MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Looking back, B.J. Ross didn't think the injury he sustained would be that significant.
Sprinting downfield on a kickoff as a member of the coverage team for the University of Memphis, Ross, all of 5-9 and 185 pounds, collided with USF's Cecil Cherry, a 6-foot, 240-pound linebacker. Ross crumpled to the ground following the hit.
Medical personnel were summoned. Ross was stabilized and eventually carted off the field.
Still, Ross thought, there was no cause for concern. He'd bounce back, much like he did three years earlier, when as a freshman, he suffered a `stinger' after covering a kickoff against UCF.