As if Nebraska coach Bo Pelini didn't have enough to worry about, Huskers quarterback Taylor Martinez missed practice Tuesday because of turf toe and may not be able to play Saturday.
Nebraska plays host to South Dakota State on Saturday. The Jackrabbits are ranked sixth in this week's FCS coaches' poll. If Martinez can't play, senior Ron Kellogg III or redshirt freshman Tommy Armstrong would get the start.
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"If he's healthy, he'll play," Pelini told reporters after Tuesday's practice.
But Martinez wore a walking boot on his left foot as he walked off the practice field, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. He also wore a boot during a postgame news conference following last week's loss to UCLA.
Pelini was asked about Martinez's health after the game and on Sunday and Monday. Monday, Pelini said Martinez was "sore" but that he wasn't sure how bad any injury was.
Martinez also suffered from turf toe in 2011.
Kellogg, a walk-on, played in a mop-up role in Nebraska's second game, a win over Southern Miss. That was the fifth appearance of his career; he saw scant action in four games last fall. His dad, Ron, was a basketball star at Kansas in the late 1980s.
Armstrong was a consensus top-10 dual-threat quarterback nationally in the 2012 recruiting class. He chose Nebraska over Baylor and TCU, among others.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
