This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Mike Leach has seen a few pretty good quarterbacks in his time: Tim Couch, Graham Harrell, Kliff Kingsbury. The one who just got injured, Connor Halliday, was leading the nation in passing when he went down against USC two weeks ago.
In at least one way, walk-on Luke Falk could be a step ahead of those guys.
"I thought he would [make an immediate impact], we saw that in camp," Leach said. "But I also think that mentally he was probably a little further along than we expected. As far as being calm and mentally in there, he may be ahead of all [of the quarterbacks]."
The Logan native is the talk of the Pac-12 after throwing 471 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions in his first-ever start for Washington State in a 39-32 win over Oregon State. For his standout performance, he was the conference's offensive player of the week.
Not a bad start.
Leach reflected on Falk's surprising rise, which wasn't exactly a surprise to him. Locals may remember that Falk transferred to a California high school during his junior year before transferring back to Logan High later that same year. Leach has said before that Falk was probably overlooked because of that essential lost year as a high school junior before setting 4A on fire with a high-powered passing attack as a senior.
But Falk's best skill may not be evident on the field.
"I think he's worked really hard and done a really good job staying calm out there," Leach said. "That's the aspect of this game that he's done better than expected at this point. That calmness has resonated to the rest of the team."
Leach added that Falk is disciplined in the film room and buries his head in the playbook in his spare time.
The Wazzu coach said he's holding off calling Falk the quarterback of the future, but the evidence is building that he could be: Falk has thrown for 903 yards and eight touchdowns against one pick in two games now.
"Nobody's ever cemented," Leach said. "There's a strong possibility he'll be our quarterback next year, but nothing's for sure. … He just needs to keep getting better. Continue to lead the team and get better from there."
Scooby turning heads
For someone with such a distinct name, Scooby Wright III was quite anonymous in the recruiting process a few years ago.
Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez remembered recruiting the linebacker, being impressed with his skill set, then mulling if he should extend an offer. It wasn't that Wright didn't have Pac-12 talent — Rodriguez was sure he would be great — but he didn't want to give away the secret.
"With the internet, you don't find as many overlooked guys as you did 10 to 15 years ago," he said. "We were worried we'd draw attention to him."
Two years later, Wright has more than paid off: The former two-star prospect is leading Arizona with 107 tackles, but also has 13 sacks — tied with Nate Orchard for second in the nation - as the Wildcats' top pass rusher. The versatility of the 6-foot-1, 246-pound 'backer is a huge reason why he's considered one of the top candidates for major postseason honors.
The thing Rodriguez likes is that his mentality hasn't changed, even though more people are paying attention than ever before.
"He's still the same Scooby," he said. "He works hard, has a chip on his shoulder. He still wants to prove himself every time he goes out there."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Pac-12 Power Rankings
1. Oregon • Ducks will have to deal with tough injuries
2. Arizona State • Improving defense makes huge difference for Devils
3. UCLA • The surprise dark horse for the South title
4. USC • A few tough battles to finish the season
5. Arizona • Offense bounced back from iffy showing
6. Utah • Hoping offense is better than Stanford's this week
7. Stanford • Well-timed bye for David Shaw's crew
8. Washington • Once-strong D eviscerated against UCLA
9. California • Needs to find more consistency for elusive bowl bid
10. Washington State • The offense works just fine with Falk
11. Oregon State • Looking like a lost season in Corvallis
12. Colorado • May end season on 8-game losing streak —
"They are big, they are physical, they are long. They have a lot of big human beings. We're usually the bigger team in any game we play. That was not the case against Utah, that won't be the case this year." — Stanford coach David Shaw talking about Saturday's game against the Utes