As we all could have surmised (hoped?) the Cougs put on a much better performance on Saturday against Portland State than they did the previous week at Nevada. Regardless of the opponent, they opened up the much-improved Martin Stadium in style. While the 38-point victory was very much a team effort, as is just about everything in football, there were some individuals who stood above the rest. Well, they stood out to this guy, who was watching via an iPad which was plugged into my TV. Onto the the awards.
Honorable Mention: Luke Falk and Jamal Morrow
Coming into the game, Luke Falk had thrown exactly zero passes in his collegiate career. After one series, Luke Falk averaged 43 YPA, and a touchdown pass. I can think of worse debuts. Jamal Morrow had a good all-around debut at Martin stadium, as he gained 38 yards rushing and 73 receiving. I am quite pleased that both of these guys are freshmen.
2nd Runner-Up: Connor Halliday
As I watched Halliday throw that ugly pick six in the fourth quarter, I considered not honoring him in this most hallowed of spaces. Still, he made some really good throws in this game. Plus, he was a huge part of an offense that hadn't gained this many yards since Gerald Ford was in office. He threw for another six touchdowns and averaged a very good 8.8 YPA (which Luke Falk would term subpar).
1st Runner-Up: Cyrus Coen
Coen was a big reason why WSU shut out Portland State in the first half. A possibly bigger part was the fact that PSU dropped a sure touchdown on the first play, but still. Coen made it pretty obvious how badly he was missed against Rutgers, totalling nine solo tackles and a sack. Given Darryl Monroe's somewhat befuddling regression, it is clear that Coen is the best linebacker WSU has after three games.
Winner: Isiah Myers
As with Halliday in Week 1, it wasn't exactly difficult to figure this one out. Personally, I think it's kind of ridiculous that Myers lost out on Pac-12 honors to Jerry Neuheisel, mostly because Neuheisel was able to complete a hitch-and-go to a wide open receiver. Oh well. Myers caught 11 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns, and is making a great case, after three games, to earn all-conference honors. His last score was a thing of beauty, as he caught a pass along the sidelines, side-hopped (if that's a word) over a defender, and outran the defense for the touchdown. Congratulations, Isiah. Even though the Pac-12 stole your award, you still go home with the highly-coveted CougCenter Player of the Week honor.