suffered an injury after catching a screen pass from Dorsey. He was immediately hit by Buckeye safety Will Allen, turning his left knee into a swivel joint and causing tears of the ACL, PCL, and MCL. Prior to getting hurt, he had rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown, as Miami would lose the game in double-overtime, 31–24. This injury required several surgeries and extensive rehabilitation before he would be able to play again. At the season's end, McGahee announced he would not collect on a $2.5 million insurance policy he had taken out before the Championship game, and therefore would enter the 2003 NFL Draft. At the conclusion of his collegiate career, he had rushed for 2,067 yards and 31 touchdowns. He majored in criminology while at the University of Miami. College statistics Professional career Buffalo Bills Prior to his knee injury in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, McGahee was considered "a cinch top-five pick." Afterwards, McGahee was projected a late third round pick due to risk of "a long rehabilitation process". Eventually, he was selected in the first round with the 23rd overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. The Bills originally acquired the pick in a trade that sent Peerless Price to the Atlanta Falcons. 2003 season Due to the length of the rehabilitation for his knee, he missed the entire 2003 season. 2004 season McGahee made his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 2004 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars and had nine carries for 31 rushing yards in the 13–10 loss. In Week 6, McGahee assumed the starting role and had 26 carries for 111 rushing yards in the 20–13 victory over the Miami Dolphins. In Week 8, he scored his first two professional touchdowns in a 38–14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. In the following game, a 22–17 victory over the New York Jets, he had season-highs with 37 carries for 132 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 22–17 victory. In Week 12, a 38–9 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, he had 28 carries for 116 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. The close out the 2004 season, McGahee had two games going over the 100-yard rushing mark while scoring two rushing touchdowns in both of the games. He finished the 2004 season with 284 carries for 1,128 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns to go along with 22