Heisman Trophy Watch 2017: A new contender rises in Week 5

Luke Falk is the newest face in the Heisman race after leading the upset of No. 5 USC on Friday night in Pullman. Falk took over as Washington State’s starter in November of his freshman season in 2014, and he has been putting up video-game numbers ever since. That trend continued against the Trojans as the Cougars moved to 5-0 on the season.

In the #Pac12AfterDark victory, Falk came through with another solid performance that sparked the upset. Though he found himself pressured by a USC defense that racked up five sacks, Falk still completed 34 of his 51 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried the ball a couple of times, keeping one drive alive with a 10-yard scramble.

With 16 touchdowns against two interceptions, Falk has been the linchpin of Washington State’s offense. He ranks fifth nationally in passing yardage, with 1718 yards through the first five games of the year. The win over the Trojans marked Falk’s fourth 300-yard passing game out of five appearances, and the fifth failed to meet that mark only because he was injured in the win over Boise State.

If Washington State is going to steal away the Pac-12 North from its Apple Cup rival, Falk will have to remain at the forefront of the success. Should he continue to put together prolific performances to lead the Cougars to the conference title, he will be at the Downtown Athletic Club in December. Falk might even walk away as Washington State’s first-ever Heisman winner.