USC Football: 3 takeaways from Week 5 loss at Washington State

2. Luke Falk, on the other hand, might be Heisman-worthy

As one of the stars in the upset of USC, Luke Falk had another huge game passing the ball in Mike Leach’s offense. Unlike Sam Darnold, Falk found plenty of time to hit his receivers throughout the game. It was a classic Cougars performance under Leach, as Falk attempted 51 passes in the win over the Trojans.

Falk completed 34 of those 51 attempts for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Even though he threw an interception, it came off a tipped pass that pinballed around and was finally snagged out of the air by Uchenna Nwosu. The tip was partially worth blaming on Falk, but it was hardly a clear-cut bad throw on his part.

In the end, the Trojans couldn’t stop the Washington State aerial attack as they continued to complete passes on every down. Falk moved the chains with throws both short and long, and it kept USC off balance on defense.

It was the fourth time in five games that Falk went for over 300 yards on the day. The statement win during the exclusive window on national television pushed Wazzu to 5-0 and put the Cougars in position to contend for the College Football Playoff this year. Falk will begin to get much longer looks from Heisman voters as he continues to put up huge performances and Washington State continues to win.