Brock Huard: Head injuries are nothing to mess with, so WSU shouldn’t start Luke Falk

The status of the nation’s leading passer is uncertain for one of the most compelling Apple Cups in years.
And, while former Washington Husky quarterback Brock Huard might appear to have some bias in his rationale, the “Brock and Salk” co-host thinks Washington State quarterback Luke Falk should be held out of the rivalry matchup after suffering a head injury vs. Colorado on Saturday.

“If this was (Washington quarterback) Jake Browning I would say the exact same thing,” Huard said on the show’s “Blue 42” segment Monday. “This has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with any rivalry… You don’t mess with head injuries, you don’t mess with head trauma.”

Falk, a sophomre who has thrown for 4,266 yards this season, left Saturday’s win strapped into a backboard after his head bounced off the turf during a sack. It was the second straight week he’d absorbed a major blow to the head. He was examined for – and passed – concussion tests in the second quarter the previous week against UCLA and returned to that game.

After the Colorado game, WSU head coach Mike Leach declined to discuss Falk’s health, even threatening to walk out of his press conference if the media persisted with the line of questioning.

Leach, who has stumped for Falk as a Heisman candidate, has a spotty history with concussion treatment, having been fired by Texas Tech in 2009 for his treatment of a player with a concussion.

Huard said that Leach shouldn’t let the Cougs’ best player suit up, especially since there’s one less day than usual for Falk to recover with the game falling on Friday.

“You just don’t mess around with the brain,” he said. “I have been there. I have been and I have lived that experience, and all of the sudden they’re cumulative and a lesser hit starts to ding you that much more, especially when it’s repetitive week after week after week. I don’t think he should play on Friday. I will be very, very closely monitoring Mike Leach and how much he cares for his player’s health short-term, because he is way too much of a long-term talent to risk in a situation like this.”

Huard said he believes even with second-stringer Peyton Bender at quarterback, the 20th-ranked Cougars can still beat the 5-6 Huskies, who are battling to reach bowl eligibility. He pointed to Michigan State beating Ohio State last week while starting its backup as an example.

“It’s very much a system deal,” Huard said of Washington State. “Their defense is playing the best they have played in 12, 13, 14 years, and I don’t think they’d build it in as an excuse if (Falk) doesn’t play. Next guy up, step up and do your job.”