On a night where the Arizona State Sun Devils were entertaining fantasies of reclaiming first place in the Pac-12 South, the Washington State Cougars decided to field a freshman quarterback. The end result was a debut performance for the ages as Washington State completed the upset and secured a 37-27 victory over ASU.
After starting quarterback Marshall Lobbestael went 1-for-3 in the first quarter, he was lifted in favor of Connor Halliday, making his first ever appearance in a game. He made an immediate impression with an 85 yard touchdown pass to Marquess Wilson on his first play, and led the Cougars to a 300 yard first half.
Halliday and his receivers never let up, however, and it was a game of long passes and circus catches as the Cougars offense absolutely carved up the ASU secondary. The Washington State defense was no slouch either, holding the Sun Devils to just one touchdown in the entire second half as the Cougars took control for good.
Halliday will be the major story out of this one, as he finished the game 27-for-36 with an astounding 494 passing yards, no interceptions and four touchdowns. Marquess Wilson also had a spectacular game, finishing with eight catches for 223 yards and three touchdowns. Isiah Barton had the other touchdown catch for the Cougars, and finished the game with 155 yards on seven catches. Carl Winston led WSU rushers with 52 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown.
This was a huge win for the Cougars and if Halliday can continue this type of performance, the future would seem to be bright for Washington State.
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