Injured Washington State quarterback Luke Falk was doing well and might be able to play in Friday’s Apple Cup against archrival Washington, Washington State athletic director Bill Moos said Monday.
Falk, the leading passer in the Pac-12, appeared to suffer a head injury and was carried off the field during No. 20 Washington State’s victory over Colorado on Saturday.
Coach Mike Leach refuses to discuss injuries, so the extent of Falk’s injury is not clear.
Leach defended his policy during his regular Monday conference call.
“I never answer questions about injuries,” Leach said, ticking off five specific reasons why that is his policy.
They included a lack of medical knowledge, and not wanting to give an opponent valuable information.
Leach was asked when he will decide on a starter between Falk and freshman Peyton Bender for Friday’s game.
“We’ll make that decision 27 seconds before kickoff,” Leach said.
Leach said he did not understand coaches who openly discuss injuries to their players.
“It smells of generating an excuse,” Leach said.
On his Monday radio show, Moos seemed to indicate that Falk suffered a head injury. He said there are NCAA policies regarding concussions that the team follows.
Moos said the injury does not appear to be season ending and that he was hopeful Falk could play Friday.
Washington State has had the nation’s top passing offense with Falk as the starter this season. Falk has thrown for 4,266 yards and 36 touchdowns. Bender has thrown for 210 yards and two touchdowns in four games.
