Matt McGlothlin isn't just fortunate to be a Tennessee football player again. He's fortunate to be alive.

The senior defensive tackle was involved in a freak ATV accident during the offseason.

Former UT offensive lineman Rob Smith was driving the side-by-side vehicle when it flipped in slick, wet conditions after taking a turn too fast.

McGlothlin was thrown out. The ATV tipped over and landed on his right leg, severing an artery.

Smith urged McGlothlin to get up and told him that he was OK. Then, Smith looked at his leg.

"He started wiggin'," McGlothlin said. "He lifted 2,000 pounds by himself."

Just because the ATV was off his leg didn't mean that McGlothlin was out of trouble.

He was losing blood fast in the middle of the woods. Shock was setting in.

That's when he remembered an old practice.

"I lowered my blood pressure by meditating," McGlothlin said. "You almost go into a zone, control your emotions."

The paramedics arrived more than half an hour later.

"They said 'Dude you'd have been dead if you didn't relax,' " McGlothlin recalled. "If the ground hadn't have been wet it would have cut it right off."

McGlothlin began meditating when he was suspended for the 2004 season after he tested positive for a testosterone-related supplement banned by the NCAA.

He had to find something to fill the days since football was out of his life. He started martial arts training, which included meditation with incense and stretching exercises.

"All kinds of crazy junk," the stocky, tattooed McGlothin said.

McGlothlin attacked martial arts like he did football. Before long, the 6-foot, 190-pounder was able to perform splits while his feet rested on two chairs.

"It's crazy man," McGlothlin said. "I've got pictures."

McGlothlin may not be as dedicated to the oriental arts as he once was. But the sabbatical has its benefits on the football field.

"The more flexible you are, the better you move," McGlothlin said. "It helps you a lot."

McGlothlin still bears a nasty scar on his leg. It's easy to see where a mass of flesh used to be.

However, it could have been much worse had it not been for a type of training that initially was a source of embarrassment.

"Man this is stupid," McGlothlin said when asked what he first thought about meditation. "I wouldn't tell anybody."