Andrew Luck has accomplished so much in his career at Stanford that it is tough to keep track of every coach who says something about him. The latest head coach to praise the star quarterback was Oregon State's head coach Mike Riley, and according to him, Luck has "proven it all" with the Cardinal.
Bob Clark of The Register-Guard has the story:
Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck leads the Pac-12 in passing efficiency, is climbing the career charts for the conference and a school that has a legacy of great passers in a number of statistical categories, and yet none of those numbers are what most impresses Oregon State coach Mike Riley.
"You start with the his record," Riley said, pointing to "the resurgence of Stanford football since he was recruited and since he took over.
"His won-loss record is really impressive."
In three years with Luck as the starting quarterback, Stanford has gone 28-5. While a good bit of that should be credited to former running back Toby Gerhart, what Luck has been able with the program is remarkable.
"He's not only a great passer ... but he's a very gifted athlete," Riley said. "He can run any style of offense. If you wanted to run the spread with him, he'd be really good at it."
On any short list of the best quarterbacks ever to play in the conference, Luck would have to be in the discussion, wouldn't he?
"He's just kind of proven it all," Riley said. "I'll go back to the record (because) the wins and losses are the bottom line.
Luck and his Heisman campaign are busy preparing for the Beavers. Oregon State will have their eyes set on the huge upset, but as Mike Riley knows, if the quarterback is even close to the top of his game, the Cardinal should come away victorious on Saturday.