Josh Pollack competed with Lucas Havrisik throughout the offseason for Arizona’s placekicking job. About a week before the opener, special-teams coach Jeremy Springer reached a verdict: Havrisik had won it.
Pollack, a fifth-year senior, had endured plenty of highs and lows as a Wildcat. But it’s never easy to hear that news. He tried to make the best of a disappointing situation.
“It’s always hard,” Pollack said Tuesday. “No matter what position you are, no matter what year you are, whether you’re a first-year guy or a fifth-year guy. You kind of have to take it and learn from it — use it to motivate you.
“I never stopped working like I had. I probably ended up working harder, hoping for that shot. If that day comes or if it didn’t come, I can leave knowing I did what I could.”
Pollack stuck with it, and an opportunity arose. Havrisik, a strong-legged sophomore, made only 4 of 9 field-goal attempts through five games. The coaches turned to Pollack, the starter the previous two seasons. Pollack has made 5 of 7 tries, including 3 of 3 last week against UCLA. It was the first time in his career he had made three field goals in a game without missing one.
Josh Pollack took a back seat for field goal duties to start the year. He made 3 FGs for Arizona last weekend for only the second time in his career (Sept. 9, 2017 vs. Houston) pic.twitter.com/zYt5EWcdys
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) October 23, 2018
Pollack believes there’s a lesson to be learned from his experience. Unlike so many college players — especially quarterbacks — who transfer upon losing their spot, Pollack didn’t bail when adversity struck.
“Just sticking through it — not running away when things don’t totally go your way,” Pollack said. “You can work as hard as you can, but you can’t predict the outcomes of things. You never know what’s gonna happen.
“If you run away from it, the ending is set. If you stick with it, you never know.”
Pollack isn’t a huge fan of unpredictable outcomes. He is pursuing a master’s degree in accounting. He likes it when all the numbers add up in the end.
Pollack has been accepted to law school at Michigan State. He’ll give pro football a try but plans to someday work with his father, who’s an attorney in the Chicago suburbs.
Steven Pollack admired the way his son handled his temporary demotion.
“I think the main issue for Josh was finishing out his career on his own terms, and in this case that meant sitting as a backup and letting the season unfold,” Steven Pollack said. “Because Josh invested all that prior work through high school and college, he was willing to be the backup in case that investment was called upon.”
Although he desperately wanted to contribute, at no point did Josh Pollack root for Havrisik to fail. Last month, when he still held the job, Havrisik described Pollack as “very supportive.” Kickers belong to a tight-knit fraternity. They know one another’s pain. One never wishes ill upon another.
“It’s not necessarily hoping for that starting job,” Pollack said. “It’s being ready for that starting job.”
The job is Pollack’s to lose for the final four games, starting with Oregon on Saturday night. His biggest goal now is to help the Wildcats play in a fifth game.
Despite Pollack’s career night, Arizona still lost to UCLA 31-30. It would have felt much more satisfying if one of his field goals had been an extra point.
K Josh Pollack on what the rest of this season means to Arizona’s senior class: “We’re giving it our all” pic.twitter.com/tmRbMB9PmL
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) October 23, 2018
Arizona needs to win three of its last four to qualify for a bowl game. Pollack and his fellow seniors are well aware of the math.
“We talk about it all the time,” he said. “It’s our last shot. It’s (possibly) our last opportunity to play the game. We’re giving it our all.”
QB update?
UA coach Kevin Sumlin did not provide an update on the quarterback situation Tuesday.
Khalil Tate, hoping to return from an ankle injury, and Rhett Rodriguez shared the first-team practice reps Monday. It is believed that Tate, if healthy, would be Sumlin’s choice to start against Oregon. Rodriguez could be brought off the bench if necessary.
Sumlin does not meet with local media after his Monday news conference. He participates in the every-other-Tuesday Pac-12 coaches’ conference call, which did not take place this week.
Extra points
- Tailback J.J. Taylor and receiver Shawn Poindexter made Pro Football Focus’ Pac-12 Team of the Week. Taylor rushed for 154 yards and a touchdown against UCLA. Poindexter caught six passes for 106 yards and two TDs.
- Starting cornerback Lorenzo Burns, who missed the UCLA game, could return this week. Burns suffered a sprained neck when he collided with bruising Utah running back Zack Moss in the first quarter on Oct. 12. Burns remained in the game. Last week ended his streak of 20 consecutive starts.
- Receiver/special-teamer Thomas Reid III is among Arizona’s fastest players. The redshirt sophomore, who ran track in high school, said he has been timed at 21.5 mph in a game this year. The fastest recorded time for a ball-carrier in the NFL this season is 21.95 mph by Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill.
