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Alabama QB McCarron shrugged off rib injury last season

Quarterback AJ McCarron gutted out Alabama's final six games last season playing with injured ribs.

McCarron said he was in constant pain after he was injured on a sack during the Tide's Oct. 27 game against Mississippi State.

Despite the sore ribs that limited his practice time, McCarron finished the season with 30 touchdown passes and three interceptions on the way to the BCS national championshp.

"I had three ribs come out of place," McCarron told ESPN.com. "They kept popping in and out of place, the one at the top, and it was just a nagging pain the whole time. I couldn't throw much during the week for a long time, really almost up to the bowl game. I was hurting really bad through the week, and it just took a long time for those ribs to heal."

McCarron didn't miss any games because of the injury. The break between the end of the regular season and the championship game allowed the ribs some time to heal, he said. The rest must have helped because McCarron threw four touchdown passes against Notre Dame in Alabama's 42-14 win.

"I was injured, and we had so many receivers injured, so it was hard to do a whole lot in practice," he said. "That kind of threw us off a little, but we still kept it going."