After beating Washington State 62-38 on Saturday, Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti went off on Mike Leach for having quarterback Connor Halliday throw 89 times, including during garbage time. Aliotti called Leach’s gameplan “bull****" and “low class,” but apologized for those remarks on Sunday.
“The bottom line is, I’m sorry,” Aliotti said in a statement released by Oregon (via CSN Northwest). “I’m embarrassed that I got caught up in the moment after the game. There’s no excuse, but sometimes right after the game the adrenaline is still flowing and I made a huge, human error in judgment. I wish I could take it back, and I promise it won’t happen again.
“I’d like to apologize to Mike Leach and (Washington State AD) Bill Moos, Washington State and its fans, and Oregon and our fans.”
Halliday threw for 557 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions against Oregon. It was the third time this year Halliday’s attempted over 60 passes in a game -- he threw 65 in Washington State’s season opener against Auburn, and 67 in a 22-point win over California Oct. 5.
The 89 pass attempts set a new FBS record, with Halliday breaking Drew Brees’ previous mark of 83 passes in a 1998 game against Wisconsin.