Washington State quarterback Luke Falk has quietly been one of the best quarterbacks in college football since the start of the 2015 season. Following his standout performance against USC on Friday night it’s officially time to insert the senior into the Heisman conversation.
Through five games in 2017, he’s emerged as one of the top offensive stars in the nation. Falk is completing 74.5 percent of his passes. Even in Mike Leach’s somewhat gimmicky offense, that’s an incredible number. The senior is also averaging 7.81 yards per attempt, passing for 1,718 yards with 16 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Even more remarkably, these totals include a stinker of a game he had against Boise State — the thorn in Falk’s side the past two years. He was yanked for a series in the first half of that game and then was injured in the second half.
In Friday night’s huge statement win over the Trojans, Falk was failed multiple times by his receivers, who let balls fly right through their hands. One pass in particular stands out because it would have resulted in a touchdown on a play in which Falk showed off tremendous raw talent, rolling to his right and firing a bullet into the end zone while running out of bounds.
Cougars receivers dropped at least a half dozen passes in the game. Yet Falk continued to fire darts. He was also hit like crazy throughout the contest. In the end, despite those challenges, Falk completed 34-of-51 passes for 340 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He thoroughly outplayed Sam Darnold, who is often mentioned as a Heisman candidate.
Washington State is still undefeated, heading into Week 6 with a 5-0 record after having knocked off the No. 5 team in the nation. Falk’s outstanding play is a huge reason why the Cougars are rising up the ranks. He knows Leach’s offense inside and out and is running it with tremendous proficiency.
If the senior quarterback continues on his current pace, Falk will head into bowl season with 4,123 yards, 38 touchdowns and five interceptions. Those are jaw-dropping numbers. And quite honestly, he’ll probably exceed them based on the opponents Washington State has lined up during the middle of the season.
It’s time to officially declare Luke Falk as a Heisman contender. He’s earned that distinction. And if he continues to play at the high level we’ve seen so far this year there’s a good chance Falk will guide the Cougars to a Pac-12 championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff.