7. Shaq is a total team player.
Powell appears to be a better kid than player, which is a mouthful. He constantly praises his teammates, deflects attention and he immediately hands the ball to the referee after touchdowns.
Shaq Powell was all smiles after
each of his five touchdowns.
Photo by Chris Pondy
He showed great humility when after Neal scored his touchdown, Sanchez inserted Powell back into the lineup even though the game was probably decided.
Sure enough, Powell broke through the line and busted a final touchdown, this one from 36 yards out with 49 seconds to play. He seemed to slow down and look around in the final 15 yards, not in a taunting way. Quite the opposite.
"Honestly I didn't even know if I should try to score," he said. "Felt kind of bad."
More leadership qualities were displayed when asked about his recruiting process. Powell has more than 20 Division I offers, including Arizona State, Fresno State, Illinois, San Diego State, UNLV and Vanderbilt. That number should rise significantly after Saturday's performance.
"I'm not even thinking about recruiting until after (Armwood)," Powell said. "I don't want it to be a distraction to my teammates. Too much is at stake. After Friday I'll start to think about it."
Powell's day was made easier by vicious blocking like this from fullback Mark Philippi (7) and Ronnie Stanley.
Photo by Chris Pondy
