About five years ago when I went down to Tulane to do a J.P. Losman story I remember hearing about a Green Wave QB whose career got derailed because he had a heart ailment. Everyone there had talked about how sad it was. Fiery competitor. Wild Texas kid. He was like J.P. with a Texan drawl, they said. Had once been committed to Texas in 2001 but opted for the chance to play at Tulane with his brother. Then again, the Longhorns also had been recruiting Vince Young too. His story stuck in my head. He even had a great name for a QB. Sounded like a character from an old Steve Miller song: Billy Don Malone.

Anyhow a few weeks ago a coaching buddy of mine from Texas was talking about this D2 QB who is tearing things up down there: Billy Malone. I made some calls down there. Same guy. It turns out he took a couple of years off, got married, had a kid, worked on a dairy farm, and cut hay. Old high school coach switched jobs and became the receivers coach at Abilene Christian University. He told the head coach that he knows a guy he needs to have. The QB passed a battery of tests (didn't even have to sign a waiver). He dropped the Don part of his name and now has taken a school that hadn't been in the postseason since the mid 70s to the playoffs for two years in a row. Maybe this year he'll lead them to a national title.

The school leads D2 in scoring at 54 ppg and are ranked third in the country. He's completing 71 percent of his passes, has thrown 16 TDs and just 4 INTs and averaging 319 yards per game. His passing efficiency is 211.6. (Obviously he's not playing against 1-A competition, but the top-ranked QB in the country Tulsa's David Johnson's rating is 204.4 for some perspective of the number.)

I called Abilene Christian the other day to find out what exactly happened to Billy Don Malone. He is 25 now. "It's been some long road," Malone says. "I thought I was done."

Malone says he was pretty mad after learning his career was over. "I didn't want to be around there at all. I was depressed."

After his redshirt season of 2002 behind Losman, Malone thought he had acid reflux. So he underwent a stress test that was diagnosed as a kink in an artery. Doctors told him he couldn't play anymore. He returned home to Paris, Texas. He was trying to understand life without football. Saying that wasn't easy would be an understatement. Football had been his life.

Then in 2005, one of his former high school coaches called and asked if he'd be interested in slinging the ball around any more. There was a spot for him at Abilene Christian. Malone figured it was worth another shot. He went to Dallas for another stress test. "They brought me into a room and showed me two pictures of hearts," he says. "They said 'this is a picture of a bad heart, which is what they thought you had. This is a picture of a good heart, which is what you have.'"

It was just the news he was hoping for. Even though he hadn't played in a game since 2001, the 6-3, 230-pound Malone (to most folks around ACU he is just Billy, although he says he's fine going by Billy Don too) started eight games for ACU and flashed the arm that once had scouts gushing. He says he believes everything happens for a reason. He has become more religious and feels like coming home was "God's plan for me," adding that he was young and dumb when he was at Tulane. His coaches also say Malone has really matured from the time he arrived at ACU.

An NFL scout I talked to says Malone is very much on the radar. He has a good arm, although his mechanics do tend to get sloppy, the scout said. Being 25 isn't a plus, but Malone says he has talked to a bunch of pro scouts who have come through and none of them have brought it up. "I am still young," he says. "And I'm happy things have ended up like this."

This seems to be a great time for Texas QBs. They are putting up prodigious numbers everywhere. Still, I doubt there are any with better stories than the return of Billy Don Malone.

RANDOM STUFF

• So count Bud Foster in if Clemson calls.

"I'd be stupid" not to go, the Va. Tech defensive coordinator said. "That's what you guys have all asked me for the last five years, six years. Who wouldn't be (interested)? ... That'd be one I'd be jumping through hoops to try to get. But at the same time, right now I can't worry about that. All I can worry about is what I can control, and that's trying to put the best defense on the field here."

My three cents: Foster is as good as there is at building a defense and I'd be curious to see how he'd do as a head coach. I'm glad he didn't totally dismiss the question when the Va. Tech media approached him. I think it's important for people to keep his name out there.

• Speaking of Tech, the Hokies will have quite a challenge this week against BC, as Darryl Slater writes:

"Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring knows the Hokies have been successful with running up the middle behind zone blocking. "Our inside zone is probably averaging about 4.5 yards a carry," he said. "It's one of our top-rated runs."

He also knows that the Hokies' opponent this week, Boston College, has two defensive tackles, B.J. Raji and Ron Brace, who are adept at stuffing the run. "It's about 670 pounds of humanity sitting in there that doesn't get moved around a whole lot," Stinespring said. "They go where they want to go. I think it's a difficult venture."

Though he slightly overstated the senior tackles' bulk -- Raji is 6-1 and 323 pounds, Brace 6-3 and 324 -- Stinespring was right on in assessing their ability. Both are considered future NFL players. They are a major reason why the Eagles rank third in the ACC in rushing defense (99.8 yards per game).

• The anti-BC in terms of inside bulk is Arizona, which relies on a 265-pound converted running back, Earl Mitchell to try and anchor its middle.

Arizona needs more players like Mitchell, only bigger, writes John Moredich. "His 6-foot-2, 265-pound frame is considered on the small side. Arizona's Kaniela Tuipulotu is 6 feet 2 inches, 280. Reserves Donald Horton (6 feet, 275) and Dominique Austin (6 feet 4 inches, 265) don't add that much bulk either. Keep in mind the defensive players are going up against offensive linemen who usually weigh at least 300. The lack of size up front has been a problem for Arizona at times. It tends to make stopping the run more difficult. Arizona has given up big rushing yards to New Mexico (221) and Stanford (286) in the Wildcats' two losses this season."

Luckily for Zona, Cal doesn't rely on two bruising inside runners. Instead Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen are speed threats.

• I missed seeing this quote from Terrelle Pryor that comes from the Columbus Dispatch today:

Pryor flashed some bravado after the Purdue game, saying things could be as easy as they were for him in high school: "Everyone says it's harder (in college); it's not hard at all. We've just got to start clicking (and) it would be just as easy."

It should be noted that defenses seem to have come up with more ways to contain Pryor in recent weeks as his production has tailed off in each of his starts: 205 yards against Troy, 167 against Minnesota, 164 at Wisconsin and 124 last week.

• Javon Ringer is one of the best stories going this season. He grew up wanting to be a Buckeye, but academically, it didn't work out, Doug Harris writes:

"Academic issues, though, kept OSU from being able to offer the running back a scholarship. Coach Jim Tressel fought for Ringer  even going to school President Karen Holbrook on the player's behalf, according to Place  but was turned down."

"The deeply religious Ringer viewed the setback as God's will and turned to Place for advice on what to do next."

"He said, 'Coach, God is acting through you. You tell me where to go,' " said Place, who suggested Michigan State because other C-J athletes were enrolled there. Michigan State happened to have an off week, and (former C-J football player) Brandon McKinney came home," Place added. "Javon said, 'That's the sign I need.' "

• Why has Virginia gone from horrible to decent all of a sudden? Rugged Ced Peerman is back hammering defenses, which leads to the quote of the day:

"The best thing about blocking for Ced is just hearing the impact when he hits guys right in front of me," Virginia senior left tackle Eugene Monroe told Taft Coghill Jr. "It's like a car crash every time. You almost want to ask him if he's all right, but I know it's not him who's hurting."

My tree cents: Peerman's style is a great fit for UVA. I talked to one assistant whose team played Virginia this year and he said they were the biggest team he's ever seen and this was from a guy who had worked in the SEC.

Up next for UVA is North Carolina. Last year, Peerman shredded UNC's defense for 186 yards and a touchdown in Virginia's 22-20 win.

• Kyle Whittingham doesn't just want to beat BCS teams, he wants to bury them. According to Lya Wodraska, Whittingham possibly would like to have a football graveyard outside of Rice-Eccles Stadium with tombstones recognizing the BCS teams the Utes have defeated in their stadium.

"Since 2000, the Utes are 15-10 against BCS schools, which is the most wins against BCS teams for any non-BCS team. Under Whittingham the Utes are 6-3 vs. BCS opponents and 3-0 at home. "I think it would be something fun, a good thing to do," Whittingham said.

• About those recent graduation numbers that came out, don't blame Mike Stoops for Arizona, which finished last in the Pac-10 at 41%.

He began coaching the Wildcats in 2004, well after students in the latest report entered school. "Give me a break," he said. "That has nothing to do with us . . . they're so far back-dated."