Washington State beat Stanford and it was marvelous

After starting out the season 1-2, the three game stretch where WSU had to face Oregon, Stanford, and UCLA looked daunting.

The past two games Washington State has outscored Oregon and Stanford 93-49 and has an under-performing UCLA team coming to Pullman on Saturday that may be without their stating quarterback.

3-2 feels good all things considered. It’s funny how we got here but after losing to Eastern Washington and Boise State to begin the year, the Cougars look like they’re here to stay.

Offensively, WSU looks like their same old self. Tavares Martin Jr. is having a much bigger impact than I think any of us expected, River Cracraft is unstoppable when healthy, Gabe Marks is Gabe Marks, the three-headed monster of Morrow, Wicks, and Williams keep their legs churning, and Luke Falk is doing Luke Falk things.

Defensively, the Cougars only allowed nine points to Stanford and made Christian McCaffrey a non-factor throughout the whole game. This is a team that gave up 60 points to Cal just two years ago.

Enjoy it Cougar fans, because not only are the Cougars winning these important games, they’re dominating them.

Football

WSU defense comes up big in 42-16 rout at Stanford | The Seattle Times

Buoyed by a dominant defense that harassed Stanford’s quarterbacks all game, and an offense that seemed to grow stronger and more efficient as the game wore on, the Cougars (3-2 overall 2-0 Pac-12), felled No. 15 Stanford 42-16 to notch their first win over a ranked opponent since 2013.

Cougars prove their toughness by manhandling Stanford on the road | The Spokesman-Review
It wasn’t just the blowout nature of WSU’s win over No. 15 Stanford on Saturday, although it certainly undeniably a beat down.

Key moments in Washington State’s win over Stanford | The Spokesman-Review
The WSU defense forced three-and-outs on each of Stanford’s first two drives and forced the Cardinal to punt on its third. By holding early, the defense gave the WSU offense a chance to find its rhythm and score first, giving the Cougars the upper hand throughout the game.

WSU notebook: Cody O’Connell blends size, agility on Cougars’ offensive line | The Spokesman-Review
It’s not hard to miss Washington State’s best offensive lineman. At 6-foot-8, 354 pounds, Cody O’Connell stands out even in a crowd of the biggest football players on the team.

WSU players of the game | The Spokesman-Review

WSU’s defense looking to build its own identity with Cougars’ ‘Speed D’ | The Seattle Times
The Cougars' defense has always been eclipsed by Washington State's signature Air Raid offense, but after a dominating effort in a 42-16 win over Stanford, they're out to build their own

Stanford’s David Shaw says refs were justified to call a targeting penalty on hit against WSU QB Luke Falk | The Seattle Times
Oddly, Luke Falk thrives on contact; also, Shalom Luani makes first public comments since the Domino's Pizza fight

Cougars Notebook: O-line’s been playing well but give Luke Falk big assist | The Seattle Times
Washington State quarterback has been reading defenses well, coach says.

Luke Falk's 4 TD passes lead WSU past No. 15 Stanford 42-16
Luke Falk threw for 357 yards and four touchdowns to lead WSU to a second straight win over one of the Pac-12's recent powers, 42-16 against No. 15 Stanford on Saturday night.

How you like THESE apples? Washington and Washington State have outscored Stanford and Oregon, 207-76 – CollegeFootballTalk
Perhaps there is a changing of the guard going on in the Pac-12 North.

More questions than solutions after big loss to the Cougars | News | Palo Alto Online |
No one took Stanford's 42-16 loss to visiting Washington State worse than Cardinal football coach David Shaw, who watched a patchwork of an offense line fail to keep the Cougars off quarterbacks Ryan Burns and Keller Chryst and that failed to provide any running lanes for the running backs.

Stanford loses game, McCaffrey injured
STANFORD – With or without Christian McCaffrey, Stanford’s offense struggled for the second straight week, falling to Washington State 42-16 on Saturday night at Stanford Stadium.

Stanford Cardinal football 2016: The Wheels are Coming Off - Rule Of Tree
Stanford falls again after giving up another 40 points in a game

Washington State crushed Stanford 42-16 behind Falk - SFGate
The Giants aren’t the only Bay Area team having trouble scoring.

Pac-12 Plot Twist - Washington State Jolts Stanford And Changes The North
There was certainly a case to be made that the Washington State Cougars would upend Stanford in Palo Alto, but history leaned against the visiting team.

Instant recap: Offense quiet as No. 15 Stanford gets blown out by Washington State | Stanford Daily

Pac-12 Football: Week Six in Review - House of Sparky
Here’s exactly what you need to know about what went down in week six of Pac-12 football.