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College Football: Sony Michel, 5 players to watch in Week 8

By Brad Rowland

Georgia Bulldogs running back Sony Michel (1) runs for a touchdown against the Southern University Jaguars during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Southern 48-6. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Georgia Bulldogs running back Sony Michel (1) runs for a touchdown against the Southern University Jaguars during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Southern 48-6. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington State Cougars quarterback Luke Falk (4) drops back for a pass against the Oregon State Beavers during the first half at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Washington State Cougars quarterback Luke Falk (4) drops back for a pass against the Oregon State Beavers during the first half at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports /

Luke Falk, QB Washington State

ESPN’s College GameDay was painfully close to pulling the trigger on a trip to Pullman for this week’s game between Washington State and Stanford. Unfortunately, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit will be elsewhere on Saturday morning, but that does not diminish the hype surrounding this particular contest.

Stanford has it rolling on both sides of the ball right now, and we could easily break down Christian McCaffrey’s performance in this space. However, the entire college football world now knows the name of Stanford’s star running back, and instead, we will focus on the unheralded quarterback of the Cougars, Luke Falk.

As Wazzu has compiled a 5-2 record, Falk has been lighting it up at an unprecedented rate through the air. As of this weekend, the 6-foot-4 quarterback leads the country in completions (282), attempts (387) and completion percentage (72.9%), while setting the pace in the Pac-12 conference in touchdown passes (26) and passing yards (2,885). In short, Luke Falk is out of his mind right now.

It is fair to suggest that the Cougars have not faced a defense of the quality of Stanford, but at the same time, the Cardinal haven’t been quite as dominant against the pass as you might think. David Shaw’s defense has allowed 6.4 yards per attempt (39th nationally) and 204.9 passing yards per game (47th nationally) on the season, and to be clear, no one in the country is bombing away to the degree of Falk and Washington State.

I don’t expect Washington State to beat Stanford, even in the friendly atmosphere of Pullman. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a competitive game, and the country should get to know the name of Luke Falk in a hurry.

Next: Sony Michel

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