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW HIM

Not very often do people instantly recognize a catch years after the fact that didn’t result in a touchdown, but the Hail Mary reception by Prothro in which he reached around Southern Mississippi’s Jasper Faulk to catch a ball has left a mark on anyone that has seen the play. Dubbed “the Catch” by many, the remarkable reception by Prothro on September 10, 2005, won a 2006 ESPY award along with the Pontiac Game Changing Performer of the Year.

Later that same season, Prothro made another memorable play, but unfortunately it was for all the wrong reasons. Just a fair warning, the video below, while not bloody, is not easy to watch as it quite clearly shows a devastating injury to Prothro’s leg.

WHAT HAPPENED

Prothro, after landing awkwardly on October 1, 2005 against Florida, had a complete fracture in both of the major bones (tibia and fibula) in his lower left leg. The injury effectively ruined a once-promising career for the young versatile player but now he has a new focus.

“Pro” was immediately rushed to a hospital and had surgery on his leg that was described by his former high school coach Michael Shortt as “a field injury in the war.”

Prothro battled infection and countless other surgeries in a 26-day hospital stay that has never fully healed. The next year, he brought out the game ball against Auburn to a hail of cheers from the Crimson Tide faithful, but he had a noticeable limp.

Prothro’s planned return never came about though and he was eventually put on a medical scholarship in 2007 by current ‘Bama coach Nick Saban. Instead of going down a path of despair, Pro kept his head up and graduated last summer with a degree from the College of Human and Environmental Sciences and a rising ovation from the crowd.

“You’re always one injury from retirement when you’re an athlete,” Saban said.“It could happen to anyone at any time. And I think it speaks volumes of him to overcome the adversity and still graduate and still develop a career.”

Three years later, Prothro still walks with that same noticeable limp but says, “I have a little pain, but it’s nothing serious.”

WHERE IS HE NOW?

Prothro’s focus these days is on returning to the field, but this time as a coach. In early-May, he was spotted at Jacksonville Jaguars mini-camp under the guidance of former Alabama head coach Mike Shula.

Prothro looks over the playbook

“Anytime you haven’t been on the field in a while and you get a chance to get back out and do what you love to do, or at least participate in what you love to do, it makes you feel good,” said Prothro. “It’s exciting and I enjoyed it a lot.”

Shula is currently the quarterbacks coach for Jacksonville and was helping Prothro get experience to put on his resume. Clearly, it worked.

“Even before I got hurt, I’ve always had it in my mind that once the NFL was over, if I made it to the NFL, I wanted to get into coaching” Prothro said. “It’s always been a dream of mine that I wanted to coach. I love this game and love teaching, so it’s a perfect fit.”

By mid-May Prothro was hired by the Birmingham Wildfire of the LaBelle Community Football League as a wide receivers coach. Prothro continues keeping his head high, having a book released in August and his coaching career well under way.

Prothro may have had his playing career cut short, but perhaps one day he will make it to the pros after all. Only this time as a coach.

STATS & HONORS

2004 (Sophomore)

347 yards off of 25 receptions with 1 TD, 10 punt returns for 98 yards, 17 kick returns for 452 yards and a TD, and 13 rushes for 66 yards and TD.

2005 (Junior)

Prothro was named to the preseason All-SEC second team as a return specialist and hopes were high for the multi-purpose player. Before the injury, Prothro had 17 receptions for 325 yard and 3 TDs, 18 punt returns for 81 yards, 7 kick returns for 193 yards, and 9 rushes for 92 yards.
Despite the injury, Prothro was named to the All-SEC second team as a wide receiver at the end of the season.

HIGHLIGHT REEL

Bill Graham covers college sports for Pete Prose and can be reached at Bill@peteprose.com

In 2007, Nick Saban didn't have much to smile about.

Nick Saban has the Alabama Crimson Tide headed to their second straight SEC Championship Game. Second straight. The Tide and Saban are getting respect now, but it wasn’t always this easy.

Consider that in 2007, Alabama wasn’t ranked in any major preseason poll and actually ended up losing to woeful Louisiana-Monroe. That loss led Saban to famously compare the disaster defeat to 9/11 and how the Tide, much like America, would have to rebound.

Yikes.

That year, ‘Bama ended their season with a PetroSun Independence Bowl victory over Colorado to finish 7-6 and not receive a single vote in any poll.

For a successful college football coach that was famously lured away from his failing experiment with the Miami Dolphins (remember, he’s “not going to be the Alabama coach.”) for a tradition-rich program and $4 million dollars a year, this was not what Alabama was hoping for. The Tide were rolling alright, but in the wrong direction.

Preseason 2008 saw ‘Bama in the AP Top 25 preseason poll, but at a humbling 24th place. The USA Today? Virtually ranked 26th.

That was, until the Crimson Tide showed up and smacked No. 9 Clemson 34-10 on a neutral field in the first game of the season.

“This will be a challenge for our team and it’ll be interesting to see how they respond,”Saban said after the game.

The Tide emphatically responded, ripping off 12 straight victories, including a 36-0 dismantling of hated rival Auburn. 2008 would  witness a meteoric rise for ‘Bama, and by week 10 they were sitting in a once-familiar place: No. 1.

Then, in week 15, we saw how fickle a ranking can be as No. 3 Florida beat No. 1 Alabama 31-20 in the SEC Championship Game, shattering National Championship dreams. The Tide fell from 1st to 4th and were set to face No. 6 Utah in the BCS Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Surely this would be a slaughter and the Tide would roll. However, the Utes had other plans, jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter on their way to upsetting ‘Bama 31-17.

The two losses left a bitter taste to an otherwise outstanding season. That’s because in Tuscaloosa, AL., they don’t just win games, but championships. 12 National Championships, to be exact. At least, that is all ‘Bama officially claims.

Despite the loss, it seems Saban and Co. have converted some doubters, as the Tide grabbed a No. 5 ranking in the 2009 preseason. 10 straight wins later, Alabama has a No. 2 ranking and two stepping-stones in Chattanooga and Auburn before getting their chance to avenge last season’s loss to now No. 1 Florida on December 5th in the SEC Championship Game.

If the Crimson Tide can win out and defeat Florida, it will mark the first time that ‘Bama will play in the BCS National Championship Game in their illustrious history. Despite a bumpy start, Saban is well ahead of schedule in turning the tide.

Bill Graham covers college sports for Pete Prose and can be reached at Bill@peteprose.com

AP Photo Credit

TCU came in ranked No. 4 in the country and Saturday night made sure everyone knew this team is for real by stomping No. 16 Utah 55-28. With a 9-0 record on the line and brand new Nike Pro Combat uniforms, the Horned Frogs never lost sight and impressed on a national stage. Wyoming and New Mexico are the only hurdles for TCU left and I see no sign of a stumble down the stretch.

AP Photo Credit

No. 5 Cincinnati had a scare Friday night when they hosted No. 25 West Virginia and had to recover an on-side kick to secure their 24-21 win. Injured Bearcat QB Tony Pike was used by coach Brian Kelly inside the redzone for a total of four passes with two completions for touchdowns. Pike had not played for a month after suffering a forearm injury but was effective with a noticeably padded arm. With the best start in school history, the Bearcats have two more games and will face their stiffest competition in their last game of the season when they face off against No. 12 Pittsburgh.

AP Photo Credit

No. 1 Florida has proven that going undefeated in the SEC isn’t impossible as they clinched a second straight SEC Championship berth with a closer than expected 24-14 victory over South Carolina on Saturday. The win was secured when Gator DE Justin Trattou intercepted Gamecocks QB Stephen Garcia in the fourth quarter for the lone score in the second half. Although Florida QB Tim Tebow has his team back in the national championship hunt, this is a far cry from the BCS Champion offensive power-house that he led last year. The Gators have two in-state games (FIU and FSU) before facing off in the SEC Championship against No. 2 Alabama in the biggest game this season, bar none.

AP Photo Credit

No. 12 Pittsburgh held on despite a huge rally by Notre Dame in the fourth quarter in their 27-22 win Saturday. Before I go into the game breakdown, let me be clear about two things. First, the Fighting Irish’s junior WR Golden Tate is a monster. Second, the Panthers’ freshman RB Dion Lewis is a phenom. Two of the most talented skill position players were on the field and they tore it up. Tate had 113 yards receiving for a touchdown and had an impressive 87 yard punt return for a touchdown as well. Meanwhile, Lewis broke an insane 50 yard touchdown to go with 152 net yards on the ground. The game itself started slowly, with Pitt holding a 10-3 lead at half. Then the points started rolling in as the Panthers scored 17 points in the second half and held off a 19 point barrage from the Irish in the fourth quarter.

AP Photo Credit

No. 11 Ohio State needed a FG to win in overtime against No. 10 Iowa to secure the first Rose Bowl bid in 13 years with a 27-24 victory Saturday. While it might appear odd that the Buckeyes had a Rose Bowl drought, they mostly played in other BCS bowl games instead. The win marks the fifth straight conference title for OSU, shared or otherwise. Meanwhile, the loss has shown how far from grace a team can fall in FBS football (otherwise known as Division-1). No, not the scarlet and grey that celebrated with roses in their mouths. Instead, this is about the Iowa Hawkeyes, who just a week ago were undefeated and attempting to make a claim for a spot in the nation championship game. Then the Hawkeyes ran into a Northwestern team that knocked them off their pedestal. Now Iowa sits with a 9-2 record with Minnesota left on their schedule and they will likely miss a BCS bowl game. Assuming the coordinators of one of the BCS bowls get it right and put a likely undefeated Boise State (TCU currently takes up the auto-bid for a non-BCS conference) in a BCS game, there is no room for Iowa.