Polk sets freshman rush mark

UW NOTEBOOK: Running back goes over 1,000 yards, first UW freshman to do so

TODD MILLES; The News Tribune | • Published November 29, 2009

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For the past month, Washington Huskies running back Chris Polk felt like he was starring in his own personal video game.

“Like ‘NCAA’ or ‘Madden,’” the redshirt freshman said.

Why? He had been piling up 100-yard rushing days in the Pacific-10 Conference in the same ordinary manner he would in controlling one of those digital superstar running backs.

On Saturday, the perfect storm hit in UW’s 30-0 victory over Washington State in the 102nd Apple Cup at Husky Stadium.

• Polk’s 130-yard rushing output marked the fourth consecutive time he cracked the 100-yard mark, tying him for third-most in UW history behind Greg Lewis (10 in a row from 1989-90) and Corey Dillon (seven in 1996).

• That total gave him 1,019 yards for the season. That broke Jake Locker’s single-season freshman record (986 in 2007) and made the Redlands, Calif., product the first UW freshman to reach 1,000 yards.

“The fact I did it as a freshman like really means something,” said Polk, who was unusually bouncy and carefree after taking 25 carries against a Cougars defense set to try to punish him.

“It makes it that much better (it came) against WSU, and in the Apple Cup. A pretty good weekend.”

The way his day unfolded was unlike any game this season. For the most part, WSU held him to small runs in the first half. And when he struggled to break off a long-gainer, or establish rhythm, the UW offense sputtered a bit.

“A lot of times with the running game, it doesn’t just happen. It takes a little time. You’ve got to work with it,” UW coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I thought the passing game helped the running game – Jake hitting some balls down the field softened them up a little bit.”

Polk had four runs of 10 yards or longer in the second half. His 13-yarder with 9:26 cracked the 1,000-yard barrier.

“He’s well-deserving (of my record),” Locker said. “He’s earned every yard he’s got this year. It’s fun to watch him run – break tackles and make guys miss, turning 3-yard gains into 15-yard gains. It’s exciting.”

The last UW rusher to get 1,000 yards in a season was Louis Rankin (1,294) in 2007.

Snap out of it, Jermaine

Sarkisian isn’t one to mince his words, especially to a receiver who drops passes on back-to-back drives like Lakes High product Jermaine Kearse did Saturday.

“I kind of pulled him aside after a little bit of the rough start and said, ‘Hey man, we’re not going to get away from you. So, figure it out, get through it and you’re going to have more opportunities,’” the UW coach said.

And he did. Kearse accounted for 74 of the team’s 85 yards early in the second quarter, including hauling in a 50-yard touchdown pass from Locker to give the UW a 10-0 lead.

“I kind of lost it in the lights for a second, but it landed in my hands, so I just kind of squeezed it,” Kearse said.

Extra points

Besides the second series, UW defensive tackle Cameron Elisara (neck stinger) played the entire game, and felt fine afterward. Elisara ended the day for WSU starting quarterback Kevin Lopina when he leveled him on an incompletion at the end of the first half. Lopina left the game with a torn oblique muscle. “I heard some bad noises,” Elisara said of the play. “I hope he gets better.” ... Erik Folk’s 46-yard field goal in the second quarter made him 4-for-6 on kicks of 40 or more yards this season. ... Strong safety Victor Aiyewa (slight head injury) was the only injury, on a special-teams tackle in the fourth quarter. ... After Polk’s 1-yard TD run with 6:11 to go in the third quarter, a fan ran out onto the midfield and struck the Desmond Howard “Heisman” pose before being escorted out by two King County deputies. It caught the eye of Sarkisian. “Nice leather helmet (he wore),” Sarkisian said. “Good paint job, too.”

Todd Milles: 253-597-8442

todd.milles@thenewstribune.com