To this day, Joe Martinek doesn't remember the NFL game or the running back he was watching when he discovered the key ingredient that today makes him so successful.
"I remember I was watching a game with my dad, and I can't remember which guy the commentator was talking about, but he said something about the running back's knack for falling forward," Rutgers' redshirt freshman said. "I was like 8 or 9 at the time, just getting into pads, but I remember that was one of the things me and my dad worked on when I was younger — falling forward everytime I got hit."
The lesson has served Martinek well over the years, coming especially handy in high school. As a four-year starter at Hopatcong, Martinek compiled 7,589 yards and 80 touchdowns to finish as New Jersey's all-time leading rusher.
"It really depends on my toughness and how hard I'm running the ball," said Martinek, who rushed for 4,579 yards and 55 touchdowns over his final two seasons. "If I lower my shoulder and fall forward, I have that chance of gaining those extra yards my team might need."
For all of the gaudy statistics that Martinek produced in high school, only Rutgers, Vanderbilt and Florida Internation promised the opportunity to compete at running back.
Originally slotted as a safety when he arrived at Rutgers last summer, Martinek moved to tailback six weeks into the season, simulating the opposing team's running back while practicing with the scout team.
"Coach said I could help the team if they moved me to running back with the scout team and prepare our defense every week. To me, that was the perfect situation," said Martinek, a consensus All-State selection and the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year in 2006.
What the 6-0, 215-pound Martinek lacks in flash, he more than makes up in production. Consider despite drawing only five carries in Rutgers' two scrimmages this preseason, Martinek turned in Rutgers' two longest runs of the preseason, both spanning more than 24 yards.
Martinek also led all rushers in the Scarlet-White spring game with 61 yards, another reason why Rutgers coach Greg Schiano has no regrets about moving the former Sussex County star back to his favored position.
"Strength and balance," Schiano said, when asked to cite Martinek's biggest strengths. Moving his arm in a soft, swiping motion, Schiano added, "This doesn't bring him down."