Reporter: FOOTBALL, IT

HAS ALWAYS BEEN A MAN'S

GAME.

AND IT'S BEEN THAT WAY FOR

OVER 100 YEARS.

BUT HERE AT LOUISIANA STATE

UNIVERSITY IN BATON ROUCHE,

THERE IS ONE WOMAN WHO HOPES

TO TAKE THE FIELD WITH THE

GUYS.

HI, I'M MO ICEM.

Reporter: MO WANTS TO

BE A PLACE KICKER FOR ONE OF

THE TOP COLLEGE FOOTBALL

PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTRY.

17 MONTHS OF TWO A DAYS,

TEARS AND SWEAT AND BLOOD

AND ALL OF THE ABOVE.

IF I HAD STOPPED ANY SOONER,

I THINK I WOULD JUST BE

KICKING MYSELF, PUN

PERFECTLY INTENDED.

Reporter: MO SHOWED

ATHLETIC ABILITY AT A YOUNG

AGE.

AT 12, SHE WAS TRAINING WITH

19-YEAR-OLD SOCCER PLAYERS.

AFTER SHE GREW SEVEN INCHES

IN ONE YEAR, HER 6-FOOT

STATURE MADE HER A FORCE TO

CONTEND WITH.

I CERTAINLY UNDERSTOOD

THE IMPORTANCE OF HARD

WORK.

YES, THINGS SORT OF FELL

INTO MY LAP, BUT I HAD TO

WORK HARD TO MAINTAIN THEM.

Reporter: BY HIGH

SCHOOL, SHE WAS CONSIDERED

BY THE SOCCER TEAMS, AND SHE

WAS ALSO MODELING.

BUT WITH CLASSMATES, SHE

FELT OUT OF PLACE.

I WAS THE GIANT.

I WAS THE HUGE GIRL.

I HAD TO BEAR THOSE TYPES OF

COMMENTS ON A DAILY BASIS IN

HIGH SCHOOL.

WHERE ALL I WANT IS TO BE

ACCEPTED AND TO FIT, AND I

DEVELOPED AN EATING DISORDER

THAT JUST OVERCAME MAY

LIFE.

Reporter: THE ONLY

THING THAT KEPT MO FROM

STARVING HERSELF WAS HER

PASSION FOR SOCCER.

SHE NEEDED FUEL TO PLAY, SO

DIET PILLS AND SUPPLEMENTS

FILLED IN FOR FOOD.

RAISED IN A CHRISTIAN HOME,

MO FELT GUILT OVER WHAT SHE

HAD BEEN DOING.

BY HER SENIOR YEAR, MO HAD

ENOUGH.

I'M REALLY EMPTY.

SO PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY,

AND SPIRITUALLY, I'M EMPTY.

SCRIPTURE TELLS US, COME TO

ME, ALL WHO ARE WEARY, AND

I'LL GIVE YOU REST.

SO I JUST SORT OF OPENED MY

HEART BACK UP TO THE LORD,

AND WAS IMMEDIATELY FILLED

WITH THIS COURAGE TO COME

CLEAN TO MY MOM, MY DAD, AND

MY FAMILY ABOUT WHAT I HAD

BEEN DOING.

Reporter: MO GOT

COUNSELLING AND REGAINED HER

HEALTH.

WHEN SHE ARRIVED AT L.S.U.

ON A FULL SCHOLARSHIP, SHE

HAD A RECORD-SETTING YEAR.

AT THE END OF THAT

FRESHMAN SEASON, TRULY I

FELT UNTOUCHABLE.

IT WAS LIKE, IF THIS IS WHAT

IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN,

THIS IS GREAT.

BECAUSE IT WAS JUST RAINING

DOWN THE BLESSINGS AND THE

SUCCESSES, AND I AM LIKE

OVERWHELMED.

THIS IS AWESOME, AND IT WAS

SMOOTH SAILING.

BUT, YOU'RE RIGHT, MY LIFE

HAS BEEN THESE HIGHEST OF

HIGHS, AND THE LOWEST OF

LOWS.

THE MOMENT THE THREE POLICE

OFFICERS WALK INTO THE ROOM

MY MOM, MY SISTER AND I WERE

IN, AND TOLD US THEY HAD

FOUND MY DAD'S REMAINS, THE

WORLD FROZE.

Reporter: ON JANUARY 3,

2009, MO'S FATHER COMMITTED

SUICIDE.

HE WAS ONE OF HER BIGGEST

SUPPORTERS.

MO AND HER FAMILY WERE

CRUSHED.

IT JUST DIDN'T MAKE ANY

SENSE, WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

AND I FELT SO BETRAYED BY

THIS GOD THAT EVERYONE

CONSISTENTLY TELLS ME LOVES

US SO MUCH.

AND NOW SUDDENLY MY HEART

WAS BROKEN.

AND I DIDN'T FEEL ANYTHING.

AND SO I TOOK OFF RUNNING.

I WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH

GOD.

Reporter: MO BECAME THE

PARTY GIRL AND PRETENDED

EVERYTHING WAS FINE.

I HAD REALLY JUST COME

TO, LIKE, MY BREAKING

POINT.

IT HAD ALMOST BEEN A YEAR

SINCE THE LOSS OF MY FATHER,

AND I WAS EXHAUSTED.

YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST WORN

OUT.

Reporter: IN NOVEMBER

OF THAT YEAR, MO WAS ON HER

WAY HOME TO GEORGIA FOR

THANKSGIVING.

I WAS SORT OF YELLING AT

GOD.

I WAS JUST MAD.

I SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT?

I DON'T BELIEVE YOU LOVE ME

THE WAY YOU SAY THAT YOU

LOVE ME.

IF YOU'RE SO REAL, PROVE

IT.

I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW I LOST

CONTROL OF MY CAR.

AND I FIND MYSELF UP SIDE

DOWN, HANGING BY MY SEAT

BELT IN A RAVINE AT 1:30 IN

THE MORNING.

I WOKE UP CHOKING ON MY OWN

BLOOD.

UI WAI WAS VOMITING BLOOD.

Reporter: MO HAD A REAL

ENCOUNTER WITH GOD.

AND THAT WAS THE MOMENT.

I HAD NEVER FELT SO WRAPPED

IN THE ARMS OF THE HOLY

SPIRIT.

I COULD FEEL GOD'S

PRESENCE.

I THINK IT WAS THAT MOMENT

WHERE I ACCEPTED THAT GOD

WAS REAL AND THAT HIS SON

WAS REAL IN MY HEART.

AND I GOT IT BECAUSE IT WAS

A FEELING THAT JUST

OVERWHELMED ME.

Reporter: BUT HER

INJURIES LANDED HER IN THE

HOSPITAL.

I BROKE MY NECK, THE RIBS

DOWN THE LEFT SIDE OF MY

BODY, DAMAGED MY LUNGS, MY

LIVER, MY FACE.

AND MOST SEVERELY, I HAD

SOME BRAIN CONTUSIONS.

AND THAT, IRONICALLY ENOUGH,

LEFT ME WITH AN UNBELIEVABLE

STUTTER.

Reporter: SHE RECOVERED

AFTER AN EXTENSIVE

REHABILITATION, AND FINISHED

HER FOUR YEARS ON THE SOCCER

TEAM AS THE MOST DECORATED

PLAYER IN THE HISTORY OF

L.S.U.

I LOOK BACK NOW AND THINK

WITHOUT GOD'S HANDS ON THAT

RECOVERY, I WOULD NEVER HAVE

BEEN ABLE TO RETURN IN TIME

FOR SOCCER.

IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE.

Reporter: TODAY MO IS

IN GRADUATE SCHOOL, AND

TRAINS DAILY WITH 99 PREMIER

ATHLETES.

BUT WHY?

IT WAS JANUARY OF 2011,

AND I DON'T TELL TOO MANY

PEOPLE THIS, BUT GOD JUST

CHALLENGED ME TO BUILD MY

PLATFORM FOR HIM.

Reporter: BUT MO WAS

UNSURE OF HOW THE FOOTBALL

TEAM WOULD ACCEPT HER TRYING

OUT.

I STEPPED INTO THE

PROCESS AND WAS GREETED BY

NOTHING BUT OPEN DOORS.

Reporter: AS THE

FOOTBALL SEASON NEARS AND

THE GAMES BEGIN, MO WILL TRY

TO SECURE HER ROLE AS A

PLACE KICKER FOR THE

TIGERS.

BUT WHATEVER THE OUTCOME,

SHE KNOWS THE ONE WHO HAS

THE PlayBook.

*

* SO MANY SONGS ARE SUNG

ABOUT YOU *

* I'M STILL YOURS

* FOREVER

GOD OVERWHELMED MY

HEART.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT HAS BEEN

THIS LIFETIME OF UPS AND

DOWNS.

BUT I WOULDN'T CHANGE A DAY

OF IT BECAUSE IT HAS

PROVIDED ME THE OPPORTUNITY

TO NOT ONLY GROW AS A

PERSON, BUT TO SHINE LIGHT

AND JOY AND HOPE TO OTHER

PEOPLE THROUGH MY

EXPERIENCES.