Luke Falk shreds Oregon State's defense in WSU victory

Washington State has found Connor Halliday's replacement.

In his first start Luke Falk completed 72% of his passes for 471 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also had no interceptions. Falk played the game with complete confidence against the Beaver defense, ranked second in the Pac-12.

Vince Mayle had 143 yards receiving and a touchdown as the Cougars beat Oregon State 39-32.

Falk got the start after record-setting WSU quarterback Halliday was knocked out for the rest of the season with a broken leg in last week's loss to USC.

The win gives Cougar fans a glimpse of the future with Falk at quarterback. Many had questions about who could replace Halliday, but those questions are now answered by Falk's impressive play. He was named Pac-12 offensive player of the week.

Oregon State jumped out to a 10-0  lead early in the first quarter behind Sean Mannion's 419 passing yards. Falk led the Cougars back and WSU led 21-16 at the half.

Washington State's normally porous defense held in the red zone over and over, forcing the Beavers to kick four field goals. Mannion was under constant pressure from Cougar blitz's and was sacked four times. They also held the Beavers to 39 yards rushing.

The Cougars scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the Beavers away for good.

The loss drops Oregon State to 4-5 and last place in the Pac-12 North.

Many of the Cougar players said the game was dedicated to Halliday. Several of them had "CH12" (for Connor Halliday #12) written on their uniforms.

The Cougars played their best game of the year, with the offense, defense and special teams units all playing well.