Noa Pola-Gates: S · New Mexico.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Noa Pola-Gates
Erases the deep middle of the field. Played for three head coaches at two programs in five seasons: Scott Frost, Danny Gonzales and Bronco Mendenhall. A game that shows it: 7 tackles against Washington State — Week 12, 2024.
Play style
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
50 tackles. 7 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 0 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
KOB 4 Oct 15Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | New Mexico | 50 | 33 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7 | -- |
| 2023 | New Mexico | 27 | 15 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2021 | Nebraska | 1 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| 2020 | Nebraska | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| 2019 | Nebraska | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 82 | 51 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9 | 1 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2024 season · 10 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 39-61@ No. 21 Arizona | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 3 | L 19-45@ Auburn | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 21-38vs Fresno State | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 5 | W 50-40@ New Mexico State | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 7 | W 52-37vs Air Force | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 50-45@ Utah State | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 6-17@ Colorado State | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 10 | L 45-49vs Wyoming | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 12 | W 38-35vs No. 19 Washington State | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 14 | L 30-38@ Hawai'i | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 50 | 33 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 7 |
Week 12 · 2024
W 38-35
7 tackles · 1 pass breakup · 4 solo tackles
Edged out Washington State at home in a shootout.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
14%7 pass breakupsTackle volume
50tackles this seasonTFL rate
0%0 TFL50 tackles · 7 pass breakups.
Splits · Per-game
2024 season · 10 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 6.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| Road6g | 4.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 5.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 4.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bronco Mendenhall
Pass share
46.5%
390 pass / 449 run
Plays / game
69.9
12 games
Team sack rate
0.8%
367 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2024
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #245 at the position.
How it ended
Five seasons, at Nebraska and New Mexico, 82 tackles — the college career is complete.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
The role got bigger.
Coaching lineage · 2019–2024
4 coachesPlayed for 4 head coaches at 2 schools: Scott Frost, Mickey Joseph, Danny Gonzales and Bronco Mendenhall.
