Washington State Football: QB Connor Halliday Named to Preseason Watch List

Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday has a chance at a pretty special season in 2014, one that no Cougar has ever accomplished. So it is that he has been named to the 2014 College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) Quarterback Trophy watch list. 

The redshirt senior already threw up several school records last season, but with a returning cast featuring what looks like the deepest core group of receivers in the Pac-12 football Conference, he will be aiming much higher to finish out his career. I’ve put together what amounts to an outrageous (yet hopefully somewhat educated) guess for numbers he could potentially hit, but sliding in somewhere above last season and below that number that I provided would still put Halliday in some elite territory.

He winged it 714 times last season, just five shy of an NCAA record. He set Pac-12 high-marks for passes attempted and completed as well. If not for an injury in the Stanford game he would have easily surpassed the NCAA’s passes thrown mark. He’s also gained 20-25 lbs, which should mean he’ll be able to ward off big hits more easily than in the past.

It all adds up to a potentially humongous fifth season from the Cougar-slinger if he can stay away from the urge to throw into double-coverage or back across his body when thinks his man has a step. But that’s what fifth-year seniors are supposed to have learned.

This probably won’t be the only watch-list he going to be on either, publications are just getting started. We can only hope he stays there throughout the season and ends up eventually making some finalist appearances.

Go Cougs