Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday

Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday (12) looks to throw against Auburn during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Washington State on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

AUBURN, Alabama -- Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday was not impressed with his counterpart at Auburn.

Halliday spoke highly of the Tigers' running game, which rushed for 297 yards in the 31-24 victory against his Cougars, but not so much of Nick Marshall's debut at quarterback.

"They ran the ball real, real, real well," Halliday told The Spokesman-Review. "If they could find a quarterback, they'd be a top-five team in the nation. They just don't have a guy who can throw it. That running game was something very, very impressive."

Marshall was 10-of-19 passing for 99 yards. He also rushed for 27 yards and had a five-yard touchdown run called back on a holding penalty.

Both Halliday and Marshall struggled at times in the season opener. Marshall was more consistent in the second half.

RELATED: How did Nick Marshall stack up to other Auburn quarterbacks in their first season-opening starts?

Halliday had better numbers overall, throwing for 344 yards, but was only 11-of-29 passing for 80 yards in the second half. His throw in the end zone with 4:46 remaining in the game was his third interception of the game, and was also the most damaging to the Cougars' comeback hopes.

Marshall struggled to complete passes in the first half and overthrew two receivers -- players also dropped two passes. He finished 10-of-19 passing for 99 yards and was 8 of 11 passing for 79 yards in the second half.

Marshall's role in the Tigers' offense is expected to expand as he grows more comfortable with the playbook.

"We didn't want to put him in a bad situation tonight," Auburn coach

Gus Malzahn

said of Marshall. "We wanted to try to protect him and learn more about him."