Spotlight #1: Washington RB Chris Polk

Spotlight #2: Washington DT Alameda Ta’amu 

1^st quarter

13:43: Polk with a 7 yard run through a big hole.

13:15: Polk with a short run, not a great push after contact.

11:04: The first time Ta’amu hasn’t been doubled, he just muscles the center backwards. He definitely won that one. Such strong hands.

10:07: Quarterback in trouble, Polk bails him out with a nice pass reception for 8 yards. He has 48 catches in the last 2 plus years coming into tonight.

8:41: Ta’amu pushed back one on one on a big run play.

8:19: Ta’amu breaks free on a pass play.

7:44: Ta’amu almost able to get around his man before the quarterback runs the other way.

6:52: Very nice run by Polk, almost stopped for a loss, but breaks the tackle, avoids another and then runs up field for a 12 yard run. Very elusive for a 225 pound back.

5:48: Polk with an explosive up the middle run. Great burst.

5:16: Nebraska’s Lavonte David, a projected day 2 pick, is one of the fastest and best coverage linebackers in the NCAAs. He’s only 225 pounds, but he’ll make a hell of a cover 2 linebacker at the next level. He picks off a pass here in one on one coverage against a tight end. He looked like a defensive back.

4:04: Ta’amu run at. The ball carrier doesn’t get very far.

3:27: Ta’amu knocks over his man. Pure muscle.

2:42: Ta’amu chases the ball carrier to the outside. He’s not very fast, but that’s not very surprising. I like the effort and the motor. He doesn’t take a lot of plays off and he’s almost always in the game working hard.

1:45: Polk on an outside run, only gets two yards. Play called back after holding.

1:15: Polk runs on 1^st and 20, decent sized run, 6 yards, drags a man with him pretty far. He doesn’t often go down on first contact.

2^nd quarter

14:21: Polk runs over one guy, but he’s immediately tackled by two more.

10:48: Polk catches the dump off on a play action, breaks one tackle, but immediately brought down by a 2^nd.

8:17: Ta’amu draws yet another double, allowing two linebackers to be freed up to tackle the ball carrier for a short gain. They haven’t run inside a lot tonight, but when they have, there hasn’t been a lot of positive results. The play was called back on a holding call anyway.

7:27: A linebacker wraps up the ball carrier on a QB run, Ta’amu finished him off with a brutal big hit.

6:34: Polk with a very weak run here. This is the first time tonight he’s gone down easily.

5:55: Better run this time by Polk, fighting for the extra yard.

5:18: Just an observation, Polk hasn’t been asked to pass block a lot.

4:14: Polk almost able to push himself to the first down. Nice effort, but just short.

3:40: Polk handed to again on 3^rd down and 1, picks up the first time this time. Good vision and a nose for the first down.

2:31: Polk cramping. He should be back soon. He’s at 57 yards on 12 carries against a great Nebraska front that is outplaying Washington’s offensive line.

1:53: One thing I want to mention about that great Nebraska front line. They almost get to the quarterback here, but they’ve been in the back field all night. Jared Crick, the defensive tackle, has been the most impressive of the bunch. Crick, a projected first round pick, could be solidifying himself as a top 20 pick tonight. Not the most naturally athletic kid, but he’s a hard worker and in great shape. He moves very well for a 6-6 290 pounder and has been everywhere tonight. He had 18.5 sacks in the last 2 seasons combined as an under tackle and had his first of this season tonight. He would fit both a 3-4 and a 4-3 at the next level.

 

3^rd quarter

14:41: Polk finds a nice hole, but doesn’t get very far thanks to a great tackle by Lavonte David.

13:43: Ta’amu double teamed, gets free and puts a huge hit on the running back for a short loss. I don’t know how if you can call this a tackle. The running back ran into Ta’amu and fell over. Ta’amu didn’t even have to do anything.

9:54: Polk nearly fumbles on a 3 yard gain.

7:56: Ta’amu in on the tackle on the outside. He moves pretty well for a 330 pounder.

6:18: Polk with another short run. He hasn’t been stopped for a loss tonight, but he has yet to break one yet.

5:29: Polk with a first down run on 3^rd and 1. This is the situation he’s great in. He’s 225 pounds and breaks a lot of tackles.

4:55: Polk with a first down run on 1^st and 10. About 6 or 7 of the yards were on a huge hole opened up, but the final few yards were all him, pushing and refusing to go down.

2:09: A huge 4^th down sack by Jared Crick. Crick is having an amazing game today. I’ve more impressed with him than anyone on the field tonight. Big question with him is where does he plays in a 4-3 at 6-5 285 at the next level. Can he stay at DT or does he have to move to left end.

4^th quarter

10:15: Chris Polk with his first touchdown of the night with a 2 yard run.

8:53: Ta’amu draws the blocks away and allows a linebacker to get in for a sack on a blitz.

8:05: Polk almost breaks a big one, but tripped up at the last second. Still an 8 yard gain.

7:34: Polk breaks several tackles on his way to a 26 yard gain. This was all him. Great explosive, great power, and a nice spin move to boot. Excellent run.

5:19: Ta’amu gets pushed back on 3 straight plays. This is the first time tonight that Nebraska has had consistent success running up the middle.

2:56: Ta’amu goes out with some sort of injury.

2:12: Polk with an explosive run for the 1^st down and then some on 3^rd and 1.

0:00: Alameda Ta’amu left with some sort of injury, but as long as that’s not serious, he should still be a day 2 pick in the NFL Draft. He’s 330 pounds and carries it well. He doesn’t sit out a lot of plays and he’s got a very strong motor. He’s a boulder on the line and very tough to move and he’s uses his hands very well. He’s also a huge tackler. He got moved around on some cases and didn’t have an amazing game, but a very solid game for him. Nebraska didn’t run up the middle very well until late.

Chris Polk was also very impressive. He rushed for 130 yards and a score on 22 carries and more importantly he didn’t get stopped for a loss at all, very impressed because he had a lot of 3^rd and 1 type carries. He’s not the type of back who is a threat to score the ball every time, but if you need someone to grind things out for you, he’s your guy. He moves well for a 225 pounder and he doesn’t go down easily at all. He’s also got solid hands out of the backfield. After Trent Richardson, this is the best running back in this draft class.

However, Polk wasn’t even the most impressive player on the field. That was Jared Crick. I wasn’t spotlighting him, but he had a huge game. He was all over the field as a 6-5 285 pound defensive tackle. He’s not a great athlete, but he’s a high motor, high energy, high production type player. His best position at the next level is 3-4 defensive end and there are questions about how he fits into a 4-3, but he could be a JJ Watt type player as a 3-4 end at the next level. Remember, Watt went 11^th in 2011. How good Nebraska’s front is makes Polk’s game even more impressive.