It was supposed to be simple. It was supposed to be a typical bowl prep practice. It was supposed to be nothing more than your average play: a running back on the receiving end of a pass trying to make something happen. However, as is oft the case, not only in the realm of athletics but the game we call life, things are rarely that cut      -and-dry. 
Nick Griffin, a redshirt sophomore at the time, was on the opposite end of the aforementioned pass. Naturally, the bruising back hastily turned up field hoping to gain some extra yardage.
“I saw the safety coming down to make the play and I tried to cut back,” Griffin recollects. “As soon as I planted I felt something pop in my leg and I fell.”
The pop the senior running back remembered is a sound, a feeling that players and coaches alike dread the mere mention of. A sound that has single-handedly crushed the dreams of players unfortunate enough to experience it, leaving the debris of the season that could have been in its wake. It is the sound of an ACL tear, Griffin’s second in his Mississippi State University tenure.
Faced with similar odds, most players would probably hang up the cleats and shoulder pads and call it a career. After all, an ACL injury is one of the most devastating injuries an athlete can receive, and if not handled properly, could cost them not only a season, but an entire career.
Nick Griffin is not                          most players.
“The whole thing was really frustrating,” Griffin said. “But it happens and you have to deal with it. I had high expectations for myself and so did everyone around me, so I couldn’t just quit.”
Nearly two years and two ACL tears later, Griffin said he feels great, and if the spring game is any indication, he could be poised for a spectacular senior season. Running backs coach Gregg Knox noticed the potential for a breakout season in the seasoned back.
“He has shown the ability this spring of being almost there,” Knox said. “And I think now he’s right on the verge of it. I think as he gains confidence we will see more and more explosive runs from him.”
Griffin has undoubtedly emerged from the potentially career-ending injuries not much worse for wear, but also with a wealth of knowledge and life experience that extends beyond the glare of the lights of Davis Wade Stadium, all the while maintaining over a 3.0 average and being named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll three years in a row.
Head Coach Dan Mullen said he believes the senior has done an amazing job dealing with the situation and the recovery process and adds that Griffin is a great leader within the program.
“Nick epitomizes the ideal that even though life may not always go the way that you want, if you are willing to work hard you will be successful,” Mullen said. “Through that I think he serves as a role model for some of our younger players.”
As far as football is concerned the head coach said Griffin looks healthier than he’s ever been coming into a season. With a loaded stable of running backs, he hopes the senior will bring stability and experience to the group.
With all the hype and expectations surrounding the Bulldogs entering the season-opener against Southern Mississippi, Griffin humbly said he plans to do whatever he can to aid the team.
“It’s going to be a big season, but I’m just going to try to get in where I fit in,” he said. “When it’s my time I’ll be ready, and when it’s not I’ll be making sure everyone else is .” 
Keeping the entire process and all the lessons learned in mind, he insightfully said there was one that he will use long after his last carry.
“You are going to get knocked down,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s easy to just keep going and going, but when you are knocked down can you get back up?”