Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke Falk throws a pass as freshman linebacker brings pressure. DJ Calhoun (Photo by Alexis Macklin)Leading 24-21 at halftime, the Washington State football team was feeling good about itself. Just 60 minutes of gametime later, the team walked off the field licking its wounds.
The Cougars (3-8, 2-6 Pac-12) turned the ball over five times en route to a 52-31 loss to No. 13 ASU Saturday.
Washington State dominated the start of the game and walked into the locker room at halftime with a three-point lead on a last-second field goal. The Sun Devils (9-2, 6-2 Pac-12) dominated the second half, not allowing the Cougars to score again until less than a minute remained in the game. Senior wide receiver Vince Mayle said that the Cougars did not come out of halftime with the same sense of urgency that they started the game with, which cost them.
"It didn't feel like we came to play with the same intensity we came in the first half," Mayle said. "I don't know really what was going on."
Coach Mike Leach also saw Washington State falter to start the second half and could not regain the momentum because of the turnovers.
"I didn't think we started the second half as good as we could have," Leach said. "We dropped some balls that took us out of that initial drive, if I remember correctly, and then we turned the ball over. The biggest thing was the turnovers."
Freshman quarterback Luke Falk was intercepted four times and fumbled once, leading to 35 points. Coach Mike Leach attributed Falk's mistakes to his inexperience and said that he played well otherwise.
Video by Stefan Modrich | Assistant Sports Editor
"I think he did pretty good," Leach said. "Sometimes he got slow, sometimes could've reacted a little quicker. It's just part of the growth process. I think he did some impressive things."
Falk, who completed 45 of his 74 pass attempts for 601 yards and three touchdowns, said that he has to make better reads and that will lead to less turnovers.
"(The interceptions were) just bad reads," Falk said. "There were a few ones that they got a little lucky on, like the one the d-line got, but just bad reads. I've got to do a better job. It's hard to win a game when you turn it over that many times."
The real problem, according to Leach, was not the turnovers, but how the defense played following them.
"If there's not a turnover, defensively we'll play real tough, but if there is a turnover, they'll give up the ghost," Leach said. "Because all of a sudden, 'Oh my God it's a turnover.' That's crazy."
In addition to turning the ball over five times, Washington State was unable to force a turnover, which has been an issue all season. Leach made it clear that takeaways are a priority for both sides of the ball.
"We've got to get better at turnovers," Leach said. "There's no question about it, we've got to get better at turnovers. We've got to be better at not giving it away and we have to be better at taking the ball away."
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Tonis_The_Tiger
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