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Colorado State investigating coach’s outburst during New Mexico Bowl

CSU athletic director Jack Graham promised to take a ‘deep dive’ into the first-quarter altercation between defensive line coach Greg Lupfer and Wazzu QB Connor Halliday.

Colorado State officials are investigating an altercation between Rams defensive line coach Greg Lupfer and Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday during Saturday's New Mexico Bowl, according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald. After throwing a first quarter touchdown pass, the Cougars quarterback approached the Colorado State sideline and confronted Lupfer. The Rams' defensive line coach responded with a string of expletives before another assistant separated the two.

Wazzu_medium

Colorado State athletic director Jack Graham saw the video, and told reporters he would be launching a further investigation of what happened.

“I’m fully aware of what happened; I’ve seen footage of what happened,” Graham said. “We’re going to take a deep dive on this. It appears as if it was a very inappropriate event. We will take a deep and thorough dive around it. If it is what it appears to have been, that’s not who we are, it’s not who Colorado State University is. It’s unacceptable behavior, and we’ll deal with it appropriately.”

After the game, Lupfer issued an apology after the game, through the team’s official Twitter account.

Colorado State coach Jim McElwain admitted he did not see the altercation.

The incidicent occurred after the first of six Halliday touchdown passes. Despite falling behind 35-13 in the first half, Colorado State managed to come back and win the New Mexico Bowl 48-45, scoring 17 points in the game’s final three minutes to finish the comeback.

Lupfer is in his second season as Colorado State’s defensive line coach, having joined McElwain’s staff after three years at Cal Poly. He previously spent 11 seasons as a defensive assistant at Portland State.

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