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He might have gotten off to a slow start against Utah last week, but by the end of the night, Connor Halliday had done what he normally does: Put up huge passing numbers. In leading the Cougars to a comeback 28-27 victory, Halliday threw for 417 yards on 39-of-61 passing with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Let's continue our look at Halliday's march through the record book -- a march that's unlikely to be slowed by Cal tonight.
Thanks again to Kirt Onthank for the graphs! One note from him: He's using linear regression for the projections, rather than simple extrapolation, which reduces the effect of an outlier performance.
Pac-12 single-season touchdown record: Matt Barkley - 39
Halliday is still on pace to shatter Matt Barkley's record, but he's not the only one. We have a new contender! Cal's Jared Goff has entered the race, thanks to his seven TDs against Colorado last week. He and Halliday are now essentially in a dead heat. Halliday is on pace to surpass his own WSU record against USC and the Pac-12 record against Oregon State.
Pac-12 single-season yardage record: Sean Mannion - 4,662
Again, still on pace to shatter this record, and at this point, it's really a one-horse race. There's an interesting nugget here, though: Halliday is on pass to pass Sean Mannion's record in Corvallis against Sean Mannion. That would be pretty neat! And if the Cougs can get into a bowl game -- something that suddenly seems like a possibility again after defeating Utah -- he's got a legitimate shot at surpassing 6,000 yards. He'd be the first college quarterback ever to do that.
By the way, if you've ever thought, "What's the big deal, all of Mike Leach's quarterbacks do this," here's how Halliday stacks up to Leach's previous QBs:
Not bad for a gunslinger.
Pac-12 career yardage record: Matt Barkley - 12,327 yards
Good news for Halliday: Mannion's 123-yard performance against USC has made this a lot closer race -- the projections are now separated by only 400 yards or so if both guys make it to bowl games. A week ago, that margin was bigger than 700 yards. Again, it looks like he'll pass Barkley in the same game he's playing Mannion.
Also at this pace, Halliday will pass Alex Brink for the WSU career record against Arizona.
Other Less Sexy Records
Just for funsies! The Pac-12 and NCAA single season records for attempts and completions are in play.