Cincinnati · W 49-25
2 tackles
The other 7 games average 4 tackles. This one was 2 below.
“Ute fans, anyone know why Christian Thatcher transferred out? Is it because he wasn’t going to beat out Polu?”
Cyrus Polu
Carries tight ends down the field in coverage. Played for two head coaches at Utah: Kyle Whittingham and Morgan Scalley. One game to point at: 7 tackles against Houston — Week 8, 2026.
28 tackles · 1.5 sacks
Play style
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
28 tackles. 3 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 2 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 2 tackles, 1 pass breakup.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 66-14vs Idaho | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 43-10vs Arkansas | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 33-0vs Utah State | 4 | 3 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | W 31-17@ Iowa State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 41-24vs Kansas | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 27-24@ Colorado | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 21-13vs No. 14 Houston | 7 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 9 | W 49-25@ Cincinnati | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 28 | 16 | 2.0 | 1.5 | — | 3 |
Oct. 31 · W 49-25 at Cincinnati, play by play
2 tackles, including 1 pass broken up. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: coverage — 3 passes defended in the 8 games with play by play.
How Utah’s defense played that day
Cincinnati’s 11 drives: 7 stopped (2 takeaways) · 4 scored.
7 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Forced a fumble. First quarter, tied 0-0.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles, including 1 sack, 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 10-yard loss. Second quarter, up 19-0.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 4 for him; the box score credits 3.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 3 · 2026
W 33-0
vs Utah State
1.5 sacks · 1.5 tackles for loss · 4 tackles
Dominant 33-point win at home against Utah State.
Ratings of the games shown run from -9 to +13 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
28tackles this seasonTFL rate
7%2 TFLSack rate
5%2 sacksPD rate
11%3 pass breakups28 tackles · 2 for loss · 1.5 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 4.0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Road3g | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 3.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 4.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Morgan Scalley
Pass share
45.0%
247 pass / 302 run
Plays / game
68.6
8 games
Team sack rate
3.7%
272 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #240 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Kyle Whittingham → Morgan Scalley. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
