Twenty-three years earlier
"Saracen!"
Matt Saracen, a sophomore quarterback for Dillon High School, looked up at the sound of his coach's voice. The team's star quarterback, Jason Street, had just been injured trying to make a tackle and it looked bad. Matt was shell-shocked. He knew the game would have to come down to him. Matt put his helmet on and thought, On a scale of 1 to 10 of "I'm never going to be ready for this", this is 100. He really wanted to throw up, but he held back because he knew that throwing up would make a really bad first impression. His first plays did not go well. But once he settled down, he was able to find a groove and somehow win the game. Matt never could have dreamed that this moment would alter two lives forever-his life and Jason Street's life.
After the game, it was learned that Jason had severed his spinal cord and was permanently paralyzed. Matt was now the man for the team. He ended up having a great season and won state. He also sweetened up to Julie Taylor, the coach's daughter.
Although his junior year wasn't quite as good as his sophomore year, Matt had high hopes for his senior year. But hot-shot freshman JD McCoy came into town and was put in as the starter. Matt didn't play much. That really hurt. Matt knew he had talent and could play, but wasn't being given a fair chance. He thought, No one is going to want a guy who can't even beat out a freshman. But one day Julie called, "Matt. You got a letter from a college scout!"
Matt was stunned. He asked Julie, "What school?"
Julie said, "Marshall."
Matt asked, "Marshall? Where is Marshall?" But he thought to himself, I guess it doesn't matter. Someone wants me!
He opened the letter and it said that Marshall scouts had seen footage of his sophomore year and thought he had a lot of potential and wanted him to be their quarterback. When Matt went to visit Marshall, he was instantly drawn to the school, the scenery, and their incredible history. He told them, "I think I'll take you up on that offer. You're the only school that's giving me a chance." The scouts were surprised by that.
Matt knew it would be a challenge. Marshall was a small school and was Division 1-AA. But he also knew that if he wanted to play in the pros, he would have to play in college, and if that meant playing at a small, Division 1-AA school, he was going to have to swallow his pride and do it. Matt thought, Besides, Marshall wanted me. Me. Personally.
That fall, Matt left the scorching heat of Texas for good and went off to Huntington, West Virginia.
