Undersized Pollack is a top Dawg

You don't need to be Bill Belichick to realize that the best defensive player at Georgia is senior linebacker Boss Bailey. But it also doesn't take long to understand that the Bulldogs defender who provides the most bang for the entertainment buck is sophomore defensive end David Pollack. Listed at 6-foot-2, 275 pounds, Pollack is small for a lineman. But given the lack of success Alabama had in blocking him last Saturday, Pollack isn't just small -- he must be invisible. Pollack finished Georgia's 27-25 victory over the Crimson Tide with one sack, one hurry, one pass deflection and one blocked field goal. On most plays, he left Alabama tackles Wesley Britt and Evan Mathis flailing at air. "Quickness makes up for a lot of size," Pollack said. "If [the offensive linemen] were quick enough, they'd be on defense."

Pollack also plays on the front line on kickoff returns, and he lined up at fullback on three short-yardage plays, the most crucial a third-and-1 at the Alabama 25 with just over two minutes to play. Musa Smith followed Pollack into the line and went down after gaining three yards. With :38 remaining, the Bulldogs' Billy Bennett kicked a 32-yard field goal to give Georgia the victory.

"I love that Pollack," said Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley, who knows something about the size of the fight in the dog. "I told him after the South Carolina game that of all the players I coached, I never coached one that played any harder than he did. He's my kind of player." It was during the South Carolina game that Pollack grabbed national attention, stripping quarterback Corey Jenkins in the end zone and then snatching the ball out of the air for an interception and touchdown in Georgia's 13-7 victory.

All this from a guy whom Georgia coach Mark Richt had penciled in at fullback when he signed Pollack out of Snellville, Ga., 20 months ago. That's one recruiting mistake with a happy ending. "He wasn't the biggest guy," Richt said. "But he was so athletic and tough that we said, 'Shoot, let's take him as a fullback.'" Strength coach Dave Van Halanger sends every recruit a training regimen for the spring and summer before their college careers begin. Pollack made an impression as soon as he showed up on campus. "Most of them do some of [the regimen]," Richt said. "Pollack did everything he was able to do."

Richt plugged Pollack into a hole on the depth chart at defensive end. By the seventh game of the season, he was a starter. Now he is tied for the SEC lead in sacks, with five. Pollack is one of the reasons Georgia has risen to No. 6 in the polls even as its offense continues to sputter. For all the attention given to Texas-Oklahoma and Miami-Florida State this weekend, the matchup between Pollack and Tennessee tackle Michael Munoz will be worth watching.

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