This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Chris Polk became an analyst.
With Washington's 31-14 trampling of Utah already in the books and Polk's 189-yard rushing game already a statistical fact, the Huskies running back paused before answering a question about when exactly hope disappeared for the Utes on Saturday during their Pac-12 home debut at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
It was when quarterback Jordan Wynn exited the contest during halftime with a left shoulder injury, right?
No, Polk said. It was clearly during the third quarter. When UW demolished Utah's defense, Polk racked up 101 yards on just nine carries, and the Huskies traded 198 total offensive yards for 14 game-changing points.
"They started to lose it, and we started to stick the dagger in them and close in," Polk said.
The two-time 1,000-yard rusher was the primary factor that finished Utah off.
Polk acknowledged that he pushed too hard during the first half, sprinting through the offensive line instead of allowing holes to slowly develop, in turn becoming winded by Salt Lake City's challenging altitude.
Then Polk had a "little talk" with his line, requesting just one more second of free space, while reminding himself that patience can be a virtue on the gridiron.
One period later, it was 24-7 Huskies. Polk had regained his rhythm, and Washington was in complete control.
"He really took over the game there in the third quarter," Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian said. "Dummy me, I probably should've handed him the ball on the third-and-1 and he might've had a better quarter."
Utah's defense would have taken a better half. The Utes held Washington to just 31 rushing yards during the first two quarters. Then Utah coach Kyle Whittingham watched a defense that "couldn't finish" dwindle and fall apart.
"We were stopping them consistently, but I don't know what happened in the second [half]," Utah defensive lineman Derrick Shelby said. "I have no idea what adjustments Washington made, but we have to put this behind us and move on to Arizona State."
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