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• Ya, I know. A long way to go for a fifth-grade-level joke. But the Cougars went a long way just to hand a win to the Sun Devils. Despite the 52-31 final, this was a game to be had. An upset to kick-start Apple Cup Week. A chance to finish the season on a three-game winning streak and head into the off-season fired up for next year. But instead the Cougars threw it away. You can put all five game-deciding turnovers – if you don’t think that's true, just look at the statistics; WSU dominated the game – on the shoulders of freshman quarterback Luke Falk (pictured) and you wouldn't be wrong. But Mike Leach didn't. Oh, he was honest about Falk's mistakes, admitting the quarterback made them. But WSU's coach went another direction after the game, not dwelling on the turnovers themselves, but what happened after them. As Jacob Thorpe points out in his late-night blog post, when the defense followed a turnover onto the field, it yielded 11.1 yards-per-play. When it came on following a kick: Only 3.7 yards-per-play. Leach jumped on that to rip into the heart of that side of the ball, doing everything but questioning their manhood. Bud Withers shared Leach's statements and wondered if it means there will be a change coming with the defensive staff next season. We don't wonder. We're 99-percent sure it will happen. No matter if the Cougars finish 3-9 or 4-8 (depending on the Apple Cup outcome), something will change. For the first seven possessions yesterday, the defense showed it can play with one of the better offenses in the Pac-12, forcing six three-and-outs. The other possession? A touchdown following Falk's first of four interceptions. It's just another Tamarack log on Leach's bonfire of change, stoked again yesterday by the defense being unable to force any ASU turnovers. But it makes me wonder. If the shoe was on the other foot and the head coach was a defensive guy, maybe even the defensive coordinator, would he – and I'm speaking of any coach now – call out the offense for turning the ball over? Say something to the effect if you just hung on to the ball we would have won? Yes, I'm pretty sure I've heard that before. The exact quote that bounces around my head is "we have to take better care of the ball." I can't cite a specific instance but that mantra sure sounds familiar. But what Leach had to say did sound a bit different. He basically seemed to be convinced if the defense had just saved the offense from its self-inflicted wounds, the Cougars would have won. OK. But there is a simpler answer, of course. Not taking a razor-blade to your hopes in the first place. Then there wouldn't have been any triage needed.

• I started work this morning at the usual time, right around 6 a.m. But this column was posted a bit later than usual for one reason: I was waiting to find out Eastern's FCS playoff fate. Now we know. The Eagles are seeded fourth and will play the winner of Montana vs. the University of San Diego. More than likely Montana will host the first-round game and will be tough for the non-scholarship Toreros. Which would mean a rematch at Roos Field in a couple weeks. The Eagles are also in the same side of the bracket as No. 1 New Hampshire, so if there aren't any upsets, Eastern's semifinal game would be a long way away. ... Three-time champion North Dakota State is seeded second while Jacksonville State nabbed the third seed. ... The Missouri Valley Conference and the Colonial have two of the eight seeded teams while the MVC has five teams overall.

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• WSU: Man, morning starts to Saturday football games mean a lot of copy to pass along – and other things. Jacob has his game story, of course, as well as a notebook, scoring and keys to the game. On the blog he has his video of interviews with Falk and Joe Dahl, Leach, Marcellus Pippin and Vince Mayle, who set a trio of receiving records yesterday. ... Jacob also has his morning post with links as well as yesterday's game book. ... Mayle earned a helmet sticker from ESPN.com's Pac-12 blog, which also tells us what we learned. ... Arizona State needed the win to stay alive in the Pac-12 South and it was its senior quarterback that led it to the victory. ... An eight-team playoff is the coaches' choice. ... Man, Florida State is living on the edge. ... If you see this statement, "Jesus, girls and Marcus Mariota," you now know where it came from.

• Gonzaga: As expected, the Zags had little trouble with Division II St. Thomas Aquinas. Jim Meehan was in the Kennel and has this game story and blog post. ... Colin Mulvany has the photographs.

• EWU: Besides Eastern's fourth seed, and the first-round bye for the Big Sky champions, the Big Sky put two other teams in the tournament. The number would have been higher, surely, if the conference's also-rans hadn't risen up down the stretch and upset some of the front-runners. For example, Southern Utah went to Flagstaff yesterday and took it to Northern Arizona. ... Montana just blew out rival Montana State but both made the tourney. ...  Idaho State held off Weber State but still didn't earn an at-large berth. ... Sacramento State won its seventh game of the year and defeated rival UC Davis in the process. ... Eastern lost its first game of the year on the basketball court though the Eagles gave No. 22 SMU a battle. ... New Montana basketball coach Travis DeCuire is a product of Seattle basketball.  

• Whitworth: The Pirates couldn't handle the hot shooting Tommies from St. Thomas and lost 90-69.

• Chiefs: Spokane seems to like the road, winning again away from the Arena, 2-1 over the Tri-City Americans. ... Portland defeated Kelowna for the second consecutive night. ... Everett won but also may have lost.

• Preps: Back-to-back state titles. Has a ring to it, doesn't it? Such is the case for Central Valley's girls soccer as they defeated Jackson 5-2 to win their second consecutive state 4A crown. ... Speaking of back-to-back, Mt. Spokane defeated Shadle Park for the second consecutive time and moved into the State 3A football semifinals. Chris Derrick was at Albi and has the story of the 35-20 victory, while Tyler Tjomsland adds the photographs. ... Greg Lee was in Pasco, where Gonzaga Prep's playoff run was ended by Chiawana, 38-3. ... Liberty Christian did the same to Garfield-Palouse, 62-20. ... Colville moved into the 1A semifinals with a 28-10 win over Royal.

• Seahawks: Though they say they aren't desperate, the Seahawks know today's game against Arizona is a must-win one. If the Cardinals win, they not only make a statement, they basically eliminate the defending Super Bowl champions from the playoff race. ... How did we get to this point? ... Marshawn Lynch may be an enigma, but his teammates love him. ... Even though the Hawks are about as healthy as they've been for a while, they still made a roster move yesterday. ... The Cardinals are going to be blitzing from the get-go.

• Sounders: After what seems forever, Seattle and the L.A. Galaxy will finally begin their MLS Western Conference championship series this afternoon. Though a lot of the faces are familiar, it might be some new ones that decide the two-match series. ... The teams were 1-1-1 against each other this season.

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• It's Sunday. The Hawks play. The Sounders play. The house is going to be filled with noise. Just the way we like it. It keeps me from falling asleep. Until later ...