For the first time since 2006, the WSU football team has grabbed a spot in the college football Associated Press Top-25 rankings.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Luke Falk deserves a lot of credit for putting his team in this position.

In his first season as WSU’s starting quarterback, the Utah native has led the Cougars to four fourth-quarter comeback victories this season. Falk’s play deserves national recognition, which includes the 2015 Heisman Memorial Trophy.

WSU football Head Coach Mike Leach certainly believes Falk should earn the award.

“Now (the Heisman) is just the bi-product of trying to speculate who’s the best player of the national championship team. … But failure to do that, then I think you ought to go back to the original definition which is ‘who’s made the greatest contribution to his individual team?’” Leach said. “If that’s the case then virtually everyone needs to vote for Luke Falk. And anybody that doesn’t needs to re-examine why their voting for the Heisman to begin with”.

Leach makes a solid point when referring to the Heisman definition. Falk easily can make a case as the college football player who’s made the greatest contribution to his individual team this season.

After the Cougars suffered a home loss to Portland State in Week 1 of the 2015 season, Falk upped his game and helped make the Cougars’ 2015 season a success story, rather than just another sad Pullman tale.

Falk’s performance in the win at UCLA last Saturday is a prime example of how much Falk means to this team. After taking a huge hit and sitting out for part of the first half, he still found a way to take the field in the second half. Late in the fourth quarter, Falk put together a 75-yard game-winning drive, which included a 21-yard touchdown pass to redshirt junior receiver Gabe Marks with three seconds left on the clock.

Heisman voters should not overlook the ridiculous stats he’s put up in his first season full season as the Cougars’ starting quarterback. Falk has thrown for 4,067 yards this season which ranks No.2 in the country behind Bowling Green State quarterback Matt Johnson (4,229). But Falk is leading the nation in passing yards per game at 406.7, and is the Pac-12 leader in touchdown passes with 35.

Currently, Falk is ranked ninth in Heisman voting with three total points, according to espn.com. However, if the Cougars win their final two games of the season and Falk continues to put up big numbers, there’s a good chance he could receive an invite to New York in December for the Heisman Memorial Trophy ceremony.

Evan Baron is a senior communication major from Seattle. He can be contacted at 335-1140 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of the Office of Student Media.