APPLE CUP: Most Important Players - Marquess Wilson

by Jeff Nusser on Nov 30, 2010 3:19 PM PST

Kicking off our Apple Cup analysis this week, this is the first in a series of posts of the players we think are most important to WSU's chances to beat UW in the game on Saturday.

Marquess Wilson

#86 / Wide Receiver / Washington St. Cougars

Height: 6-3

Weight: 173

Year: Freshman

Hometown: Tulare, Calif.

High School: Tulare Union H.S.

Major: Undecided

	Receiving					Kickoff Returns					Punt Returns
G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD	KR	YDS	AVG	Lng	TD	PR	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
11	51	968	88.0	19.0	5	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Why Marquess Wilson? Simple: If the Cougs are going to win this one, they're likely going to need some big plays, and nobody's been better at delivering a big play than Wilson.

The Skinny: As we all know by now, the true freshman started off like gangbusters. But at 6-3 and 173 pounds -- and people who have seen him without his pads wonder if that's maybe even a little generous on the weight -- it was inevitable that he would wear down and hit a little bit of a wall as the season progressed given how often he was thrown to and how he commanded attention from opponents:

Date	Opponent	Surface	Result	Rec.	Yards	Avg.	TD
9/4/2010	@ 16 Oklahoma St.	Turf	L 17-65	4	108	27	1
9/11/2010	Montana St.	Turf	W 23-22	3	39	13	0
9/18/2010	@ Southern Methodist	Turf	L 21-35	6	134	22.33	1
9/25/2010	Southern California	Turf	L 16-50	7	59	8.43	0
10/2/2010	@ UCLA	Grass	L 28-42	5	118	23.6	0
10/9/2010	1 Oregon	Turf	L 23-43	4	57	14.25	0
10/16/2010	Arizona	Turf	L 7-24	6	131	21.83	1
10/23/2010	@ 5 Stanford	Grass	L 28-38	6	150	25	1
10/30/2010	@ Arizona St.	Grass	L 0-42	5	89	17.8	0
11/6/2010	California	Turf	L 13-20	4	50	12.5	0
11/13/2010	@ Oregon St.	Turf	W 31-14	1	33	33	1
	Totals			51	968	18.98	5

It didn't just show up in an inability to get open; it also showed up with some drops, which were virtually non-existent early in the season. With three weeks off to rest his tired body, it figures that a fresher Wilson can return to early season form.

The opportunity is there against Washington. WSU has averaged 7.4 yards per attempt this year, and Washington has given up 7.1. Wilson also has a three-inch height advantage over both UW corners, Quinton Richardson and Desmond Trufant.

This matters because the games Washington has lost has been the games the Huskies were poorest in pass defense. Their six losses? Six of their seven worst games in terms of opponents' yards per attempt and passing efficiency.

Final Assessment: Quick strike big plays against a vulnerable defense would have an enormous impact in a game that doesn't figure to be a shootout.

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