Tide QB leads on and off the field

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WALA) - Exactly one week from tonight, football fans will watch “History in the Making”.

Alabama will play Notre Dame in Miami for the National Championship. Taking center stage for the Tide will be Mobile's own A.J. McCarron.

Ask McCarron to compare his improvement from this season to last and the answer is simple.

"Night and day," says McCarron.

The proof is in the numbers. The Tide QB led the nation in passing yards per attempt (10.7, adjusted) and passing efficiency rating (173.1), while throwing a stunning 26 touchdowns with only 3 interceptions.

His teammates have noticed a change as well; not statistically, but vocally. McCarron could have a lot of talking to do against the top-ranked Irish defense.

He knows he'll be chased all night by the best defender in the country in Manti Teo. 

Win or lose, A.J.'s heart and soul is still at home with his friends and family in Mobile. It’s evident in the time he spends off the field with children in hospitals, battling for their lives.

Thirteen years ago, it was McCarron's life on the line. As a 5-year-old, he flew off an out of control jet-ski, head first into a pier. Nurses told his parents to prepare for the worst.

Miraculously, he pulled through the life-changing event.

McCarron has one more year, his senior season, to be a part of the Tide’s line-up in 2013. Until then, the national Championship on Saturday is his focus.

Soon, A.J. will take full advantage of a second chance, at a second championship, as the starting QB of the Crimson Tide.

The BCS National Championship takes place in Miami on Jan. 5, FOX10 will have exclusive coverage of history in the making as the Alabama Crimson Tide takes on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.