KEITH FREEMAN / PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
G2
G A M E DAY
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
KnightsGameday RUTGERS VS CINCINNATI
GAME 11: High Point Solutions Stadium, Noon TV: ESPNU RADIO: 1450 AM
RU recognizes importance of contest BY STEVEN MILLER SPORTS EDITOR
Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano spoke all week about keeping consistency in his preparation, about remaining loose, about changing nothing. Then his voice lowered noticeably, almost to ensure it would not be heard. “They know what the deal is,” Schiano said of his team. “They know what the stakes are.” Schiano’s near-whisper did not matter. Many Scarlet Knights spent the past week on the phone with family and friends or on the Internet, breaking down the scenarios. Two things are certain: 1) If Rutgers (7-3, 3-2) beats Cincinnati tomorrow, it is tied for first place in the Big East. 2) “This is our biggest game this late in the season,” according to junior defensive tackle Scott Vallone. It took two wins and help around the league, but the Knights suddenly have new life — something Mark Harrison admitted he never expected after Rutgers lost consecutive conference games against Louisville and West Virginia. But Rutgers believed it could win its first Big East title before the season, and now it does again, something the rest of the conference never expected. Without prompting, nearly any Knight will volunteer a reminder that the preseason conference poll placed Rutgers last. “Ever since the polls first came out I’ve been talking to ever yone, and it was a big thing that guys were using as ammunition,” said sophomore quarterback Chas Dodd. “We were picked last and we want to show that’s not where we belong. I think we’ve done a good job of that this season so far. We just have to finish the job.” Finishing the job means winning out, but it starts against a team Rutgers last beat in 2005. Cincinnati (7-2, 3-1) derailed the Knights’ run for an undefeated season and BCS bid in 2006. It was responsible for part of Rutgers’ 1-5 start in 2008. And it ended talk of a Big East title less than 30 minutes into the season in 2009.
[
INSIDE the NUMBERS
SCARLET KNIGHTS (7-3)
CINCINNATI (7-2)
PASSING CMP YDS TD INT. AVG. 6 179.2 C. Dodd 56.7% 1,075 9
CMP YDS TD INT. AVG. PASSING M. Legaux 53.6% 205 0 1 25.6
RUSHING NO. YDS TD LNG AVG. J. Jamison 165 547 4 56 3.3 36 132 0 19 J. Deering 3.7
RUSHING I. Pead M. Legaux
RECEIVING NO. YDS TD LNG AVG. 94 973 7 32 10.4 M. Sanu J. Martinek 23 230 1 60 10.0 21 240 1 21 11.4 Q. Pratt M. Harrison 14 274 2 45 19.6
RECEIVING NO. YDS TD K. Thompkins 40 494 2 A. McClung 35 464 3 D. Woods 33 397 2 I. Pead 24 193 2
TKL SCK 2 105 5 57 55 6.5
DEFENSE
K. Greene S. Beauharnais J. Francis
INT 0 2 1
Head coach Greg Schiano has Rutgers playing for first place in the league at the lastest point in the season since finishing tied for second in 2006. Rutgers’ bowl aspirations, let alone the BCS, were limited late last season when the teams met, but it did not matter for Cincinnati, which put up 69 points in a win. “It certainly wasn’t the best game,” said junior linebacker Khaseem Greene. Neither were Rutgers’ October losses to Louisville and West Virginia, or three quarters of its win against South Florida. Any of those games could end in a Rutgers win or loss, and the same could be said for wins against Syracuse and Navy. “We could easily be 4-6, or we could be 8-1,” Vallone said. “That’s just the nature of our team, though. We like to keep it close for some reason.” Vallone expects more of the same against a Bearcat offense that
could rely more on running back Isaiah Pead with backup quarterback Munchie Legaux at the helm. A defense that prides itself on making opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable struggled at times this season against the run and each of the past two years against Pead. But the Knights are not dwelling on those losses. Despite Schiano’s best efforts, their focus is solely on what this game means. “I’ve been telling people, ‘You might not get this chance ever again,’” Vallone said. “To play for the title this late in the season and to have this opportunity, you might not ever get this chance ever again. I know this is the only time I’ve ever had it. I think we’re going to be ready to go. This team is going to be fired up, jacked up.”
SCHEDULE Sept. 1 Sept. 10 Sept. 24 Oct. 1 Oct. 8 Oct. 15 Oct. 21 Oct. 29 Nov. 5 Nov. 12 Nov. 19 Nov. 26
NC Central N. Carolina Ohio Syracuse Pittsburgh Navy Louisville West Virginia South Florida Army Cincinnati Connecticut
NO. YDS TD LNG AVG. 6.0 155 934 10 65 7.2 16 115 2 65
DEFENSE
J. Schaffer C. Cheatham D. Wolfe
LNG 44 36 50 45
AVG. 12.4 13.3 12.0 8.0
TKL SCK 76 2 42 0 42 7
INT 3 2 0
INJURIES Out — QB Z. Collaros, DB D. Battle
INJURIES Probable — DB R. Knight
KEITH FREEMAN / PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
]
W, 48-0 L, 24-22 W, 38-26 W, 19-16 W, 34-10 W, 21-20 L, 16-14 L, 41-31 W, 20-17 W, 27-12 Noon Noon
SCHEDULE Sept. 3 Austin Peay Sept. 10 Tennessee Sept. 17 Akron Sept. 22 North Carolina St. Miami (Ohio) Oct. 1 Oct. 15 Louisville South Florida Oct. 22 Pittsburgh Nov. 5 Nov. 12 West Virginia Nov. 19 Rutgers Nov. 26 Syracuse Connecticut Dec. 3
W, 72-10 L, 45-23 W, 59-14 W, 44-14 W, 27-0 W, 25-16 W, 37-34 W, 26-23 L, 24-21 Noon TBA Noon
Key Matchup Rutgers front seven vs. Cincinnati RB Isaiah Pead Pead ran wild against Rutgers last season in Cincinnati and his track record against the Scarlet Knights is equally strong. Rutgers mostly limited its opponents on the ground this season, except against West Virginia, but Pead presents a challenge.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP: OFFENSE
MOHAMED SANU Wide Receiver
ANDRE CIVIL Tackle
DESMOND WYNN Guard
CALEB RUCH Center
ART FORST Guard
KALEB JOHNSON Tackle
D.C. JEFFERSON Tight end
MARK HARRISON Wide Receiver
CHAS DODD Quarterback
JOE MARTINEK Fullback
JAWAN JAMISON Running Back
Junior 6’-2”, 215 lbs.
Sophomore 6’-3”, 275 lbs.
Senior 6’-6”, 295 lbs.
Senior 6’-4”, 298 lbs.
Senior 6’-8”, 310 lbs.
Freshman 6’-4”, 298 lbs.
Junior 6’-6”, 258 lbs
Junior 6’-3”, 230 lbs
Sophomore 6’-0”, 200 lbs
Senior 6’-0”, 220 lbs
R-Freshman 5’-8”, 198 lbs
BRANDON JONES Cornerback
DURON HARMON Strong Safety
DAVID ROWE Free Safety
LOGAN RYAN Cornerback
Junior 6’-1”, 186 lbs
Junior 6’-1”, 201 lbs
Senior 6’-0”, 195 lbs
Sophomore 6’-0”, 190 lbs
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP: DEFENSE
JAMIL MERRELL Right end
JUSTIN FRANCIS Tackle
SCOTT VALLONE Tackle
MANNY ABREU Left end
JAMAL MERRELL Linebacker
STEVE BEAUHARNAIS
Linebacker
KHASEEM GREENE Linebacker
Sophomore 6’-4”, 255 lbs
Senior 6’-4”, 275 lbs
Junior 6’-3”, 275 lbs
Senior 6’-3”, 260 lbs
Sophomore 6’-4”, 220 lbs
Junior 6’-2”, 235 lbs
Junior 6’-1”, 220 lbs
G AMEDAY
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
G3
KNIGHT NUGGETS BY THE NUMBERS Senior running back Cincinnati routed Rutgers the Isaiah Pead averages past two seasons, putting up 6.67 yards per carry in a combined 116 points. The two games against Bearcats put on a show in Rutgers, including last season’s 213-yard, Rutgers’ newly expanded stadium in 2009, then four-score performance in Cincinnati. won a shootout last season at Nippert Stadium.
6.67
116
Mohamed Sanu already has 94 catches this season, and 58 of them went for first downs. The junior owns the Big East single-season receptions record and is closing in on his goal of 100 catches.
58
The Scarlet Knights will honor 16 seniors prior to kickoff, including eight starters and Eric LeGrand. With the regular season finale at UConn and a bowl remaining, this is Rutgers’ last home game.
16
BIG QUESTION
Can Rutgers contain a dual-threat quarterback it has limited film on?
CINCINNATI QB MUNCHIE LEGAUX
The sophomore makes his first start of the season under center after Zach Collaros suffered a seasonending injury last week. Legaux led two scoring drives in a loss to WVU.
THE ADVANTAGE GOES TO ... OFFENSE
Even with a backup quarterback, this Bearcats offense can score. It averages 37.4 points per game.
DEFENSE
The spread offense remains its Achilles’ heel, but a revamped unit is better suited to defend it.
Butch Jones never missed a beat after taking over for Brian Kelly in Cincinnati last season.
COACHING
KEITH FREEMAN / PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
HISTORY
Senior defensive tackle Justin Francis ranks third on the team with 55 tackles and leads the Knights with 6.5 sacks in his first year as a starter. Francis is also one of the team’s emotional leaders.
Francis overcomes past to lead RU
Cincinnati won each of the past five meetings, many of them in dominating fashion.
BY TYLER BARTO ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
MOMENTUM
The Scarlet Knights have new life in the Big East after Cincinnati lost last week to West Virginia.
X-FACTOR
Bearcat running back Isaiah Pead torched Rutgers last year in a rout. He may repeat the feat.
RUTGERS WINS IF ...
CINCINNATI WINS IF ...
IT HANDLES THE
ITS BACKUP
QB
SPREAD AND
LEADS ITS POTENT
SCORES ENOUGH
OFFENSE LIKE
TO KEEP PACE.
COLLAROS
Rutgers made a mistake by entering into a shooutout last season. It has to score but most importantly, slow Cincinnati.
DID.
Legaux did enough to put the Bearcats within a field goal of overtime last week and seems every bit capable of winning.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“[Justin Francis has] come a long way. Everybody knows it. Some of the things he’s doing are amazing. To see somebody come that far is heartwarming.”
KHASEEM GREENE JUNIOR LB
FINAL VERDICT
CINCINNATI, 24-21 The Bearcats come up with a late score to end the Knights’ hopes of their first BCS bid.
When former Rutgers football team standouts Courtney Greene, Ramel Meekins and Ray Rice return to Piscataway, they faintly recognize the player who now wears No. 91 for the Scarlet Knights. His hair is different, sure, and his face remains the same, but there is something inherently unfamiliar about Justin Francis. “They say, ‘We’ve watched you grow up,’” Francis said. “[Meekins is] still on me to this day.” The senior defensive tackle ranks third on the team with 55 tackles this season and leads the Knights with 6.5 sacks. By comparison, Francis recorded 42 stops and 5.5 sacks during his first three seasons combined. He star ted ever y game at tackle after moving from defensive end during the spring at head coach Greg Schiano’s request. But more impressive than his production is Francis’ maturation off the field, according to junior linebacker Khaseem Greene, who calls Francis “the older brother I never had.” “He’s come a long way. Everybody knows it,” Khaseem Greene said. “Some of the things he’s doing are just amazing. To see somebody come that far is heartwarming.” Khaseem Greene and senior safety David Rowe could not think of a teammate who matured more in five seasons than Francis, who arrived at Rutgers in 2007 from Opa-Locka, Fla. Francis appeared in seven games down the stretch for the Knights that season, but Schiano suspended him for the entire 2008 campaign following a spring arrest.
New Brunswick police charged Francis with robbery and weapons violations for brandishing a fake gun near a Rutgers apartment complex. Francis is now arguably the team’s chief emotional leader after holding a reserve role in the first two seasons after his suspension. “I thank God that he’s blessed me with the talents I have, the trials and tribulations I’ve been through and my mental state,” Francis said. “It’s an unselfish state of mind.” He speaks to the team prior to every opening kickoff. He prides himself on playing through injuries for his teammates. And
JUSTIN FRANCIS he earned their respect off the field before he demanded it at High Point Solutions Stadium. “It was rough — that comes with leadership,” Francis said. “If you’re a true leader, it doesn’t come easy. You just have to be persistent and persevere through a lot of things. Coach stays on my case my whole journey here. I appreciate him for doing that.” Francis put his season-long suspension in the past, Khaseem Greene said, after he worked at showing teammates the mistake did not define him as a person. But Francis added a new line to his definition before training camp, when he became a father. “I felt like I was gradually growing up, but then once Jordyn
came into the picture I had to take another giant leap of becoming a man,” he said. “Coach always talks about being a family guy and sacrificing for your family. Right now I’m at that stage in my life, putting my family first before myself.” When the Knights face adversity on the field, they turn to Francis, Rowe said. They used to turn to Courtney Greene or Meekins or Rice, but now Francis shares the same company. That in its own right says more about Francis than his 40 career games played or his fourth-best Big East sack total, Khaseem Greene said. “I can’t put together the right words to say,” he said. “It’s unbelievable the strides he’s made since he first got here.” Francis dons a Rutgers home uniform for the final time tomorrow, nearly two months before he turns 23 years old. He insists he is closer to becoming a man than he ever was during any stretch of his Rutgers career. He earned a believer in Schiano in the process. “He certainly is one of the top guys that has grown up, and I’m very proud of what he’s been able to do as a young man,” Schiano said. Schiano cautioned afterward about reminiscing — “That’s all you do for the rest of your life,” he said — and Francis shared the head coach’s warning. Regardless of how Francis handles the pregame emotions, he still figures to be one of the first Knights out of the tunnel before kickoff. “I always want to be in the front of the pack,” he said. He now has the luxur y of doing so, even if his No. 91 is the only recognizable par t about him.
G4
G AMEDAY
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
KEITH FREEMAN / PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Junior wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, middle, stands with teammates Ka’Lial Glaud for the Rutgers alma mater after beating South Florida, 20-17, earlier this month. Sanu caught seven passes for 60 yards on a game-tying drive that forced overtime and allowed the Scarlet Knights to break a two-game losing streak.
Sanu downplays draft talk before potential final home game NCAA LEADERS
BY STEVEN MILLER SPORTS EDITOR
Receptions per game: 1) Jordan White, Western Mich. 1) 9 games, 99 receptions 1) 11.00 receptions per game 2) Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers 1) 10 games, 94 receptions 1) 9.40 receptions per game 3) Justin Blackmon, Okla. St. 1) 10 games, 93 receptions 1) 9.30 receptions per game 4) Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma 1) 10 games, 94 receptions 1) 9.22 receptions per game 5) Robert Woods, Southern Calif. 1) 10 games, 92 receptions 1) 9.20 receptions per game Receptions per game: 1) Jordan White, Western Mich. 1) 9 games, 1,283 yards 1) 142.56 yards per game 2) Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma 1) 9 games, 1,157 yards 1) 128.56 yards per game 3) Patrick Edwards, Houston 1) 10 games, 1,277 yards 1) 127.70 yards per game 4) Nick Harwell, Miami (Ohio) 1) 9 games, 1,124 yards 1) 124.89 yards per game 18) Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers 1) 10 games, 973 yards 1) 97.30 yards per game Receiving touchdowns: T1) Justin Blackmon, Okla. St. T1) 10 games, 14 touchdowns T1) Patrick Edwards, Houston T1) 10 games, 14 touchdowns 3) Jordan White, Western Mich. 1) 9 games, 12 touchdowns T32) Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers T32) 9 games, 7 touchdowns
There is nothing junior wide receiver Mohamed Sanu likes to discuss less than himself. He follows a 100-yard receiving game with thanks for his coaches, scheme, quarterback(s) and wide receivers — a far cr y from the wideouts who prefer to thank their own hands. So there was never any chance the player who does nothing but deflect attention would answer a question that would heap it all on himself. As was the trend throughout the first 10 games, Sanu did not disappoint. Will this be your last game at High Point Solutions Stadium? “I haven’t thought about anything like that,” he said. You haven’t thought about declaring early for the NFL Draft? “It hasn’t really crossed my mind at all,” he said. What about your long-term career goals? “I focus on a season at a time, so I never really set a goal for the long term,” he said. Sanu prefers to let his numbers do the talking. Opposing cornerbacks talk at Sanu, but Sanu says he does not talk back. He makes a catch and “maybe I’ll laugh,” or give the failed defender a pickme-up tap on the helmet. So let Sanu’s numbers answer the questions: — He already broke All-Pro wideout Larr y Fitzgerald’s single-season Big East receptions records and with three games
remaining, will likely shatter it. Sanu watches little NFL, but he watches Fitzgerald. He says he does not know if he shares a style with any NFL wideouts, avoiding those three letters at all costs, but he already broke a record owned by one of the NFL’s bests, from Fitzgerald’s time at Pittsburgh. — He is 22 years old and will turn 23 before the star t of next season. — He is 6-foot-2, 215 pounds and as physical as a safety, where he started in practice with the Scarlet Knights. Asked what he likes most about football, he answers “the contact.” “Forget being a receiver, he’s just one of the strongest guys on the team,” said sophomore quarterback Chas Dodd. “It’s crazy having a guy like that who can do the things he can do.” — He set a preseason goal of 100 catches and needs only six more to reach it. Sanu had no idea his goal meant breaking Fitzgerald’s record. He just knew he could get there. “I saw what type of offense [offensive coordinator Frank] Cignetti had, and I felt like I was the type of player who could reach that number,” Sanu said. “So I put it out there for myself.”
The highlight-reel catches are difficult to ignore — the touchdowns at North Carolina and Louisville, the grab going out of bounds at Syracuse, the fourth-down conversion against South Florida — but 58 of his 94 catches went for first downs. “At the end of the day, he’s just able to make the play,” said redshirt freshman w i d e o u t B r a n d o n Coleman. “He’s just consistent.” He made 95 catches his first two s e a s o n s a n d n e e d s only 18 more to tie Brian Leonar d’s career receptions record at Rutgers. It leaves little more for Sanu to accom-
plish individually at Rutgers, not that it matters to him. “I’m just focused on helping my team try to win this Big East,” he said. There is no reason to question Sanu when he of fers that response. The South Brunswick High School product says he is so locked-in during games, he only sometimes hears his coaches, let alone the crowd screaming his name. It is that mindset that prompts ever y teammate to say they are not surprised by his season. It will not be a surprise if Sanu is playing on Sundays next year, either. Even he will admit he loves the competition. “I always tr y to go as hard as I can ever y time, no matter what the situation is,” Sanu said. “I tr y to become the best I can be. It’s showing in my performance. Ever y time I work out or do anything, I just tr y to be the best at it. That’s how I am.” For now, his situation is at Rutgers, where fans began screaming his name with his first double-digit reception game in his collegiate debut two years ago against Cincinnati. He says he hears the cheers only as he jogs off the field, and he should hear it Saturday. After all, it could be his last.
G AMEDAY
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
G5
COURTESY OF RUTGERS ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
Senior Eric LeGrand takes the field at Yankee Stadium with teammates San San Te, left, Edmond Laryea, Art Forst and Scott Vallone as an honorary captain.
LeGrand’s entrance highlights Senior Day honors BY STEVEN MILLER SPORTS EDITOR
Greg Schiano is known for his undersized defensive lineman, but even a 230-pound Eric LeGrand was a bit too small for Schiano’s liking. Long before LeGrand became a national face of Rutgers football in the aftermath of a paralyzing spinal cord injury, he arrived in Piscataway as a 230-pound defensive lineman who went on a crash diet in hopes of playing linebacker. “We knew that was not a natural 230 — he really squeezed himself down,” Schiano said. “We knew he’d get big.” LeGrand eventually became a full-time defensive tackle at 275 pounds, but first he practiced and played linebacker, fullback and defensive end. “The player that he was, he had to get on the field,” said junior linebacker Khaseem Greene, one of LeGrand’s closest friends who redshir ted LeGrand’s freshman season. “You couldn’t let a guy like Eric not get on the field and sit or redshir t or something. It was fun watching him from tackle to fullback, wherever they put him at.” He played two games at fullback — and wore No. 46 instead of 52 — and 10 on defense, but he made his breakthrough on special teams. LeGrand committed to playing nose tackle and bulked up as a sophomore, then put on even more weight for his junior season. Still, LeGrand was often among the first players down the field on kickoff coverage.
“The quote was: ‘As he got fatter, he got faster,’’’ said junior defensive tackle and close friend Scott Vallone. “It was just weird. As he gained weight, he was still on the kickoff team because he’s such a fast guy and loved to hit.” LeGrand met Army kick returner Malcolm Brown on Oct. 16, 2010, delivering a hit that broke Brown’s collarbone and LeGrand’s C3 and C4 vertebrae. Doctors told LeGrand’s mother he may never breathe without the aid of a ventilator. Walking was an even more distant dream. Within five months, LeGrand was breathing without assistance. He walked on a treadmill last week for as much as an hour at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation with help from physical therapists and a pulley system supporting his body. “That was — wow,” LeGrand said last weekend at Yankee Stadium. “I felt burning in my hamstrings. It was good I could actually feel it though. I’m just so thankful for where I am today compared to where I was last year.” LeGrand laughs at the way he looked a year ago. “I have to get you a picture from my first day at Kessler,” he said, contorting his face. Even in the earliest days, LeGrand remained completely connected to the Rutgers football program, which verbally offered him a scholarship when he was a freshman at Colonia High School. Schiano visited him ever y night, and LeGrand constantly asked for updates from practice. LeGrand watched every game from Hackensack University Medical Center or Kessler, even though he sometimes fell asleep
during games due to medication. He did not miss much as the Scarlet Knights lost their final six games, but “when we lost, he lost,” Vallone said. L e G r a n d returned to take classes in the spring semester via Skype, and he is again enrolled in classes this semester. He is a regular visitor to the Hale Center, and he provides pregame, postgame and halftime commentary on the Rutgers Radio Network. He led the team out of the tunnel against West Virginia, and he will again take the High Point Solutions Stadium turf tomorrow for Senior Day. “He’s going to be able to come out of the tunnel, get his name called and get the standing ovation I know he’s going to get,” Greene said. It will not be the last time LeGrand leads his team out of the tunnel. He said from Day 1 that he would one day take the field on his feet, not a wheelchair. That will not happen against Cincinnati. “If it were something I could control, trust me, I would be up already,” he said. For a day, LeGrand will settle for an entire stadium standing for him. “It’s been a rough year,” he said, “but I can say it’s been the best year of my life.”
JOVELLE ABBEY TAMAYO / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Eric LeGrand and Scott Vallone celebrate a tackle for a loss last season against North Carolina. Vallone credits LeGrand for making him a better player when they lined up next to each other.
G AMEDAY
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
G7
Late changes force steady Martinek to adjust BY TYLER BARTO ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
As Joe Mar tinek looks around the college football landscape, he sees fullbacks with experience dating back to their Pop Warner days. The Rutgers football team’s senior fullback does not have that luxury. “I think I’ve done well just doing it for a couple months,” Martinek said. “At the college level, a lot of people play full-
back for their whole lives. I made the change in a couple months. It just adds another thing to my repertoire.” Martinek learned of his move to fullback from head coach Greg Schiano during the spring after spending his first three seasons at running back. But after undergoing ankle surgery during the offseason, Martinek had to wait until training camp to learn the position on the field. Schiano waited as Martinek learned how to become a more
physical presence as a run blocker, but the process is ongoing. Redshirt freshman Michael Burton earned the majority of reps at the position last week against Army after slowly becoming a more prominent member of the offense. Schiano insists the move has less to do with Martinek’s grasping of the fullback position than Burton’s steady play in practice. “I just think Michael is earning his repetitions,” Schiano said. “As I’ve told you before
KEITH FREEMAN / PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Senior fullback Joe Martinek eludes Army defenders last week, when he had one carry and one catch for a combined 19 yards. Martinek has 351 yards of total offense and a touchdown.
around here, every day you earn your reps. That’s the way it works. It doesn’t change for anyone or anything.” Martinek was a more capable pass catcher out of the backfield in offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti’s pro-style system. He is second on the team with 23 catches, but Bur ton continues to vie for reps with two regular season games remaining. Bur ton caught his first career touchdown pass against Army, and his 232-pound frame fits the fullback mold more than Martinek’s. Martinek views the position change as a process, but with only one season of eligibility, it is a brief one. “I just tested myself at doing other things to basically see what I’m capable of,” Martinek said. “If the coaches ask me to do something, I see how I respond and how well I can do it.” Mar tinek was one of three backs in 2008 that attempted to replace former Scarlet Knight Ray Rice’s production once he opted for the NFL. Rice rushed for more than 2,000 yards in his final season and never r ushed for less than 1,000 yards each year. Rutgers failed to produce a 1,000-yard rusher in the four years since. It had four different leading r ushers during the span. Kordell Young suffered from mounting injuries each year, and Martinek outlasted former backfield mate Jourdan Brooks, who transferred following the 2009 season. Jordan Thomas, the Knights’ leading rusher last year, moved to cornerback in the offseason. Redshirt freshman Jawan Jamison now takes the majority of
the reps in the Rutgers backfield, but he carried the ball only seven times against Army as sophomore Jeremy Deering emerged. Martinek rushed for nearly 1,000 yards during the 2009 campaign, but even he fell victim to injuries as a junior, leading to the Knights’ reliance on the Wildcat. Now Martinek faces his final home game after defining the Rutgers run game for nearly three seasons. “I’m just going about my week like it’s a normal week,” he said. “After the season I’ll look back on it.” He also figures to look back on the constant pounding he took as one of the few contributors to the Rutgers running game during his career. Injuries hampered Young after arriving in Piscataway as a fourstar recruit. De’Antwan Williams left the program earlier in the year, seldom earning opportunities to see the field as another four-star recruit as a high school running back. Brooks opted for Morgan State to close his college career after Martinek built up equity with the program, so much so Schiano never diver ted from the Hopatcong, N.J., native until injur y. Yes, Martinek was the state’s all-time leading rusher in high school. But a two-star recruit’s attempt to follow Rice’s production left Martinek in an unenviable position. He did not face it alone at first, but ultimately he was the only one remaining. “Honestly, it hasn’t really hit me,” he said. “I don’t think it will until the season’s over. Yeah, it’s my last time playing here, but it won’t be the last time I’ll be here. I’ll still be back.”
JENNIFER MIGUEL-HELLMAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER