Oklahoma State football: Six years in Stillwater suit Jonathan Rush just fine

The waiting game after applying to get that sixth season was nerve-wracking, Rush said. But he expects to feel a different type of emotion when he takes the field for the first time since the injury in Saturday's season opener against Savannah State.

There's always that doubt, because whenever you have something like that that's not really in your hands and you have to apply for it, I always had that fear of not being able to play. That kind of fueled my hunger and made me so much more appreciative of the opportunity that I have now. There was a month or two where I was sweating bullets scared.

I was talking to somebody the other day, and they were asking me about how I felt coming back, and I was like, ‘I feel like a little kid who just got off (being grounded) and I can finally go play with the kids.'

It's just going to be old hat. No matter if it's my sixth year or my first year, it's football. Football's been the same. That's one constant thing. It doesn't change … I'm just excited to go out there and play the game that I love.

I really didn't expect to be here for six years. But now being here for six years, I can't see myself anywhere else. I can't picture life outside of Stillwater.