Mike Leach on Connor Halliday: His 'contributions to this program are gigantic'

In the immediate aftermath of WSU quarterback Connor Halliday's devastating injury - a reported broken leg that required surgery - coach Mike Leach was confronted with trying to articulate what Halliday had meant to his program.

"Connor's huge," Leach said. "Connor's contributions to this program -- most of them are the ones that the public doesn't fully have an appreciation of. But Connor's contributions to this program are gigantic."

What, in particular?

"I think his leadership and competitiveness," he said, two things that Leach has said in the past were lacking when he took over at WSU.

Leach did walk out onto the field to talk with Halliday as the training staff was attending to him, trying to offer some encouragement.

"He was obviously very disappointed," Leach said. "I just tried to, you know, relax him, put him in the calmest perspective I could."