Even in a loss to EWU, WSU’s Gabe Marks can’t be stopped

Following WSU’s inexcusable* loss to Eastern Washington on Saturday, senior wide receiver Gabe Marks got in front of a microphone and tried to explain what went wrong.

Among the things he said?

We love Gabe Marks for many reasons, and now we have a new one: His ability to tell a bald-faced lie (and probably believe it) after his team lost a game it should have won and there wasn’t likely anything more he could possibly have done to change the outcome.

Marks finished with 108 yards on 10 receptions, which included two spectacular touchdowns — both of which were classic Gabe Marks.

The first was a 53-yard catch and run in which Marks used his trademark off-the-line skills to separate from the corner, haul in the pass and race to the end zone for WSU’s first TD:

The second was the sort of ridiculous play that Marks has made relatively routine. If you were anything like me, it immediately brought to mind a similar touchdown against Oregon last season. The degree of difficulty on this fade, though, was just a little bit higher:

Sometimes announcers get a little too fast and loose with the phrase “he couldn’t have covered that any better,” but I’m going to be honest — I’m not sure that poor EWU corner could have covered that any better. Simply a ridiculous catch of an excellent throw from Luke Falk.

It might seem kind of odd to offer such effusive praise after such a devastating loss, but one of my favorite things about being a sports fan is being able to watch — up close — the exceptional individuals who make their way through my favorite teams. Guys like Ryan Leaf, Jerome Harrison, Klay Thompson ...

And Gabe Marks.

I mean, here’s a guy who obviously was battling some kind of leg injury throughout the game. It clearly hobbled him in the second half, and yet, with the game on the line, there he was on the field trying to help his team come back and win.

He’s not just an exceptional physical talent. He’s an exceptional warrior. And I refuse to let another season-opening turd detract from my own enjoyment of perhaps the greatest receiver in school history.

You can’t stop Gabe Marks.

Go Cougs.

*Thought about using the word “inexplicable” there, but ... well ... I think we all know it was very explicable.

Seattle. Home of the modern pioneer. Tucked away, out on the edge, yet as close to London as it is to Tokyo. Here, we embrace contradiction. Outdoorsy yet connected. Progressive yet staunch traditionalists. Some say we’re bursting at the seams. We say we’re just getting started. In the air, on the field, you can’t stop Seattle.