Players of the week: WSU vs. Auburn

As I sort through the stats and begrudgingly re-watch the DVR'd game from this past Saturday, it's tough to feel good right now. I let the loss sink in and after looking at the good things, I was ok. And then I re-watched the game as a whole. Big mistake.

I was calling for anyone but Connor Halliday to line up behind center, but that was pretty short sighted and reactionary. I usually hate when people do that. While I remain unconvinced that Halliday has the ability to change -- he is what he is -- I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He did a lot of good things that are overlooked because of the magnitude of the bad things.

With all of that being said, let's jump into this week's top three stars. For those of you who are new to this, or simply forgot, I'll pick my Offensive, Defensive, and Special Teams players of the week each week.

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Devard Darling Offensive POTW:

Gabe Marks -- 9 catches, 81 yards, L14

Marks emerged as a playmaker last year, his true freshman season in Pullman. This year, he seems determined to become the #1 guy with Marquess Wilson having departed for the NFL. A lot of people assumed Dominique Williams would claim the spot of top receiver, and while that still may be the case, Marks is making sure we don't forget about him. His nine catches and 81 yards were both tops on the team, and he made a few really nice catches along the way. I'm extremely excited about his future.

Lamont Thompson Defensive POTW:

Deone Bucannon -- 14 tackles (2 solo), 1 FF, 1 FR

Bucannon is making sure he puts himself in the discussion for one of the better safeties we've ever had. He's played on some really, really bad teams too, so he hasn't had much help. While I don't think we'll be talking about him in the same light as Thompson or Marcus Trufant, I think he's probably in that next tier with Eric Frampton and the Abdullah brothers. He's been our best member of the secondary for four straight years. Saturday, he wanted to show the SEC how physical the Pac 12 can be. He destroyed a few players, and while he gained a really stupid, unnecessary penalty, that's sort of become a part of his game. Lay the wood, make other receivers nervous about coming across the middle, get penalized for something silly. Rinse and repeat.

Graham Siderius Special Teams POTW:

Michael Bowlin -- 5 punts, 196 yards (39.2 avg), L46, 2 inside 20; 5 kickoffs, 325 yards (65 avg), 2 TBs

Bowlin wasn't exceptional this week punting, but he did look pretty good kicking off. The kick return for a TD wasn't on him, that was on poor angles by the special teams unit. No one really stood out on ST this week, so I gave it to the guy with the neon yellow shoes.

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Next week's prediction:

Connor Halliday, Darryl Monroe, Andrew Furney

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(stats vs. Auburn)