For the past two years and most of year three, we heard the rumors of redshirt sophomore WR Markques Simas' potential. Apparently, he was making the first team defense look silly on the scout team and once he dedicated himself both on and off the field, he would be something special. After Simas was ruled ineligible last year and suspended for the first two games of this season for an off-the-field incident, many Buff fans wondered if this would be another one of those players who was highly recruited that wouldn't pan out.
Simas, in his third year at Colorado, finally caught his first ball and touchdown against West Virginia. The next four games, the 6'2" 215 pound receiver never had more than three receptions in any single game. But then November rolled around...and something seemed to click between the receiver and his quarterback Tyler Hansen.
The last three weeks, Simas has been everything Buff fans dreamed for and more, turning in performances that bring back memories of top flight receivers of the past. Colorado fans have been clamoring for a bona fide number one receiver for a while now. Going back to 2004, Colorado's leading receiver has not gone over 600 yards and in two of those years, the Buffs leading receiver had 226 yards and 449 yards.
Just in the month of November, Markques Simas has 25 receptions and 355 yards. If he kept that production up over a full season, he would total 100 receptions, 1,412 yards and 8 touchdowns. Now that is a #1 receiver. It is clear Hansen and Simas have developed a nice report.
As you can see from the chart below (for optimal viewing, click the "wide view" button on the top right of the page), Simas ranks 10th in the nation for yards/game in the month of November among all receivers. He is surrounded by some pretty good company as well:
| Top Receivers for the Month of November | |||||||||||
| # |
Name | Team | Yr | Pos | G | Rec. | Yards | Avg. | TD | Rec./G | Yards/G |
| 1 | Danario Alexander | Missouri | SR | WR | 3 | 34 | 587 | 17.26 | 5 | 11.3 | 195.7 |
| 2 | Damaris Johnson | Tulsa | SO | WR | 3 | 41 | 475 | 11.59 | 1 | 13.7 | 158.3 |
| 3 | Antonio Brown | C Mich | JR | WR | 2 | 24 | 299 | 12.46 | 2 | 12.0 | 149.5 |
| 4 | Greg Salas | Hawai'i | JR | WR | 3 | 34 | 435 | 12.79 | 3 | 11.3 | 145.0 |
| 5 | Freddie Barnes | BGSU | SR | WR | 3 | 30 | 428 | 14.27 | 5 | 10.0 | 142.7 |
| 6 | Jordan Shipley | Texas | SR | WR | 3 | 27 | 427 | 15.81 | 4 | 9.0 | 142.3 |
| 7 | Golden Tate | Notre Dame | JR | WR | 3 | 27 | 368 | 13.63 | 3 | 9.0 | 122.7 |
| 8 | Emmanuel Sanders | SMU | SR | WR | 3 | 21 | 364 | 17.33 | 4 | 7.0 | 121.3 |
| 9 | Shay Hodge | Miss | SR | WR | 3 | 19 | 363 | 19.11 | 3 | 6.3 | 121.0 |
| 10 | Markques Simas | Colorado | SO | WR | 3 | 25 | 355 | 14.2 | 2 | 8.3 | 118.3 |
It would be disrespectful not to mention the stellar play of WR Scotty McKnight. He catches a bad wrap because he is not a game breaker but McKnight has been solid and has led the Buffs in receiving yards for the past three seasons, something that should not be forgotten. McKnight has put up some amazing numbers in his three year career at Colorado. He has caught at least one pass in 34 straight games, a Colorado record, meaning he has caught a pass in every game he has played in. He ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 779 receiving yards in 2009, which is 44th in the nation.
Combine McKnight and Simas with Michigan transfer Toney Clemons and next year, this looks like a potential unit of strength. Also, don't forget 2009 signees Jarrod Darden, Terdema Ussery, Will Jefferson and Andre Simmons should be up to speed and challenging for playing time next year. It is not known whether WR/CB Anthony Wright will remain on the offensive side next year but if he does, that is another athlete that could make a difference.