Etheridge reunites with player who protected him

Last season, fans packed Jordan-Hare Stadium on Halloween to watch another SEC matchup.

Auburn played Ole Miss in the Navy Nightmare promotion game.

What happened during the game turned into a nightmare for everyone watching.

Safety Zac Etheridge collided head first with teammate Antonio Coleman while the two attempted to tackle Rebels' running back Rodney Scott.

Scott, aware Etheridge was seriously injured, laid still under the safety for 20 minutes to prevent further damage.

Head coach Gene Chizik said he didn't know how Scott knew to stay still, but he was thankful.

"I'm in amazement when I really step back and think about that day," Chizik said. "I know he knows how lucky he is, and I'm sure he's not going to forget that."

Etheridge said Scott's act of kindness helped the two form a friendship.

"I'll shoot him a text sometimes to see how he's doing and things like that," Etheridge said.

The play that happened a year ago won the pair the SEC Sportsmanship Award in June.

Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt said he was confused when Scott didn't get up, but was proud of his player's actions.

"He said he just knew that something was wrong and that he needed to stay where he was," Nutt said. "Zac was limp and was not moving, so thank goodness Rodney did not move at all. Everything worked out, and he is back out on the field playing very well."

Etheridge said he was told by many doctors he would never play football again.

He said their comments motivated him to come back.

Going into this game, Etheridge leads Auburn's secondary both in numbers and leadership.

Chizik said this game might be difficult for more than one reason for Etheridge.

"Just the fact that he's sitting here playing in this game is amazing," Chizik said. "He's very blessed. He knows he is, and it's just going to be somewhat of a little bit of an emotional deal for him possibly."