Washington State head coach Mike Leach employs an Air Raid system that sees his teams throwing the ball roughly 75% of the time, and Halliday is reaping the benefits and rewriting the record books. Against Cal last week -- albeit it in a heartbreaking 60-59 loss -- Halliday threw for an NCAA-record 734 yards on 49 of 70 passing with 6 touchdowns. Look at that number again -- SEVEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOUR yards. (For a little perspective, Kevin Hogan passed for 552 yards in his last three games combined.)

The numbers just don't make any sense. Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday is challenging the laws of physics, altering the space-time continuum, and bravely going where no Pac-12 quarterback has gone before.

I know what you're thinking -- that was just against Cal. Anyone can do that. While that may be true, look at his passing totals from his previous five games: 532, 389, 544, 436, and 417 yards. After Saturday's record-setting game, that gives him a total of 3,052 yards and 26 touchdowns. With six games to play, including this Friday night against Stanford, Halliday is on pace to easily set the conference single-season records for passing yards, passing attempts, passing completions, and passing touchdowns, and he's got a great shot at setting the career conference marks in all those categories as well.

Of course, things might be different for Halliday when he faces the Stanford defense this week. Last year Trent Murphy and company battered Halliday mercilessly, finally forcing him out of the game for good after he threw for just 184 yards, easily the worst outing of his past 19 starts. The Stanford defense normally does well against stationary targets like Halliday (well, let's face it -- they do well against all quarterbacks), so the key to this game will be the effectiveness of Washington State's offensive line. If they can somehow slow the pass rush, Halliday will likely have at least some success passing against the back of the Cardinal's defense. If not, it will be long night for the Cougs.

Of perhaps greater concern for Washington State fans is the knowledge that this team can score 59 points and still lose. The Cougar defense is allowing 35.2 points per game, good for 105th in the country. This team is 2-4 for a reason, and one of those two wins came against FCS Portland State. Wazzou needs to win five of their final six games to become bowl eligible; unless they score 59 points every time out (and perhaps even if they do), that simply won't happen. The numbers are sexy and Halliday's stats will look nice in the Washington State media guide for years to come, but this still looks like another disappointment. The most prolific passer in conference history will likely see his college career come to end on November 29th, long before bowl season begins.

Aside from the near certainty of a Stanford victory, this game is difficult to forecast. The Washington State defense is just what the doctor ordered for Stanford's struggling offense, so let's say that Hogan and company come up with 45 points. The defense will be challenged by Washington State's Air Raid offense, but they'll stand strong, just like they always do. I'll say 17 points for the Cougs, mainly because no team on the Stanford schedule has scored more than two touchdowns and a field goal. It seems like a good number. Stanford 45, Washington State 17.

Okay, here's what you've been waiting on. For a closer look at Washington State, I got in touch with Mark Sandritter, the managing editor of CougCenter.com, and he was kind enough to give me some insight on the team and how its season has gone thus far. Enjoy...

Go Mighty Card:

I have to start with Connor Halliday. His numbers thus far are absolutely mind-boggling. How good is he, really? How much of his success is due to Mike Leach’s system, and how much is Halliday?

Mark Sandritter, CougCenter.com:

Halliday is really good. Yes, he's in a system that produces big numbers, but he's taking it to another level. He's outpacing any quarterback Mike Leach has had. When you average 8.3 yards per attempt on 369 attempts, thats impressive regardless of the offense. His stats aren't just based on volume, it's volume plus efficiency. He's playing very well, a different level from last year. More efficient, less turnover prone and making better reads.



GMC:

Speaking of the Leach system, how is that going? Is the fan base happy with the direction of the program?

Sandritter:

The fanbase is happy to be out of the depths of a few years ago, but still not satisfied. Ultimately everyone just wants to win. WSU is much improved under Leach, but still struggling to translate that into wins.



GMC:

Aside from Halliday, what about the rest of the offense? Lots of receivers are benefitting from Halliday’s amazing start, but do any stand out above the others?

Sandritter:

River Cracraft is having a really good season. Consistently good every week. He's a go-to on third down and for just a true sophomore, he's a really promising player. Vince Mayle has played well, especially in Pac-12 play. He racked up 263 receiving yards last week and is a big, physical target with surprising speed. He and Isiah Myers both have 200-yard games this season. Dom Williams is outpacing everyone in the big play category, he's just targeted less often. Cracraft, Mayle and Williams make for a very strong top three, as good as anyone in the Pac-12, if not the country.



GMC:

In last year’s 55-17 loss, the Washington State offensive line had trouble with the Stanford front seven, and Halliday was knocked out of the game. How has the line looked so far this season?

Sandritter:

Stanford whipped the WSU offensive line last year, so this week will be a measuring stick. The unit is young with three new starters. That includes a pair of sophomores and a freshman. There is more potential in this group than there was last year and significantly more athleticism. WSU has allowed 12 sacks this season, but that's not a terrible number considering WSU has called just less than 400 pass plays already. They didn't allow a single sack last week on 73 pass plays. They are improved, this week will tell us how much, it's going to be a major test against a stout Stanford defensive line.



GMC:

The problem the Cougs have had in the past has been defense. Who are the stars on that side of the ball? How do expect the defense to attack the Stanford offense?

That problem persists this season. The front seven is adequate, but teams who can protect the quarterback and go vertical can exploit WSU in a big way, just like Cal did last week. The secondary is very young and there are issues back there. Defensive end Xavier Cooper is probably the best player on the defense. He's a physical presence, good against the run and can rush the passer too. He can really make an impact, Oregon couldn't block him.



GMC:

Finally, it’s prediction time. What’s your final score, and how do you think we’ll get there?

WSU has been so up and down this year, it's hard to predict anything week-to-week. I think this game will be closer than recent Stanford-WSU contests. The Cougars' defensive strength is stopping the run, so that bodes well. Will Kevin Hogan be able to take advantage of the weaknesses with a vertical passing attack?

Offensively, the Cougars are improved. Stanford has a great defense, probably the best WSU will face all season. That should be an excellent matchup. WSU isn't going to throw for 700 yards again, but I think they will have more success than they did last year against Stanford.

I think the game will come down to the fourth quarter. Stanford is a big favorite, I just don't see Hogan being able to pull a Jared Geoff and kill the Cougars through the air. Instead, it's going to come down to whether Stanford wears out the Cougar front seven and grinds them up in the fourth quarter.