Led by a record-setting performance from redshirt junior receiver Gabe Marks, the Washington State Cougars never trailed as they beat the University of Arizona Wildcats 45-42 Saturday in Tucson.

Marks’ four touchdown receptions broke a WSU (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12) record, and his last one provided the winning points for the Cougars. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Luke Falk found Marks streaking across the base line of the end zone with just over two minutes remaining to extend WSU’s lead to 45-35.

After Arizona (5-3, 2-3) scored a touchdown with 44 seconds left, redshirt senior receiver Dom Williams recovered the ensuing onside kick and the Cougars were able to run out the clock.

“He’s the same guy every day, just competitive,” Falk said of Marks in an interview with wsucougars.com. “He was winning those one-on-one battles, and he was complaining to me to get him more balls, so I just needed to get it to him on that final drive and good things happened.”

Each of Marks’ other touchdowns came in the first half. On the first drive of the game, Falk capped off a 10-play, 78-yard drive by finding Marks from six yards out for a quick 7-0 lead.

 Two drives later, Falk hit Marks on a 3rd-down screen pass that Marks quickly turned into a 43-yard touchdown and a 14-0 WSU advantage. After Arizona tied the score at 14, WSU responded with another long drive, and Falk found Marks in the front right corner of the end zone from two yards out.

“I was just doing my job and doing what (Head) Coach (Mike) Leach tells me,” Marks said of his performance. “(I was) being where I need to be at times when my quarterback needs me, and that’s how you build trust and that’s how you get balls that you probably shouldn’t get anyways but he throws them to you.”

Marks finished with eight receptions for 97 yards and the four touchdowns. Falk threw for 514 yards on 47-of-62 passing, along with five touchdowns. It was his third career 500-yard passing performance.

The Cougars held a 38-21 lead with 8:34 to play in the third quarter after turning their first possession of the second half into a 1-yard touchdown run by redshirt sophomore running back Gerard Wicks. The drive was extended when, on 3rd-and-19 from the Arizona 35-yard-line, Falk hit freshman receiver Kyle Sweet down the middle for 28 yards. It was Sweet’s second career reception.

However, the momentum then started to turn Arizona’s way two drives later. Redshirt junior receiver Cayleb Jones threw a 25-yard pass to redshirt junior receiver Trey Griffey on a double-reverse pass, which gave the Wildcats a first-and-goal at the 7-yard-line. Three plays later, redshirt senior quarterback Jerrard Randall threw a 3-yard touchdown to Jones on an out route to the right side to cut into WSU’s lead 38-28 as time wound down in the third quarter.

The Cougars swiftly moved into Arizona territory on their next possession, but after having 1st-and-10 at the Arizona 33-yard-line, four straight incomplete passes spelled a turnover-on-downs. Arizona soon found themselves right back in the game when they took the ball and went 67 yards on 12 plays to draw within 38-35. Redshirt senior running back Jared Baker rushed for his third touchdown of the game, this time from six yards out with 8:07 left to play.

“We came out of halftime really lethargic and I didn’t like it,” Marks said. “You could feel it on the sideline, everyone felt it. We just had to get ourselves out of that funk. I think this team is kind of accustomed to being in tight spots so I think we wanted them to get back in it before we decided to turn it back up again, I guess.”

WSU extended its lead to 45-38 with 2:03 to play after running nearly six minutes of game clock on an 11-play, 76-yard drive. The drive also included a 4th-and-1 play from Arizona’s 7-yard-line, when Falk rushed for 3 yards before throwing his final touchdown pass to Marks on the next play. At one point on the drive, Wicks 21-yards into the end zone, but the play was called back for holding. This actually benefited the Cougars, because they were still able to score and it took more time off the clock.

“We just play all 60 minutes, we’re a gutsy team,” Falk said. “It could have been an easier way today, but I think we did a nice job finishing and just getting the job done.”

WSU has now won three straight conference games for the first time since 2003, and is 5-2 for the first time since that same year, when it started 7-2. Falk has thrown 16 touchdown passes in those three wins, and the offense has produced at least 40 points in each of those three games, the first time that has happened for WSU since 2001.

“I’m very proud of our guys, this is a great win for us,” Leach said. “We’re underdogs all the time and got another one.”

The Cougars will return to the Palouse at 7:30 p.m. Saturday for a standoff against No. 8 Stanford in Martin Stadium. ESPN will televise the game.