Luke Falk Punched His 1st Round Ticket by Topping Sam Darnold

Pretty much everybody tuned into USC-Washington State to watch Sam Darnold. They tuned out having seen Luke Falk remind everybody about him.

The Washington State quarterback created a buzz last season as a possible high draft choice going into this year. He instead elected to return to school and continue honing his game. Since then he’s taken a back seat to names like Darnold, Josh Rosen, Lamar Jackson and Mason Rudolph. That’s surprising given how well he started this season with 14 touchdown passes and just one interception in his first four games.

Against USC he had his biggest chance yet to show everybody that he belonged in the 1st round conversation looking towards 2018. He’s got the size, arm strength and accuracy to thrive in the NFL. The question has been can he delivered against actual competition? Well people got their answer Friday night when Washington State stunned the Trojans 30-27. Falk finished with 340 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Falk was aided by a strong ground game and defensive performance but every time his team needed a big throw, he delivered. A number of them were made with pressure in his face too, something NFL teams certainly liked seeing. His accuracy and poise were on display, all while the much-heralded Darnold has nine touchdowns and eight interceptions on the year. So maybe it’s time to give Falk a little more respect.

He may not be playing for a power program but then again many of the top NFL QBs haven’t lately. Drew Brees went to Purdue. Aaron Rodgers went to Cal. Ben Roethlisberger went to Miami of Ohio. Derek Carr went to Fresno State. Russell Wilson went to N.C. State. Matt Ryan went to Boston College. The list goes on.

Top quarterbacks can come from anywhere. It’s a matter of recognizing whether they have game. Luke Falk has game.