Serious football fans know WSU coach Mike Leach is an offensive genius. There aren’t many college passing records that Leach's “Air Raid” offense hasn’t completely destroyed. Other college coaches explain how “in awe” they are of his ability to read a passing game.
From Luke Falk to Matt Linehan to Gage Gubrud to Ian Kolste, there’s an all-conference passer at each of the area’s colleges, every level. Throw in a Pac-12-caliber talent like Coeur d’Alene’s Colson Yankoff atop the high school heap. Over the mountains, there’s Russell Wilson and Jake Browning, headliners both.
Washington State’s Luke Falk is the top active passer in the NCAA and approximately four quarters shy of becoming the most productive quarterback in school history.
The Eagles are coming off another Big Sky Conference championship season, their fourth in five years, and are picked to contend for another despite a major coaching change and the loss of some serious star power on both sides of the ball.
Veteran sportswriters debate The Spokesman-Review’s selections for the top five quarterbacks for the Seahawks, local universities and area high schools.
From a team that won only one game as recently as 2014, to one that showed it could win, with a 4-8 record in 2015, to one that expects to win, the Vandals have been trending upward in fifth-year coach Paul Petrino’s tenure.
“I’ve never won a (Northwest) conference title and I’ve never won a playoff game,” said Kolste, who boasts a 17-4 record as Whitworth’s starter the last two seasons.
Four months after Rod Sandberg was introduced as Whitworth’s head football coach, the former Wheaton College defensive coordinator was met with an offensive line held together by chicken wire.
In two seasons at Washington, quarterback Jake Browning has used his right arm to throw for 6,385 yards. Meanwhile, he is averaging 0.6 yards per rushing attempt (sacks included). No one will mistake him for The Flash anytime soon.
Junior quarterback Brett Rypien – the former Shadle Park standout – is coming off a sophomore campaign that in some ways was better than his debut season. But losses in three of the final six games left a sour taste.
They’ve got an unproven offensive line that just lost its left tackle. They’ve got running backs that are A) coming off injuries, B) too green to be considered reliable or C) both.
His glory days seem well behind him, even though this is just his fifth NFL season, and more people seem to be concerned about his “lbs” than his “yds.”