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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Gabe Marks putting up big numbers for WSU

Washington State wide receiver Gabe Marks leads the Pac-12 in receiving and TD catches. (Associated Press / Associated Press)

PULLMAN – Growing up, Gabe Marks used to watch Michael Crabtree light up the Big 12 on Mike Leach’s old Texas Tech teams, and the thought of doing the same things in the same offense was not a small factor in his decision to play for Leach at Washington State.

“He was the best college receiver ever. … He had some really disgusting statistics,” Marks said on Monday.

While it’s cruel to compare any receiver to Crabtree, the only player to ever win two Biletnikoff awards (as a redshirt freshman and sophomore, no less), Marks is putting up some pretty imperssive numbers in his own right.

After setting a school record with four touchdown catches in Saturday’s 45-42 win at Arizona, Marks now leads the Pac-12 in catches (57), touchdown receptions (10) and is second in receiving yards (717). While it’s unlikely Marks will approach the 1,962 yards and 22 touchdown catches Crabtree put up as a redshirt freshman, the 1,165 yards and 19 touchdowns the TTU receiver caught as a sophomore are both in play.

And hey, Crabtree won a Biletnikoff that season, too.

Both Leach and Marks understandably push back against comparisons between the WSU junior and the most productive receiver in the history of college football.

“He’s good, he was the best. I’m just trying to make some plays,” Marks said.

“(Marks) does a good job catching the ball. I think he’s still improving. I think he’s still steadily improving as player,” Leach said. “Michael Crabtree, you’re talking about a guy that won two Biletnikoff awards so that’s pretty tough company.”

The most important comparison, of course, is the impact the two receivers had on their respective teams. In 2008, Crabtree was the catalyst to TTU’s best season since 1973 and scored the game-winning touchdown over rival Texas, the No. 1 ranked team in the country at the time.

Marks, who did not play last year’s 3-9 season, has been a key contributor to the turnaround WSU (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12) appears to be undergoing.

Falk wins again

There are certain things that are bound to happen for the WSU quarterbacks in Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense. The passing numbers will invariably be high given how often the Cougars throw the ball, and every starter rockets up the school’s all-time passing statistics lists pretty quickly.

But the skill with which Luke Falk commands the offense has led to a new byproduct: Pac-12 offensive player of the week recognition.

Falk won the honor on Monday in recognition of his performance in the win at Arizona. He completed 47 of 62 passes for 514 yards and five touchdowns.

Such statistics are not atypical anymore for the WSU thrower, and neither are these awards from the conference’s voting media members. Falk has started 10 games in his career at WSU, and has won this particular award three times already.

His performance against the Wildcats also earned him a national award when he was named the Walter Camp offensive player of the week on Sunday.

ASU game at 12:30

Washington State hosts Arizona State at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7 in Pullman. The game will be televised on FOX Sports 1. The Sun Devils first face Oregon this weekend, while the Cougars will host Stanford at 7:30 p.m. in a Halloween game that will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.