Mike Leach had not yet brought his high-flying offense to full effect at Washington State… until the past few weeks.
In the three seasons prior, Leach compiled a 12-25 record with the Cougars, which included a pair of 3-9 campaigns. This season got off to an even rockier start, with a loss to Portland State at home, bringing the doubters out en masse.
However, in the midst of a turbulent season in the Pac-12, Leach has engineered a turnaround: He has steadied Washington State and given his team a chance to prove it is a contender again. That chance arrives in prime time against Stanford on Saturday. With a win, the Cougars would pull even in the loss column with the Cardinal, and just a game behind in the win column in the Pac-12 North Division.
Raise your hand if you had Washington State ahead of Oregon and California at the end of October… yep — crickets.
Leach, and many of his players, have been quoted as saying that the offensive rhythm which has often eluded his team has finally arrived. The results bear this out. After the home loss to Portland State and a three-point win over Rutgers, the Cougars have been legitimately strong. They dominated a weak Wyoming squad before looking good in the midst of a Pac-12 gauntlet, mostly against the North. In those games, won or had a chance to win each.
Washington State lost at Cal, but had several opportunities to take the lead in the fourth quarter. It won in Eugene in double overtime against Oregon and pounded Oregon State to complete the sweep of the state. Finally, Washington State won at Arizona last week. While the Wildcats and Ducks have disappointed this season, a pair of road wins against 2014 powers is nothing to sneeze at for a squad that has won seven conference games in the last three seasons.
Much of this team’s success revolves around quarterback Luke Falk, who is thriving in Leach’s pass-happy attack. Falk has completed nearly 73 percent of his passes for over 2,800 yards and 26 touchdowns… in seven games. Combine this with just four interceptions, and one can see why Washington State’s offense has taken off.
Falk gets plenty of opportunities to throw the rock — the Cougars have just one rusher over 200 yards for the campaign, and two others just over 100. Falk has attempted 75, 52, and 62 passes in Washington State’s three conference wins. He’s succeeding, but within an imbalanced structure.
This is why the Cougars face such a difficult opponent on Saturday night in Pullman.
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Stanford comes into this game as a 12-point road favorite, thanks to an offensive resurgence of its own. The eighth-ranked Cardinal has been strong offensively behind emergent Heisman candidate Christian McCaffrey.
After scoring just six points in an opening week loss to Northwestern, Stanford has scored no fewer than 31 points in any subsequent game. The Cardinal won their last four games by an average of 23.5 points; they have been steamrolling opponents.
What is at stake for Stanford is simple: The Cardinal can take a nearly insurmountable two-game lead in the Pac-12 North with just four more games to play. They can also stay in contention for the College Football Playoff. If they can get to 12-1, which would mean a win over Notre Dame and a possible win over 11-1 Utah, they’d have enough meat on the bones of their resume to make a strong case to the committee in early December.
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What’s the best way to frame this game? Think of Cardinal-Cougars this way: If you were to identify the two offenses which have made the most strides in the entire FBS since week one, these two would qualify as legitimately good answers. Stanford’s offense didnt show up against Northwestern, and Washington State’s attack was contained by an FCS opponent in a home game.
These two offenses have come a very long way, and now they’ll try to outscore each other in what could become a shootout cut from “#Pac12AfterDark” cloth.
The key to this game could lie in a strength-versus-strength matchup. Stanford is allowing just 204.7 yards per game through the air. That has been a typical half or even quarter for Falk over the past month-plus.
We’ll see which team takes the contest, but it should be noted: When the key matchup features a high-flying aerial circus such as the one Washington State possesses, that generally spells fun. Additionally, Mike Leach is in the house — he carries an aura of excitement wherever he goes, and dating back to his days at Texas Tech, he’s pulled off a big win or two against elite opposition in a high-stakes game, the most famous instance being the last-second win over Texas in 2008.
Fasten your seat belts and enjoy a game that could decide the Pac-12 North.
