SMU nose tackle Mike O’Guin admits he was frightened. When he was lying flat on the turf of SMU’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium April 13 after tearing up his left knee during the Ponies’ spring workouts, he was frightened. When he rode to the hospital directly from practice, he was frightened. When he was told that his football career might be over, he was frightened.

“Yeah, I was scared,” he said. “I had a torn up almost everything in my knee and my kneecap was on the outside of my knee. I thought I was done.

Before hurting his knee this spring, Mike OGuin was hoping to compete for the starting nose tackle spot in 2011 (photo by Webmaster).

“When they said I might not play again, I was in shock. All I have been doing for years is play ball. But when I heard that, I knew that if that’s the case, I’ve got to get my grades right, because I’m still able to go to class and get my degree.”

O’Guin tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), lateral collateral ligament (LCL) and meniscus, and partially tore his medial collateral ligament (MCL). He had surgery April 25 to repair his ACL, LCL and meniscus; he didn’t need to have his MCL repaired because it was not torn completely.

O’Guin said that his reaction to the worst-case scenario — that a career-ending injury would reinforce his academic focus — was a reflection of his parents’ academics-over-athletics priority system. His father, Michael O’Guin, Sr., was his head coach at Van Vleck High School.

“When (SMU’s medical staff) told them about my injury, and that I could be done playing, my dad said he prayed that wasn’t the case,” O’Guin said. “But he said either way, that’s why they want me to be serious about my education, serious about my academics. He said it would be shame if football was taken away from me, but my degree is the most important thing.”

After his surgery, his doctors now are more optimistic that he will be able to return to the field, O’Guin said. They made no assurances, but after seeing how his knee has responded, his diagnosis has improved. O’Guin is walking again, albeit with a brace that supports his knee and restricts any bending in the joint. When he sits, O’Guin can bend his knee to nearly a 90-degree angle — although bending it is when he experiences some residual pain. Stretching and bending the knee to increase the range of motion are significant parts of his rehabilitation routine.

“When I first got hurt, they said it would be nine months to a year before I would have a chance to be back” to a football-related workout routine (without going so far as to predict when he will resume running), O’Guin said. “After the surgery, they said maybe seven to nine months. Once I get my range of motion back in my knee, then they’ll have a better idea.”

“I was afraid what had happened to me was like what happened to Joey Fontana,” O’Guin said, referring to his teammate is still rehabilitating his knee after tearing ligaments and nerves — jeopardizing his football future — at the end of the 2009 season. Joey’s working hard, but who knows if he’ll play again? He’s doing what he has to do, and everyone hopes he plays. But it’s scary to think you might be done.”

While determining his on-field future, O’Guin now gets to sit and wait, a process that brings with it a range of emotions that includes frustration and impatience.

“That’s what I worry about,” he said when asked what he expects to feel this fall as he watches his teammates take the field without him. “Just being in season, being on the road with the guys, the camaraderie — that’s what I’ll miss the most.

“The opportunity I had — I felt like I had a chance to compete for the starting spot. There were points in practice last year when I got tired. But I lost weight, from 320 last year to about 303 or 305 now, and I wasn’t getting that tired (in spring workouts). I know the defense so much better now, and I was in much better shape.

“Freshman year, there were times I think I got complacent. I thought I had a good spring last year, so there were times I just acted like a dumb freshman. But after seeing what it takes to play, I had a good offseason. The coaches wanted me to get down to 295 or so, and I was getting there. That’s what’s frustrating — I was doing what I needed to do, and I felt like I had a chance to play and do some good things this year.”

O’Guin said that he takes no relief in the fact that he won’t be out running sprints in the heat with his teammates this summer, and laments the fact that he won’t be on the field when the Ponies open the 2011 season in College Station against Texas A&M.

“I’d rather be out there than in rehab,” he said. “I’d rather be out there burning up all day than dealing with this. I’m not going to feel sorry for myself, though — that does nothing but set you back. I’m going to stay positive, keep working to get that full range of motion back, one step at a time.

“I really wanted to play A&M. I grew up near there. For a while I wanted to go there, and I’ve got some old (high school) teammates who play there. But I’ll be in the stands. I can’t play, but I’ll be there, and I’m going to work until I can get back out there with my team next year.”