WSU Vs. Arizona State: Yardage, Records, And Milestones Abound

Those that stayed up late to catch the nightcap on a wild College Football Saturday were not disappointed. The Washington State Cougars and Arizona State Sun Devils played a dramatic back-and-forth show.  There were big plays and a lot of offense to go along with an improbable comeback win by the underdog.  Amongst all the excitement, the teams put up some very impressive numbers and broke some records.

• WSU amassed 590 yards of total offense. The highest for a conference game since a 601-yard performance against California in 2005.
• The two teams combined for 1,001 yards of total offense.
• Connor Halliday's 494 yards was a WSU freshman record (and possibly a Pac-12 freshman record). He obliterated the old mark of 385 set by Drew Bledsoe in 1990. It was also the highest total for any Pac-12 quarterback this season. This coming against an ASU defense that was ranked 23rd against the pass in S&P prior to Saturday.
• Halliday needed only 36 throws to get that yardage. An impressive 13.7 yards-per-attempt.
  
• Marquess Wilson broke the 1,000 yard barrier for the second straight season on his first catch, an 85-yard TD catch that was his first catch of 50 yards since his game winner against Colorado (H/T to Mark for that one).
• On Wilson's final catch, a leaping grab that all but sealed the game for WSU, he surpassed Brandon Gibson as WSU's single-season receving yardage record holder. He now has 1,197 yards with two games left to play.
  
• Wilson's three TD catches were the most for a Coug in one game since Chris Jordan caught three against Idaho in 2006. Have we mentioned he is good at football?
• Isiah Barton was also huge for the Cougs, especially in the second half. He finished the day with career-highs of 155 yards and 22.1 yards per catch.
• Even ASU got in on some of the record-breaking. Jamal Miles became the first Sun Devil to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in a single season. This may have been the high-point for Arizona State on the day.
• Coming into the game, ASU running back Cameron Marshall was averaging 4.9 yards per carry. The Cougar defense held him to 2.3.
• ASU took four trips into the WSU redzone, but came away with just 14 points. For once, it was the opposition who was missing opportunities in close.
• WSU's secondary did what they do best, help out in the run game.  They also limited big plays, leading to the previous bullet point. Casey Locker and Deone Bucannon combined for 23 tackles.
• This was Washington State's first home conference win since the 2008 Apple Cup. This is also the first time the Cougs have won more than one conference game since 2007.
• Football Outsiders' S&P had WSU ranked 107th coming into this game. Arizona State was 26th. College Football, everyone.
• According to Football Study Hall's F+/- predictor, ASU was favored by 19.6 points. Vegas had the Sun Devils favored by 11.5. WSU won by ten. Again, College Football.
• During the two WSU conference wins of the season, this author has worn something long-sleeved. During the Colorado win, a sweatshirt. Yesterday, a thermal underneath a Cougar shirt. Going with the thermal again next week.
• WSU quarterbacks lead the nation in surname-driven puns.

Bill Connelly also tweeted something awesome about the combined performance of Wilson and Barton, but I'll leave that one for Mark's wide receiver post.  Yesterday's 37-27 win was as interesting and exciting as any Cougar game in a long time. We'll have more coverage throughout the week, because wins are so much more fun to write about.

H/T to WSU Sports Info.