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Todd Graham's comments overshadow ASU loss

Postgame drama was the story of the night after the Sun Devils fell 37-32.

ASU Sun Devils head coach Todd Graham, center, walks off the field after a loss to the USC Trojans in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016.
ASU Sun Devils head coach Todd Graham, center, walks off the field after a loss to the USC Trojans in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016.

On Saturday night, ASU football lost to the Washington State Cougars 37-32.

It was a hard-fought game in which the Sun Devils (5-3) lost starting quarterback Manny Wilkins in the first quarter. From there, ASU was forced to rely on third string freshman quarterback Dillon Sterling-Cole.

Sterling-Cole did his best (considering he was originally supposed to redshirt this season), but was mostly unsuccessful. ASU supplemented his inexperience with a heavy dose of the "Sparky" formation and some well-timed trick plays.

In the end it wasn't enough, as WSU (5-2) used its lethal passing attack to hold on to a victory.

But that wasn't the story.

ASU head coach Todd Graham confronted WSU head coach Mike Leach about accusing him for stealing signs.

It wasn't pretty when the two met on the field after the finale of the game (NSFW).

Needless to say, that's not what you usually expect from two coaches shaking hands after the game.

Generally the coaches are cordial. They congratulate each other for a good game and move on. Sometimes opposing coaches even go above and beyond, like legendary Kansas State coach Bill Snyder consoling Texas coach Charlie Strong after Texas' loss — one that might cost him his job.

Well, Graham certainly did not handle the post game as well as Snyder did.

Graham went off on Leach, assailing him with vulgar terms referencing barnyard animal excrement.

This may not be a great look for coach Graham, but I find it amazing.

I think it's high time that the Pac-12 had some drama.

Think about it, how often do coaches verbally harass each other after the game? Not that often, so you have to cherish it when it happens.

We all remember the beautiful moment when Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh got into it.

This coach drama reminds me of the Southeastern Conference, where coaches routinely yell at each other or do whatever it takes to win.

At this point in the season, the conference has lacked some luster. The national contenders from past years — Stanford, Oregon, UCLA and USC — are all having down years. Washington, the best team in the conference, wins basically every game via blowout and Utah, the second-highest ranked team, has a habit of mucking it up in ugly football games.

Colorado and WSU are nice stories, but the Pac-12 is having a down season. Coming into Saturday, there were only two teams ranked in the AP Top 25.

That's why it's great that this postgame coach squabble injected some drama into the league.

The Pac-12 may not be as good as it has been in years past, but at least this incident makes it more interesting.

Now there's something else for talking heads to go on about, besides the season-long conversation about Washington's playoff hopes.

The fallout from this should be intriguing. Does Graham end up as a hero for defending himself, or does he become a villain for overreacting?

Furthermore, what if another coach accuses Graham of stealing signs in the future. Does Graham keep his cool or does he overreact again?

I think this might have generated a new coaching rivalry in the Pac-12, and it should be really interesting when these two teams play in the future.

For better or for worse, Graham stole the show. In the future, few will care about the final score of this game, but many will remember the time when Graham cussed out Mike Leach after a loss.

And I think that's great for the conference.


Reach the reporter at mpharri7@asu.edu or follow @Harris_Mark7 on Twitter.

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