| Pac-10 Player Watch: Chris Polk | ||||
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College Football Insiders "Pac-10 players to watch for 2010" series continues on the offensive side of the ball with Washington's Chris Polk.
Last season Polk got a second attempt at his freshman campaign and was able to redefine how others viewed his style of play. On a national stage in South Bend against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, Polk put on an impressive performance that raised a lot of eyebrows. However, it wasn’t the 136 yards he posted that got the most attention. It was how he gained them. A very impressive 96 of those yards came after contact as Polk repeatedly ran right over the Irish defense. Any Bush comparisons and thoughts of a future at wide receiver were buried that day. Polk also rumbled between the tackles against the talented defenses of LSU, USC, and Oregon in what was maybe the most successful freshman campaign by a running back in the history of the school—the California native became Washington’s first ever 1,000-yard freshman runner. While Polk showed maturity by not fumbling the ball once, he needs to round himself out by consistently contributing on third downs and in passing situations...ironically. The Husky tailback is not among the first names mentioned when pundits discuss offensive talent in the Pac-10, and this season will see most defenses direct much of their attention at senior quarterback Jake Locker. Nevertheless, with the Huskies returning four out of their five starting offensive linemen from last year, Polk will have the opportunity to fully display what he is capable of in the great Northwest. Related Columns: Pac-10 Player Watch #1 - James Rodgers, Oregon State Pac-10 Player Watch #2 - Shane Vereen, California Pac-10 Player Watch #3 - Chris Owusu, Stanford Photo Courtesy of Max Waugh/University of Washington 
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Before his arrival on campus, Chris Polk was being touted as a Reggie Bush-type of player; many wondered if Polk’s future might be at wide receiver. Unfortunately, a true-freshman season consisting of a handful of carries, an injury, and a season lost to a medical red-shirt was what followed. Expectations for the highly-touted prospect were tempered and the Bush comparisons were largely dropped.