What Third Option? Michigan State Won't Overlook Polk Again

The Husky wide receiver is no surprise after catching 3 touchdown passes against the Spartans in 2022.

For Michigan State players, losing their football coach six days before an eighth-ranked and high-powered University of Washington football team comes to East Lansing had to be a stunner, becoming rudderless at the worst imaginable time.

Yet lately every time these sides get together, the Spartans find themselves at some sort of uncalculated disadvantage.

Consider 12 months ago when Michigan State walked into Husky Stadium, expecting Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan to be the main challenges on the receiving end of the UW passing attack — and Ja'Lynn Polk had the game of his college football life against them.

Michigan State never saw it coming as the long and elusive Polk caught 6 passes for 153 yards and 3 touchdowns, stretching the field more and more with each reception that found the end zone from 8, 17 and 53 yards, in that order, in a 39-28 victory.

Polk was like a new car purchased by the Huskies that came with all of the options on it to make for a smooth ride.

"We were operating at a high level," Polk recalled, the unselfish one unable to specifically say that he was on his game that day. "Everybody was doing their job and we understand that we have to come out and be ready to operate again at a high level. It was exciting."

Ja'Lynn Polk comes up just short of the goal line against Boise State, but he had a 50-yard gainer on the play / Skylar Lin Visuals

The pride of Lufkin, Texas, often gets pegged as the Huskies' third receiving option, but he clearly can step up in a time of need at any time. 

His 76-yard touchdown catch in the second half against Oregon remains his favorite play after his heroics kept the Huskies in an Autzen shootout and enabled them to go on to a 37-34 victory.

This season, Polk already has the UW's longest touchdown catch of 44 yards against Boise State, the longest scoring run of 27 yards against Tulsa, and the longest overall catch of 50 yards against the Broncos. 

While he often takes a backseat when it comes to the attention showered on Odunze and McMillan, the one-time Texas Tech transfer, if he returns as expected in 2024, easily could become the Huskies' No. 1 pass-catcher that season.

Either way, the 6-foot-2, 204-pound sophomore feels extremely comfortable with his current football situation after leaving his small East Texas hometown to make his first college stop in West Texas and finally landing in the Northwest.

"I walk by faith and not by sight," Polk said with a notable theological bent. "It feels like I was supposed to be here with these guys and I know they feel the same way."

Ja'Lynn Polk makes one of his 3 touchdowns catches against Michigan State in 2022 :: Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports

For now, he'll accompany his teammates into Spartan Stadium for another big game and no doubt have Michigan State's full attention this time. 

What happened last year, he said, was meant to be because of the orderly fashion of Husky football under Kalen DeBoer's coaching staff.

"It really brought no surprise because you understand all the work you've been putting in leading up to that moment," Polk explained. "It's just being ready for the opportunity and going out there and completing the mission."

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