By Mike Babcock
For The Independent

Three snaps into the Texas A&M game, Murtha was reach-blocking. In the mass of humanity at the line of scrimmage, someone fell back on his left foot.

He felt a sharp pain in his big toe but continued to play, figuring it had been sprained, "like a turf-toe type of thing," he said. By late in the game, however, the pain had become so intense he struggled to walk off the field.

A doctor looked at it afterward. There wasn't much swelling, though in retrospect, that was because his ankle (and foot) had been tightly wrapped. "The doctor was like, 'Maybe you sprained it, but see how it feels tomorrow,'" said Murtha.

The pain worsened that night. The toe "ballooned up like a big tomato." An x-ray and MRI the next day showed the toe was broken. It had split in half.

Murtha had a decision to make. He could have surgery, which would mean he would miss the remainder of the season, for sure. Or he could let the toe mend on its own. If he did that, the chances were good he could return for a bowl game.

The Cornhuskers still had bowl hopes at that point. Their record was 4-4. No one expected them to win only one of their remaining four games.

The concern if he allowed the break to heal on its own was that it wouldn't heal properly. And improper healing would have long-term implications.

"They (doctors) said, 'If you go on and play in the NFL, 100 percent it will hurt your play. It could definitely be a big issue,'" Murtha said. "That's what you use to push off . . . pushing off your instep. So if there's something wrong with your big toe, it's going to make a big difference.

He opted for surgery after discussing the options with the coaches. A couple of days later, doctors inserted pins in the toe to pull it back together.

That wasn't Murtha's first injury at Nebraska. He probably would have played as a true freshman if not for a calf injury during pre-season practice. He has undergone knee and shoulder surgeries. He suffered a torn meniscus in the spring of 2005 when the mo-ped he was riding collided with a car. The accident occurred near Memorial Stadium, a couple of days before the Red-White game. But he was able to play.

"I've been hurt more than anything. I've been kind of reckless my whole life, so I've had surgeries and injuries," he said. "It doesn't bother me. It's one of those things."

Watching the team struggle down the stretch did bother him, of course.

"It was frustrating that I couldn't be a part of it, be a part of the team, but I can't say it was frustrating to watch us lose and think I could change it. You know what I mean? I don't think one player can go in there and make a losing team (into) a winning team," he said. "The whole team has to be involved. Just not being part of the team, that was frustrating (whether) winning or losing."

The frustration was even greater for the seniors on last year's team. At least he and the other underclassmen could look to the future.

Now Murtha is looking at his senior season, and he's preparing as never before. He began spring practice at 312 pounds (he's 6-foot-7). Last season, he was a little lighter, weighing about 308 when he suffered the toe injury.

"I'm trying to be a little bigger, trying to get more of an offensive lineman's body," he said with a laugh. "I'm not saying I'm trying to be the classic slob. But I'm focusing more on just football, becoming a dominant player, staying the right size and keeping my speed . . . and see how it goes."

Murtha played left tackle his first two seasons, starting three games in each. And that's where he'll likely play in the fall, with sophomore Jaivorio Burkes the frontrunner at right tackle - Burkes started three game there after Murtha was injured.

The veterans have embraced young linemen such as Burkes.

"We have that cohesiveness a lot of lines don't have when they incorporate other players," Murtha said. "We accept them as if they've been playing for three or four years. It's not one of those things that we're kind of stand-offish if a new kid's coming in."

Because of that cohesion, and the added talent of the youngsters, "I think we can be as good as we want to be," he said. "We want to be one of the best lines in the nation."