Lying in a ditch on the side of the interstate, blood flowing from his face, Makhi Paris looked back at the car he was driving only seconds before as it burst into flames.

Ten miles from returning to the McNeese State campus after spring break, the Cowboys wide receiver was looking forward to continuing his rehab from a season-ending knee injury months before.

That all changed in the flash of a moment.

Driving alone from his home in New Orleans, Paris fell asleep at the wheel as he was closing in on Lake Charles.

“The last thing I remember was my GPS saying I was 10 minutes from campus,” Paris said. “I was excited about getting back to work.”

As he dozed off, his car veered off the road and lodged between two trees, catching fire in the process. The next thing Paris said he remembers was climbing out of the broken windshield.

“I knew I had to get out of the car,” Paris said. “I wanted to get as far away from it as I could. I don’t remember anything about the crash or falling asleep.”

Strangers pulled over, calling for help, which came quickly. As he was being loaded into the ambulance for his race to Lake Charles Memorial Hospital, Paris remembers hearing the tires on his car exploding.

“That’s when I realized how lucky I was,” Paris said. “I could have never woken up and been still in the car. I had a guardian angel there with me making sure I was safe.”

Paris’ fight was just beginning.

When he arrived at the hospital, Paris had the emergency room nurse call his parents and then McNeese head football coach Gary Goff. The nurse told Goff Paris was fine but wanted to make sure the coach knew he would not be at the team meeting planned for that night.

“I figured he wasn’t that bad when I got the call,” Goff said. “I thought maybe he had a concussion or some bruises since he was worried about the team meeting.”

Goff and his wife drove to the hospital to keep his receiver company until his parents arrived. Everything changed when he walked into the ER and saw Paris for the first time,

“I was floored,” Goff said. “It was not what I expected to see. There was still blood everywhere and his face was swollen. You could not even tell it was him.”

Goff stayed with Paris until he was transported to Baton Rouge for more medial attention. He would remain there for five days receiving treatment on his right eye, which had glass lodged around the nerve — the biggest concern.

He also had work done on his mouth and nose. There are scars now that serve as reminders of the crash.

“I knew it was bad because Makhi didn’t call me,” said his mother, Gabriella Paris. “For him not to call me said things were not good.”

“I can’t say enough about Coach Goff and what he did that day,” she said. “He is more than a coach; he stayed with my son and took care of him. He is family.”

Considering himself lucky to be alive, Paris began almost immediately thinking about playing football again.

Three weeks after his release home, Paris was back on campus and planning his comeback.

“I could not just sit around the house,” he said. “I knew I had been given a second chance and wanted to make the most of it. I know every day I could easily not be here.

“The crash reminded me that I have something to be grateful for. I have a reason to still be here. I have been given a second chance.”

Summer work led to the fall that saw Paris begin working out harder and harder. Two weeks ago he was cleared for full contact at practice. Now he is waiting to play, which he said he expects to do after the Cowboys return from their bye week.

“My focus wasn’t playing this season, at first,” Paris said. “But as soon as I got going it started to become a possibility. Knowing I could play again got me through this. Football gave me a purpose. God got me through all of this for something bigger.”

For Goff, it is an amazing story.

“There is no way when I saw him that day in the hospital, I thought he could play this year or maybe ever again,” Goff said. “That was the furthest thing from my mind. I was worried about his life, not football.”

“Now, after seeing how hard he has worked, how much football means to him, and the price he is willing to pay, he will play his four games this year.”

McNeese (4-3) has five games remaining starting a week from Saturday at Incarnate Word in San Antonio.

“This is just amazing to see his progress,” Goff said. “I don’t think I could keep him off the field if I tried.”

Neither can Paris’ parents, who said they have mixed emotions about their son’s quick comeback.

“It is bittersweet,” said Gabriella Paris. “You want your kids to do what they love, but you can’t help but worry about them.”

“I could have hit the floor when I first saw him that day,” she continued. “I wanted to hold him and keep him safe. Now I want him to do what he loves and trust those angels around him to continue to keep him safe.”

Paris arrived at McNeese from Edna Karr High School in New Orleans last season with lots of promise. In nine games last year, he started seven and was second on the team with 24 catches for 292 yards before a knee injury ended his season.

Now he is ready for an even bigger comeback than he ever imagined, and he can’t wait to get back on the field.

“It will be very emotional for me and especially for my parents,” Makhi said. “I’m sure I will think about that day and climbing out the windshield when I’m back on the field. I want to make the most out of this second chance.”

That much he has already earned.