2019 Mountain West Football Top 52 Players: #27, UNLV G Justin Polu
UNLV’s tough guard is next on our list of Mountain West football’s best this season.
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Getting in his way is no fun.
When the UNLV Rebels were at their best last fall, opponents could know exactly what they wanted to do and often couldn’t stop it, anyway. Some of that is owed to their punishing offensive line and no one in that unit was better than Justin Polu, who checks into our countdown at #27.
The 6-foot-4, 330-pound Polu is one of the longest-tenured starters anywhere in the Mountain West after entrenching himself at right guard for the Rebels back in 2016. In his three seasons along the line, UNLV has finished no worse than third in the conference in rushing yards per play. By Rushing S&P+, the Rebels have also improved from 49th to 17th to 13th.
Now a senior, Polu will be counted upon to help UNLV maintain its strong ground game with Charles Williams and a relatively new stable of running backs behind him. Defensive tackles, as a result, can count upon long Saturday afternoons and evenings.
