Martinek closing in on 1,000-yard season

By KEITH SARGEANT
STAFF WRITER

If he matches the rushing total he's averaged per game this season in the St. Petersburg Bowl, Joe Martinek will etch his name in Rutgers' history books.

The redshirt sophomore running back, who averaged 76.9 rushing yards per game during the regular season, needs only 77 yards to become the seventh Scarlet Knight to reach the 1,000-yard plateau in a season.

"That would be a great accomplishment," Martinek said of a 1,000-yard barrier that's been reached only 11 times in Rutgers' 140-year history. "It's something I never thought I'd do. But I try not to think about it, or count every yard during the game. Because if I think about it too much, I might not execute the game as much as I'd like. So I figure if I just go out and execute the game plan and if it's meant to be, it's meant to be."

The challenge won't be easy, considering Martinek will be rushing against a Central Florida defense that ranks fourth nationally in stopping the run.

In fact, Martinek's yards-per-game average is just a shade fewer than what Central Florida yields per game (82.5).

"It's definitely a challenge," said Martinek, who's expected to start in the backfield when Rutgers faces Central Florida in the St. Petersburg Bowl next Saturday (8 p.m., ESPN) at Tropicana Field.

"Their front four are big, strong, they move very well. Their linebackers are very aggressive and their defensive backs aren't afraid to hit so they're pretty much a complete defense. We have to come out with our A-game, study, prepare and to play the best we can. It's a great opportunity to play our game and just show how good we can be."

On paper, Martinek's statistics are above average across the board. The 6-foot, 215-pounder from Hopatcong has compiled 923 yards rushing on 192 carries (a 4.8 average) while scoring nine times.

More than half his rushing total, however, was compiled inside a non-conference schedule that ranked, according to the Sagarin ratings, last in the Big East.

In Big East play, Martinek averaged just 61 yards (427 total) in seven contests.

For that reason, Martinek says he "left some yards on the table" this season.

"I think it's been a confidence-building year, learning the ins and outs of everything," he said. "There's always stuff you can do better, and that's just more motivation for me to just keep moving forward."

Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, who assigned Martinek featured-back status when preseason camp broke last August, seems satisfied with Martinek's performance but less-than-satisfied with the run game overall.

"I think Joe's had a solid year," Schiano said. "There's room for improvement certainly. But Joe's improved as a player."

Of a rushing offense that ranked sixth in the eight-team Big East during the regular season, Schiano bemoaned following the most recent loss to West Virginia: "You have to be able to run the ball to be successful."

For Rutgers to be successful in the St. Petersburg Bowl, Schiano noted that his team will have to buck the trend against a Central Florida defense that looks as good on film as it does on paper.

"It's very challenging," Schiano said. "They're the fourth-ranked rush defense in the country. So probably there would be only three bigger challenges.