If Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez didn’t seem like his old self when the Cornhuskers were upset by Minnesota on Saturday, he may have a valid excuse.
The foot injury that has dogged him for much of the past month is still bothering him, he told media on Sunday. In fact, it’s worse that how it has been described in most reports, which have mostly said Martinez was suffering from turf toe. Such an injury involves ligament damage to the big toe, but the the senior said that the injury is actually affecting his second and third toes.
“It’s been a very rough past month, five weeks or whatever it’s been,” Martinez said. “Pretty much living in that training room and trying to get my foot healthy, as healthy as possible, as much as I can tolerate it.”
Martinez played for the first time since mid-September and was 16 of 30 for 139 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception in Nebraska’s 34-23 loss to the Gophers. The normally-prolific rusher was also held to 16 yards on eight carries.