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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Luke Falk is rewriting Washington State’s record book - and the school’s perspective

WSU quarterback Luke Falk directed a last-minute victory over UCLA last season. (File Associated Press)
WSU quarterback Luke Falk directed a last-minute victory over UCLA last season. (File Associated Press)

A GRIP ON SPORTS • From the lowest point in the school's football history (possibly), the Washington State Cougars continued their march to, well, a really, really good bowl game with a last-second comeback win at UCLA last night. And, along the way, came up with a new term that is uniquely theirs. Read on.

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• You know that term that shall not be named anymore? Ya, you do. Everyone does. Well, when freshman quarterback Josh Rosen sliced through the Coug defense to score the go-ahead touchdown with just over a minute left, the Cougars looked as if they had reverted to what-now-seems ancient form. Instead, they Falk’d It Up. Yep, Mike Leach turned to Luke Falk again. On the road, trailing late, when it looked bad for WSU. But for the fourth time this season the redshirt sophomore quarterback led WSU on a game-winning drive. Seven plays, 75 yards. One minute, three seconds. The result: A 31-27 victory over the 18th-ranked Bruins. So just what is being Falk’d? It’s seizing victory from the throes of defeat. It’s marching down the field with the game on the line in the fourth quarter and doing something special. In other words, it’s the diametric opposite of that other term. And it can happen anywhere, from Piscataway, New Jersey to Pasadena, Calif. From Eugene, Oregon to Tucson, Arizona. And thanks to the four occurrences this season, the Cougars may get the opportunity to do it again in San Antonio or San Diego or – please, please lord, make this happen if only to watch Cougar fans roll through that town en masse – Las Vegas. Heck, Saturday night’s comeback, if anyone west of the Rockies actually saw it, might even propel Washington State into the rankings, thanks to losses by a couple of the lower ranked teams from last week. (Update: The Cougars are 23rd in the coaches poll, which was released early Sunday morning.) But those are all ancillary benefits. The primary one? The 2015 Cougar team is in the midst of rewriting the school’s definition. Yes, they did the Portland State thing. That was as low as it gets for an FBS school, losing to an FCS team that everyone picked to finish near the bottom of its league. Well, everyone was wrong about PSU. The Vikings are second in the Big Sky standings, proving once again preseason football experts are rarely expert. That season-opening defeat, however, has only made the last nine games all that sweeter. WSU has won seven of them, including late heroics to win the games mentioned above. The Cougars are not going to the Pac-12 championship game, nor the Rose Bowl, this season. The tiebreakers preclude that. But they do have something in common with the 1997 team. After a long walk in college football’s wilderness, they are winning again. And winning with style. Their own style. There's now a term for that.

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• WSU: The late start meant an early morning for Jacob Thorpe, who covered all the usual bases, I’m sure, even if I couldn’t find the keys to the game, the scoring or the statistics online. Jacob’s game story is available, however, as is video of interviews with Leach, Falk, Taylor Taliulu, Jeremiah Allison and Gabe Marks. ... He also has his morning post with links. ... The game-winning touchdown pass to Marks? It not only allowed the WSU receiver to earn a Pac-12 blog helmet sticker, it also was Falk’s 35th of the season, a school record. And it was Mark’s 13th this year, tying Jason Hill’s school mark. ... Before we leave football, we’ll pass along a couple stories Jacob didn’t, just to make the coverage complete. ... The soccer team wasn’t as successful, falling in the first round of the NCAA tournament at home for the third consecutive season.

• EWU: The opposite end of the spectrum right now is Eastern, which lost its second consecutive game. This one was a 57-16 rout in Missoula, turning next week’s regular season finale vs. Portland State into a do-or-die quasi-playoff game. The loser more than likely will be left out of the postseason. Jim Allen has the game story from Montana and we can pass along stories from the Griz’s hometown newspaper. ... PSU’s remarkable season continues, as Ken Goe writes, with a 24-23 home win over Southern Utah. ... Cal Poly got past UC Davis. ... Montana State finally picked up a road win.

• Idaho: The Vandals lost again, though they didn’t surrender a large lead in the 47-20 home loss to Appalachian State. Sean Kramer has the story. ... The basketball team opened the season with a road win at San Jose State. ... The volleyball team ended the regular season on a down note.

• Whitworth: The Pirate men’s soccer team expected to have a long run in the NCAA tournament. But they did not, surrendering a two-goal lead and losing 3-2 in overtime to Redlands. ... The football team defeated Lewis & Clark 47-19 to finish the regular season 9-1 and will learn its NCAA fate today. Tom Clouse has the game story while Tyler Tjomsland adds a photo report. ... The Whit cross country women finished third at the NCAA’s west regional.

• Chiefs: Trailing by two goals, the Chiefs rallied and downed Kelowna 4-3 Saturday night in the Arena. ... Everett shut out Swift Current 4-0 while the Americans lost 4-3 at Calgary. ... Portland defeated Vancouver 5-3.

• Preps: The football playoffs rolled on as Gonzaga Prep rolled over Battle Ground, 42-14 on its home field. Greg Lee was there and has the game story while Jesse Tinsley adds a photo report. ... We also have a roundup of the other football action in the area. ... Colfax won another State 2B volleyball championship. ... Chris Derrick has the coverage of the 4A and 3A state tournament. ... Gonzaga Prep moved on in the state soccer playoffs.

• Seahawks: Seattle has a big opportunity tonight. They can defeat the visiting Arizona Cardinals and close within a game of the top spot in the NFC West. Of course, if they lose, they will fall three games back with seven to play. ... To win, the Hawks need Russell Wilson to play like the Russell Wilson of old. ... Seattle made it official yesterday, putting Ricardo Lockette on injured reserve and activating speedy receiver Paul Richardson. ... After what happened in Paris, security will be tight at NFL stadiums today.

• Mariners: Ken Griffey Jr., will be a first-ballot hall of famer. But he won’t make history.

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• Sorry for the lateness of this post. I was up late last night talking with giddy Cougar fans on the phone. My conversations – I’m not sure I was awake enough to make sense most of the time – were actually broadcast over the airwaves. I used to have nightmares about such occurrences when I was young. Until later ...



Vince Grippi
Vince Grippi is a freelance local sports blogger for spokesman.com. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.

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