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(AP) --  All folks knew about Iowa lineman Josh
Koeppel until last week was that he was battling to be the
Hawkeyes starting center.

 That all changed when Koeppel's scooter got drilled by a pickup
truck on his way to class, sending the 273-pound senior flying into
the air and onto the pavement. The video of the accident went
viral, and Koeppel became one of the nation's most famous backup
linemen overnight.

 Koeppel walked away from the accident with just scratches and
bruises, and the crash landed him on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday
morning.

 Koeppel says it's strange to get so much attention for the
accident, adding that he's one of the luckier guys in the state.
 He did not play last week but is available Saturday when Iowa
hosts rival Iowa State.

(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)