SEATTLE — Keeping promises, it turns out, is not one of Steve Sarkisian’s best personality traits.
The University of Washington football coach has promised time and again this season that he’s going to give some of his backup running backs more playing time. The problem is, starter Chris Polk just won’t let him do it.
“It’s hard to take that kid out of the game when he ran the way he did,” Sarkisian said, referring to Polk’s 136-yard rushing performance in a 37-30 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday. “We’ve got to find a way — and I keep telling you (reporters), week in and week out, we’ve got to put those other guys in there. But in that game, again, it was hard to take him out.”
Polk has been making a believer out of the UW coaching staff all season long. Once regarded as part of a five-tailback rotation, Polk has emerged as the workhorse of the Huskies’ offense.
His 106 carries rank second in the Pac-10, trailing only All-America candidate and Heisman hopeful Toby Gerhart of Stanford.
“I’m OK with it,” Polk said of carrying a heavy load in the UW backfield. “I like playing. But if I’m tired, I’m not going to stay in there. I’ll take a play off because I know we’ve got guys who can fill in.”
It’s just that Polk hasn’t given those guys a chance to fill in. Backup tailback Johri Fogerson has carried the ball eight times this season. Curtis Shaw and Willie Griffin have six carries between them. Fellow freshman Demitrius Bronson is still waiting for the first carry of his college career.
When training camp began, Sarkisian said that all five runners were likely to split time at the position this season.
Polk, a redshirt freshman who missed most of the 2008 season with a shoulder injury, is not overly surprised that it hasn’t turned out that way.
“I knew that if I would get my snaps, there would be no reason why I shouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now,” said Polk, whose 452 rushing yards rank 24th in the nation. “I’m actually happy (with getting 20-plus carries per game).”
Sarkisian is certainly satisfied with Polk’s production, but he worries about the punishment the runner is taking on a weekly basis.
“Ideally, I don’t want him carrying 25 times a game,” Sarkisian said two weeks ago, “because the pounding you take, over an extended period of time, you just don’t last.”
The 5-foot-11, 210-pound running back hasn’t shown any signs of wearing down. In fact, he looked more fresh in the second half of Saturday’s game than he had during the first half of action. Polk had 30 yards on nine carries at halftime, then broke out for 106 yards on 13 second-half carries. He had 93 yards on his final nine carries of the game.
“The first half, I was actually not myself,” Polk said. “I wasn’t running like I’m used to. Before I came back out, I kept telling myself: ‘Just run. Just run, and they won’t be able to stop you.’”
In the second half of that game, Polk broke 15 tackles and had an unofficial total of 78 yards after contact. Running backs coach Joel Thomas counted Polk’s total of 96 yards after contact — a season high.
Polk said Monday that, to him, that statistic is more important than touchdowns.
“I’d rather have 1,000 yards after contact than 20 touchdowns,” Polk said. “… I just want to do whatever I can to win. And yards after contact, if that’s what we need to win, I’ll do it. If it’s touchdowns we need, I’ll do it. But I like yards after contact because it proves that I’m a hard runner.”
Polk’s hard running has been a pleasant surprise to the UW coaches, who didn’t know what to expect from him when they joined the program in recent months.
“In the beginning, we anticipated him getting 15 to 20 carries,” said Thomas, who is part of a totally revamped coaching staff from last season. “As the season’s gone on, he’s really taken on the role of a starting running back.
“The guy’s been dependable carrying the ball, getting tough yards and making tough plays. It’s been a pleasant surprise.”
Notes
Sarkisian said during a Tuesday conference call that he’s prepared to play Saturday’s game without starters D’Andre Goodwin and Nate Williams, both of whom suffered concussions in overtime of the Saturday loss to Notre Dame. Neither player had been cleared for practice as of Tuesday. “We’re going to assume they’re not playing because we have to get some guys ready for Saturday,” Sarkisian said, referring to a game against Arizona this weekend. “And if we get them back, it’s a bonus.” Victor Aiyewa and Greg Walker saw most of the snaps with the No. 1 defense Tuesday, while Jason Wells and freshman Nate Fellner are also in the mix for playing time. … UW’s secondary had a dramatically different look at Tuesday’s practice, with cornerback Adam Long getting most of the snaps with the No. 1 defense while starter Quinton Richardson worked with the second team. Neither Sarkisian nor defensive coordinator Nick Holt were available after practice to comment on the breakdown of practice reps. … Running back Johri Fogerson missed Tuesday’s practice because he was ill. … Wide receiver Devin Aguilar and linebacker E.J. Savannah practiced Tuesday and should be available for Saturday’s game against Arizona. … Gregory Christine got most of the snaps as the starting left guard Tuesday, while Nick Wood worked mostly with the second unit. … The Huskies have revised their schedules for upcoming seasons, canceling a home-and-home series with BYU while adding Eastern Washington to the 2011 schedule.
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