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Mike Leach's Tuesday teleconference...

Here's a transcript from Mike Leach's Pac-12 teleconference on Tuesday where he talks about Luke Falk, of course, as well as how the team has progressed this season and quick notes on Daquawn Brown and their next opponent, Arizona State.

Mike Leach Pac-12 teleconference transcript...

(What is Luke Falk like off the field?) "Very calm, a calm guy. I would say a very regular guy, just extremely regular, can talk to anybody, very focused and disciplined as far as watching extra film and focusing on what he needs to improve on in football, but a very calm, laid back guy.

(Was it clear to you that Falk would make an immediate impact when he got the opportunity?) "I thought he would. I thought he definitely would and we saw that in camp. I also think that mentally he was probably a little further along than we expected, even."

(How would you compare him to the other high-profile guys that have been in your system?) "I'd say as far as being calm and just mentally going in there and taking the reigns of things, he might be ahead of all of them. He's way up there for that."

(Does Falk remind you of any quarterbacks you've had in the past?) "They all have their own unique things. I can't say that there's one in particular. He's taller than some but he's got the mental game earlier than most and they've all been hard workers."

(What quality do you respect most about Falk?) "He works really hard."

(What's the morale of the team right now after losing Halliday and not making a bowl game? Are these kids holding it together?) "I think so, everybody is just working hard and trying to improve."

(Can you comment on Luke Falk as a leader?) "I think he's done a really good job. I think that's the aspect of his game that he's done better than expected to this point and I think his calmness resonates, not just with the offense, but the whole team."
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(Has Falk's hot start cemented him as the quarterback of the future at Washington State?) "Nobody is ever cemented. I mean, I think there's a strong possibility, but nobody's ever cemented because we've got some very good players behind him."

(What would you like to see from him against Arizona State?) "He just needs to keep getting better, just have a good week of practice, just lead the team for a good week of practice and continue from there."

(After the two games against Arizona and USC, you played well against Oregon State. After Saturday's win, it would seem to indicate that you're not that far away. How do you sort that all out?) "Well, we played better defensively against Oregon State, I think, was the most significant thing and we also didn't hurt ourselves on special teams."

(Do you feel that you're close, that you're not rebuilding anymore?) "We're improving. We're out there kind of with one layer. We've played some of the best teams in America within one score; we just have to finish the deal. The other thing is we have to understand how close we are and stride for that. A lot of it is competing each individual play."

(On Daquawn Brown, I know you like some things about him but there are also some things you don't like. Can you put that in perspective?) "He needs to be a more disciplined player. He's explosive, he's competitive, but he's not as disciplined as he needs to be."

(What have you seen from film on Arizona State?) "They're a very good team in all phases and they've kind of continued from last year. They had a good season last year and I think they've drawn from that, they've got plenty of players back and I think that's fueled some of their success this year."



This post was edited on 11/11 11:34 AM by Britton Ransford

Austin Maihen...

Santa Margarita (Calif.) Catholic OL Austin Maihen, a Washington State commit, was offered by Stanford on Sunday. I just reached out to the three-star offensive tackle for comment, which I'll pass along when I hear back.

Obviously this offer will have an impact on his recruitment, but we'll see what he has to say. I do know that Maihen has a really good relationship with the Stanford staff, but there is also admissions stuff to work out. Andy Drukarev on the Stanford site says that Stanford and Maihen are already in the process of working out the application process.

While I wouldn't expect anything to happen immediately, this is obviously something to watch and I'd consider Maihen a very soft verbal at this point. It's just too hard to compete with what Stanford has to offer should Maihen be admitted.


This post was edited on 11/9 4:50 PM by Britton Ransford

Quotes following WSU's win over OSU...

Head Coach Mike Leach

(On the play of Washington State quarterback Luke Falk…) "He played real controlled and calm and I think especially with the transition, I think that it calms our offense and our team as a whole. Because a lot of times, just the dynamic of the change, will stir people up a little bit. He has calmness about him on the field with his demeanor, which I think was very positive and made the transition pretty seamless."

(On whether he had a message for Luke Falk during the week…) "Go through your reads. Put the ball in play."

(On how Luke Falk reacts to a dropped pass or missed assignment brings out something for the team…) "I guess. He's just good at competing on the next play. I thought the best thing we did as a team is we competed every play."

(On whether it was Washington State's most complete game on offense, defense and special teams…) "Yeah, it sure could be. We played good on special teams and defense. Once we got out of the first quarter we played pretty good on defense."

(On whether they did anything different on special teams…) "We did the same stuff. Well, we simplified it, but a personnel change here or there."

(On what Oregon State did on defense…) "They ran a ton of stuff. I mean, they dialed it up. There was a point where 'what are they going to be in.' Well, shoot, they are going to be in everything, and they were. They just dialed it up and tried to keep us off balance. The important thing for us was to recognize it and respond to it. But they ran a lot of defense."

Freshman Quarterback Luke Falk

(On making his first career start …) "You know, things were different this week; I took on a new role. I've seen Connor (Halliday) do such a great job with it before, I just kind of modeled myself after him this week and came out really prepared as a team and played really well. The defense played great, the special teams played great and the offense played great."

(On early game jitters …) "I just took what the defense gave me. I missed a few reads which Coach Leach pointed out, I don't know if you guys saw that, but fortunately we came out on top. I thought our offensive line did a great job and I thought our guys did a nice job getting open, just a great team win tonight."

(On running the ball in a passing offense …) "If you get a good box you want to check into it to keep the defense honest. I thought when we did, they did a nice job up front. I don't know how many rushing yards we had, but I thought we did a nice job there. Like you said, we do throw it a lot but when you get the opportunity to run you've got to take advantage of it."

(On possibly the most complete game of the year …) "Yeah, and we finished, that was a big key in the offseason, and we finally finished this week. Like I said, great team win on all cylinders of the ball; offense, defense, and special teams. I just thought we finished really well."

(On nerves going into the game …) "There was a little bit, but once that first play goes by you kind of settle in. It was a different atmosphere, kind of hostile out there a little bit, but it was real fun. You just have to remember that it's a game."

Freshman Running Back Jamal Morrow

(On how it felt to get back in the win column...) "It's a great feeling after going through that tough losing stretch. It was great to just go out there as a team and a team W."

(On Luke Falk's performance...) "Luke's a great competitor. He prepares for the game every single week. He was able to come out here, do his job, kept us going and got us a W. We knew what Luke was capable of doing. The confidence, swagger and demeanor he played with today was able to lift us up as a team."

(On how the running game was effective early...) "Luke was able to get us in the right formations and make the right calls. After that it was my opportunity to make some plays and take care of my job. The offensive line was able to go a great job today as well."

Junior Wide Receiver Tyler Baker

(On his Touchdown play in today's game...) "It was a play that we have practiced all the time. We set it up to where it was a look like a screen, then I just released off of it. They then bit down on it and I was wide open for six."

(On how he has been able to build such a great connection with Luke Falk...) "During those times where Luke and I weren't really getting many reps in practice we would often stay after and do some drills together. I think that really helped with our chemistry, and now it's out there on Saturdays. It's pretty cool to have that."

(On how there didn't seem to be any hangover on the offense without Connor...) "We were really motivated to go out there and get this win for him, he's in a really tough time right now. We were all playing for him in today's game."

(All quotes courtesy of Oregon State Athletics Communications)


This post was edited on 11/8 6:04 PM by Britton Ransford

La Comanche

"To compare the hawk with Pollard is not quite right. The
hawk cannot run the court and cannot jump. He is/was very limited
athletically, does not have good lateral movement and was not worthy of a
D 1 scholarship." --by guess who El!!!!!!!!

Eat any crow lately...or is it coyote.....24 and 18 fool....The Hawk arrives.......

"Ernie Kent" prototype european big....

Ask The Insider: Oregon State...

BeaverBlitz.com on the Rivals.com / Yahoo! Sports network, breaks down what Washington State can expect to see from Sean Mannion and Oregon State this weekend.

Link: https://washingtonstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1701607

I also answered some questions over at the Oregon State site, which you can view at the link below.

Link: https://oregonstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1701311

Update on hoops signing period...

Bountiful (UT) Salt Lake Metro small forward Jeff Pollard tells WazzuWatch.com he'll sign with Washington State next week when the early signing period opens up on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The signing period is open for one week.

I have reached out to Robert Franks to see if they, too, will sign with the Cougars next week. I would expect both King and Renard, the Cougars' two junior college commits, to sign next week, though Franks has yet to take an official visit (he has visited unofficially) and still has to take the necessary placement tests for admission purposes.

Updated: Clarity on the Tracy Clark situation...

Update (7:03 p.m.): According to Jacob Thorpe of the Spokesman Review, Tracy Clark is still a member of the Washington State football program and Mike Leach misunderstood the question. I'll work with our sources to see if I can gather more information on the matter.

Redshirt senior cornerback Tracy Clark has left the Washington State football program, according to Jacob Thorpe of the Spokesman Review. Mike Leach confirmed the news to the media following the Cougars' Wednesday night practice.

Clark, in his first extended action of his career, gave up two touchdowns in the season opener against Rutgers, including an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of the season. The Pittsburg, Calif., product would finish out the game, however Charleston White took over against Nevada and Clark was buried on the depth chart since then.

Clark was recruited by Paul Wulff in the 2010 class and was rated two stars by Rivals.com. He picked the Cougars over offers from Cal Poly, Fresno State, North Dakota, Portland State, Sacramento State and San Jose State. After a redshirt year, Clark saw limited action from over the last three years, recording just nine tackles during that span.

With Clark quitting the team, it brings the number of departed players this season to four including running back Teondray Caldwell, receiver Kristoff Williams and running back Squally Canada. Williams left due to medical reasons while Caldwell and Canada left on their own terms.

There was a recent report that linebacker Chester Sua left the team, though, according to Thorpe, Leach has contradicted that report. I have been unable to personally confirm any reports that Sua, a former four-star recruit, is no longer with the program. For what it's worth, he is still listed in the school database despite reports that he was dismissed by the school.


Link: http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/sportslink/2014/nov/05/tracy-clark-leaves-wsu-football-program/



This post was edited on 11/6 12:03 AM by Britton Ransford

New offer out to 4-star B1G commit...

Adam McLean has been offered by Washington State. It's offer No. 43 for the four-star Penn State commit, who is rated the No. 9 strongside defensive and and No. 118 overall prospect in the 2015 class, according to Rivals.

In addition to Washington State and Penn State, McLean holds offers from the likes of Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee and many others. The 6-foot-1, 282-pound defensive lineman currently has official visits lined up to Penn State, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
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