April 21, 2009 8:30 AM
Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
The tailback position at Rutgers last year might as well have had a revolving door on it. Four different players took turns being the main ballcarrier, and all four return this season.
But as spring practice drew to a close, only one running back was left standing. Injuries to Kordell Young, and Jourdan Brooks and a switch to receiver by Mason Robinson meant that Joe Martinek had to do most of the work.
In Saturday's spring game, Martinek had 19 carries for 79 yards and three touchdowns.
"I think Joe is really, really sore," head coach Greg Schiano said. "He had a lot of carries this spring, but he didn't open his mouth and just kept playing. It would've been easy for him to moan and groan when all the other guys got injured.
"It wasn't easy for him and at times I could see him letting up, we can't do that with him. We have to keep driving him forward because he has the makeup to be a great running back if we can just keep pushing him to that point."
Martinek is New Jersey's all-time leading rusher, amassing 7,589 yards and 80 touchdowns at Hopatcong High School. Yet he said his only major offers came from Vanderbilt and the Scarlet Knights, who wanted him as a defensive back.
But Martinek played running back for the scout team his redshirt season and made enough of an impression to get a chance last year. Eventually.
He began the season buried behind Young, Robinson and Brooks. In the first eight games, he only ran the ball 17 times, all of the carries coming against Navy and Morgan State.
"I kept working hard and the leaders on this team kept showing me the way," he said. "I had to learn some things and get comfortable and confident in myself."
In the ninth game against Syracuse, he rumbled for a 45-yard touchdown. The following week he had his breakout game at South Florida, going for a career-high 98 yards on 21 carries and scoring twice. He was also the Scarlet Knights' leading rusher in the Papajohns.com Bowl win over NC State and finished the year with the highest yards-per-carry average among the tailbacks (5.3).
He is a fearless runner who doesn't shy away from contact.
"I've always tried to fight for that extra yard," he said.
He's also a terrific all-around athlete who starred in track and field in high school. He won the state javelin title, finished second in the high jump and placed third in the triple jump as a senior. He may join the Scarlet Knights' track team at some point and try the decathlon.
"That's in the back of my mind right now," he said. "Football is all I'm worried about right now."
That's because he is not guaranteed anything for the fall despite his strong spring. Brooks and Young should both be healthy and ready to compete for carries. Schiano said Brooks and Martinek were in a tight competition before Brooks had a knee injury. Robinson could also move back to tailback. Schiano wouldn't rule out a committee situation like the Scarlet Knights had last year.
"It's not by design," he said. "I like having one guy and then a guy to rest him. It just didn't play out that way last year with the competition. So we'll see."
Martinek showed this spring that he's capable of bearing a bigger load. But he's also fine with going through another revolving-door process.
"I just know all the running backs are going to continue to work hard," he said. "Whoever is in there will do a good job."