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Washington State Football: Mike Leach cements himself as one of nation’s best

By Andrew Miller

PULLMAN, WA - SEPTEMBER 29: Renard Bell #81 of the Washington State Cougars carries the ball against Aiene Harris #27 and Iman Marshall #8 of the USC Trojans in the first half at Martin Stadium on September 29, 2017 in Pullman, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
PULLMAN, WA - SEPTEMBER 29: Renard Bell #81 of the Washington State Cougars carries the ball against Aiene Harris #27 and Iman Marshall #8 of the USC Trojans in the first half at Martin Stadium on September 29, 2017 in Pullman, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /
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Washington State football notched one of its biggest wins in program history, over the USC Trojans, but it wouldn’t have come to pass without Mike Leach.

The No. 16 ranked Washington State Cougars got what could be its biggest win of the year against the No. 5 USC Trojans. It looks like things in the PAC-12 could now come down to Washington State and the No. 6 Washington Huskies. The Apple Cup will have a larger emphasis than originally anticipated in the larger PAC-12 picture.

USC cannot seem to live up to expectations at any point since the departure of former head coach Pete Carroll. Not even the amount of hype surrounding sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold and head coach Clay Helton could help the Trojans to clear the first five games of the year.

Washington State was a football program left for dead before head coach Mike Leach took over. The former Texas Tech head coach made a near immediate difference with this program that could now compete for a PAC-12 Championship. Clay Helton was considered one of the PAC-12’s best, even in his second-year. However, Leach showed why his experience is so valuable and why some of the less tenured coaches in the PAC-12 do not have much of an advantage.

Many counted Wazzu in for eight or nine wins this year. Now, the Cougars have started 5-0 (2-0 PAC-12) and could be making the way into the AP Top 10. A victory over USC in the national spotlight can have that sort of effect.

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Wazzu also started 5-0 for the first time since 2001. Fans rushed the field as things looked to get crazy in Pullman, WA. Martin Stadium could end up being the site of the biggest game of the weekend. We’ll find that fact out after the bulk of the games conclude in Week 5.

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