STANFORD, Calif. - The Stanford defense will have its hands full Saturday night against the Air Raid offense of Washington State.
Sophomore quarterback Luke Falk tops the Pac-12 in passing yards (412.1), touchdowns (26) and total offense (403.3), and his 55 percent completion percentage leads the country. Last week against Arizona, the former walk-on hit 47 of 62 attempts without being intercepted and threw five scoring passes, the third straight game he has tossed five or more.
Falk, a 6-foot-4, 205-pounder from Logan, Utah, is tall, tough and athletic. He airs it out 55 times per game, moves around well in the pocket, and has run for three touchdowns.
Falk has sizzled the last three games against Oregon, Oregon State and Arizona. The Cougars have averaged 597.3 yards in total offense, 426.0 passing and 47.3 points. The running game has also clicked, surpassing 100 yards in each for the first time since 2010.
“Watching it, you get a really, really good sense for how this offense got its name and how it got to be so exciting because it’s short passes, it’s deep passes, it’s screens, it’s runs, it’s very, very versatile,” said David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football.
Washington State’s Gabe Marks (57), Dom Williams (41) and River Cracraft (41) rank first and tied for fourth, respectively, in the conference in receptions. Marks has caught a league-best 10 scoring passes, including four last week, and ranks second in receiving yards (717).
While the Cougars rank second nationally in passing, Stanford leads the conference in total defense and has allowed the fewest yards per game (339.3). The unit also ranks second against the pass (204.9) and in points allowed, surrendering 20.6 per game.
“We’ll take it down by down, try to get them in long third downs so our rush can get home, and let that rush and coverage work together,” said fifth-year senior cornerback Ronnie Harris, who leads the Pac-12 in pass breakups with nine.
It will be a big road test for sophomore cornerbacks Alijah Holder, Alameen Murphy and Terrence Alexander, and freshman nickel back Quenton Meeks, among others.
“I think this young group has matured beyond their years,” Harris said. “I think we are well-prepared and ready to go.”
Thanks in large part to Harris, the only returner starter in the secondary and a team captain.
“That’s a true testament to the leadership of Ronnie,” said Murphy. “The main thing he tells us is to bring the juice to practice every day. He’s the reason for the speed of our growth.”
Holder set the tone for the win against UCLA by returning a first quarter interception 31 yards for a touchdown.
“We keep learning from the film, game after game,” he said. “We’re only getting better at this point. You’re going to make mistakes out there, but what I learned from Ronnie is don’t dwell on the last play.”
Thirteen Washington State players have receptions this season and nine have caught 15 or more.
“What’s different about these guys is they don’t really have a No. 1 target,” said Harris. “They spread the ball around to everybody. It’s just being prepared every single play. Everybody is on the hot seat.”
Shaw cited several factors for slowing down Falk: discipline, sideline-to-sideline coverage, open field tackling and pressure.
“We can’t let him sit back there because he will pick us apart,” Shaw said. “We can’t give up the deep ones. They can get you little bit by little bit or they can get you in big chunks.”
Stanford is prepared for a loud, hostile environment in front of an expected sellout crowd (32,952) at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington, especially with the game being nationally-televised on Halloween. The forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of rain and wind.
“The thing about our team is we’re not scared about the challenge or to go on the road,” said Murphy. “The biggest thing is to just lock in on every play.”
Added Holder, “We’re just going to embrace everything that comes at us.”
Last season, Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday threw for an NCAA-record 734 yards in a 60-59 defeat to Cal the week before coming to Stanford Stadium. Stanford limited him to 42 completions on 69 attempts for 292 yards in a 34-17 win.
One way to slow down the Cougar offense is keep it off the field. Stanford leads the NCAA in time of possession at 35:36 per game and ranks second in the conference in third-down conversions at 46.2 percent. Stanford has produced 11 scoring drives consuming five or more minutes, including a 90-yard, 8:11 march last week against Washington, both season-highs.
The eighth-ranked Cardinal has won six consecutive games and is 6-1 overall and 5-0 in Pac-12 play, the lone undefeated team. Stanford sits atop of the North Division, followed by Washington State (5-2, 3-1), which has recorded four straight wins for the first time since 2003.
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