Oklahoma State football lineman Jonathan Rush's 2011 season-ending injury a 'blessing in disguise'

So before the doctors ever confirmed the worst on the sideline, Rush sensed his season was over.

“You just know,” he said.

Indeed, the Oklahoma State senior had torn his ACL there on the turf at Texas A&M, in Game 4 of what would become the greatest season in program history.

It's a blow you wouldn't wish on anyone.

Except, perhaps, now in hindsight.

The NCAA granted Rush a sixth year with the Cowboys, paving the way for a rewrite senior season and providing OSU with an experienced and talented piece for an otherwise transitioning offensive line that has already suffered the blow of losing left tackle Michael Bowie.

“Thank God he got hurt,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said unabashedly. “Thank God he got hurt. Because that didn't matter, obviously. We didn't lose to Iowa State because we didn't have Rush. Did we miss him? Yeah, he's a good football layer.

“But obviously the silver lining is, thank God he got hurt. Because you have only so many experienced, truly good football players. It's really a blessing in disguise we got him back.”

Rush's impact at OSU came slowly. He redshirted as a true freshman in 2007, played sparingly in 2008, before missing all of 2009 with an injury suffered in preseason camp.

Finally, as a junior in 2010, he started every game at guard. And he'd made three starts last year before backpedaling into pass-blocking mode and collapsing.

“It was just one of those freak things,” said Rush, a product of Killeen, Texas. “I stuck my leg and it popped. That's all it took. One little thing, something I've done a million times.”

For Rush, the initial shock was most difficult.

In the biggest role of his career, playing the best football of his career, he was betrayed by a faulty ligament.

“It's a big mind thing,” he said. “I don't think the severity of the injury matters so much, when it's season-ending. Once you know you're not going to be playing for the rest of the season, it's like, ‘Oh, it sucks.' You've done all these workouts and all your training was for nil.

“But you've got to get over it.”

And Rush did just that, almost immediately.

The NCAA helped, responding to OSU's appeal for a sixth year within a few weeks. The Cowboys did their part, too.

Even though he'd have loved being on the field for Bedlam and the Fiesta Bowl, he didn't allow regrets to cloud his recovery or interfere with his pride in his teammates.