Celina coach Butch Ford learned everything he needed to know about Nathan Tune all the way back when he was a skinny freshman the Bobcats varsity defense used for target practice.

DRC/Gary Payne

North Texas quarterback Nathan Tune, right, looks for an open receiver against Ohio on Saturday at Fouts Field.

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Tune aspired to be the starting quarterback for the powerhouse program and part of the training for the job was playing on the scout team as a freshman.

“He was a little guy back when we first had him, but he would stand in there against the varsity in practice no matter what we threw at him,” Ford said. “It didn’t bother him. … He’s cold blooded. Nothing really affects him.”

The trait is one Tune has displayed throughout his career that will reach a milestone Saturday when he makes the first start of his college career for North Texas at Alabama.

Riley Dodge started the first two games of the season, but was knocked out of the Mean Green’s loss to Ohio last week with a separated left shoulder. Dodge should be back next week, giving Tune a chance to step into the spotlight as the starter for the first time, and possibly the last time, in his college career.

“I am very excited,” said Tune, a junior in his fourth season at UNT. “I have been waiting for a chance like this for three and a half years. I couldn’t think of a better team to be playing on a big-time scale in front of so many people.”

Tune will lead UNT against an Alabama team that is ranked fourth in the country and drew 92,012 for its home opener, a 40-14 win over Florida International, another member of the Sun Belt Conference.

The story of Tune’s rise from Celina to starting against the Crimson Tide is about as unlikely a tale as there is in college football.

Tune led Celina to a Class 2A state title as a senior in 2005, but didn’t have a scholarship offer from a Bowl Subdivision team coming out of high school.

The slight was just another one of the setbacks Tune took in stride before he ended up following his heart to UNT.

“I had the feeling that his was the right place for me,” Tune said. “I didn’t want to be buried under all the players that were recruited at bigger schools and I knew a lot of people in the area.”

The decision to follow his gut instinct turned out to be the right one. Former UNT head coach Darrell Dickey put Tune on scholarship after the first scrimmage of fall practice his redshirt freshman season.

For a long time, that appeared as if it might be the highlight of Tune’s time at UNT. Dickey was fired during Tune’s first year on campus. When Todd Dodge arrived, he brought a new offense and recruited some highly touted quarterback prospects of his own.

First it was Giovanni Vizza, who competed with Daniel Meager and Matt Phillips, a pair of players who had started at times in their careers. Later on, it was Riley Dodge who came in and stole the headlines.

That didn’t bother Tune. He just kept on working and eventually caught Todd Dodge’s eye, partly because of the way he persevered in the face of adversity.

“Unfortunately, today in college football if kids don’t get what they want early in their career, they transfer,” Todd Dodge said. “Nathan was here when we got here and stuck it out. He developed a nice understanding of what we want to get done. He’s a very calm and accurate guy.”

Tune’s decision to stick with football was all the more remarkable considering he struggled with digestive problems for a while last year.

Tune has problems digesting wheat products and had to eliminate some of the staples of a college student’s diet from his eating habits, including sandwiches, pasta, fast food and beer.

By the time last season came around, Tune’s determination started to pay off. He was the backup quarterback and threw for 55 yards in six games.

When Vizza left in the off-season to transfer to Texas A&M, Tune quickly secured the backup job for a second straight year.

Still, with Riley Dodge starting as a redshirt freshman, Tune appeared destined for little more than mop-up duty.

“There were times I thought it would never happen for me, but you never give up,” Tune said. “I have been in situations like this before and giving up is worse than not even being in the fight.”

Tune was in the middle of what turned out to be a big battle last week against Ohio and came back from throwing an interception the Bobcats returned for a touchdown to lead UNT on a last-minute drive that culminated in a field goal that sent the game into overtime. Twice he threw passes that could have ended the game only to see them dropped in the end zone.

If there were any doubts Tune could handle the quarterback job, they were eased by his performance after the interception.

“Nathan knows this offense inside and out and is very football savvy,” Riley Dodge said. “We talk a lot of ball together and pick each other’s brains. He is very calm and collected.”

Tune called his feel for the game his strength, which is something that could be critical on Saturday considering he has minimal experience during actual games in Todd Dodge’s offense.

Tune said he hopes to play well and give UNT’s coaches a moment of pause before putting Riley Dodge back in the lineup for the Mean Green’s conference opener against Middle Tennessee next week. Mostly, though, he is hoping to help a group of players he said has worked tremendously hard to turn the corner inch closer to that goal with a good performance against Alabama.

Those who know Tune best say there is no doubt that no matter what happens, he will stand tall in the face of adversity just like he has since his days as the scout team quarterback at Celina.

“I came here for a reason and everything happens for a reason,” Tune said. “Life isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. I figured something good would come out of it if I stuck with football.”

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mal address is bvito@dentonrc.com .