The story of Marques Tuiasosopo and the exclusive 300/200 club

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Do you realize only three quarterbacks in FBS history have accounted for 300 yards passing and 200 yards rushing in a single game? Think back on all classic performances from dangerous QBs since you've been watching college football. You don't even need a full hand to count how many times it's happened! Even the most legendary dual-threats like Johnny Manziel, Cam Newton, Lamar Jackson, and Vince Young never did it, though they got close.* The 300/200 club is as exclusive as any statistical achievement in the sport, which is what makes it so much fun to talk about. Thankfully, we've been blessed to see it a couple times already in the 2020s.

(*Manziel had 287/229 against Oklahoma in the 2013 Cotton Bowl, while Young recorded 267/200 vs. USC in the 2006 National Title. It'd also be ridiculous to not mention Jackson's 412/199 against Syracuse in 2016. He was one yard away from the only 400/200 in history!

In 2023, LSU's Jayden Daniels dropped a 372/234 line with five total touchdowns on Florida. It's the only 350/200 ever, and was rightfully the performance that pushed Daniels' Heisman candidacy over the top - despite LSU already being out of playoff contention. It and the aforementioned Jackson game are No. 2 and 3 on my list for best single-game QB performances ever behind Young versus USC.

In 2021, Louisville's Malik Cunningham became the second 300/200 member by lighting up Duke for 303/224 and seven total TD. Cunningham isn't in the same stratosphere as the other guys I've mentioned, but it's not like he's some scrub, either. He's one of just seven players with 9000 career passing yards and 3000 career rushing yards:

But before Daniels and Cunningham joined, the 300/200 club had just one member for over 20 years.

Marques Tuiasosopo was in midst of his first full season as Washington's starting QB on October 30, 1999. The junior who grew up just north of Seattle had rallied the Huskies from a tough 0-2 start to four wins in their next five for a 4-3 mark. Over that stretch, Tuiasosopo showed potential to be one of the Pac-10's best QBs:

• 31-24 win vs. Colorado: 210 yards passing, 56 rushing, 2 TD
• 34-20 win vs. No. 25 Oregon: 211 yards passing, 23 yards rushing, 3 TD
• 47-21 win at Oregon State: 93 yards passing, 49 yards rushing, 1 TD
• 28-7 loss vs. Arizona State: 206 yards passing, 48 yards rushing, 1 TD
• 31-27 win at Cal: 300 yards passing, 25 yards rushing, 2 TD

Fresh off leading a comeback win at Cal, Tuiasosopo needed to take his game to an even higher level to beat a 5-2 Stanford squad coming to Seattle on Halloween weekend. Even though he was still wearing his usual No. 11, Tuiasosopo decided to dress up as Michael Vick against the Cardinal. He exploded for 302 yards passing, 207 rushing, and three total TD in the Huskies' 35-30 win, becoming the founder of the 300/200 club:

The performance is even more impressive when you consider that Tuiasosopo briefly went to the locker room after Washington's first series. He sustained a butt bruise from a hard hit and fall that required him to stand up and pace the sidelines for the rest of the game. (If we want to get technical, Washington's website describes it as a "bruised left gluteus maximus.")

Tyrone Willingham's defense had no answer for Tuiasosopo through the air, or on the ground. How do you defend a QB completing passes like this:

Who's also killing you with his legs like this:

The funniest part of it all is that Tuiasosopo had no idea what he accomplished, and didn't even care:

Washington handed Stanford its first Pac-10 loss, but more importantly added a building-block win in Head Coach Rick Neuheisel's first season. The Huskies went 2-2 down the stretch for a 7-5 record, but wins over Oregon and Stanford made them believe they could compete with anyone heading into 2000 - especially with Tuiasosopo back for his senior year.

They did just that to start the new millennium. Washington entered 2000 ranked 13th, the highest of any Pac-10 team. They showed the hype was for real in week three by beating No. 4 Miami in an instant classic to jump into the top ten. That loss would be the Hurricanes' last before their historic 34-game win streak. Washington then fell 23-16 at Oregon three weeks later, but won their final seven to share the Pac-10 crown with Oregon State.

Tuiasosopo's 2000 stats weren't otherworldly, but his leadership and clutch play –chiefly against the Hurricanes– earned him eighth place in Heisman voting. At 10-1, the Huskies had a strong argument to join undefeated Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl for the BCS National Title. If you were alive back then, you know what happened next.

Despite beating Miami and No. 6 Oregon State, Washington finished fourth in the final BCS rankings behind No. 2 Florida State and the No. 3 Hurricanes. Being ranked behind a team you already beat with the same record as you is gutting enough. What made it even more maddening for Huskies fans is that the 11-1 Seminoles' only blemish came at the hands of.....Miami. It's not like Washington's only loss (Oregon) was bad enough to disqualify them from the debate, either. The Ducks finished the regular season 9-2, good for tenth in the final BCS rankings! As much as I sometimes yearn for the BCS system, even I'll admit it had major flaws. What it did to Washington in 2000 is Exhibit A.

To their credit, Washington shook off the disappointment like great teams do. Their October win over Oregon State gave them the Pac-10's Rose Bowl bid, where they faced the gold standard of QB play in Drew Brees and his Purdue Boilermakers. The Huskies wrapped up their magical season in style, winning 34-24 for an 11-1 final record. They finished No. 3 in the AP Poll, somehow still ranked behind the No. 2 Miami team they beat head-to-head. Tuiasosopo added to his legend by playing through a shoulder injury, accounting for 213 total yards and two touchdowns en route to Rose Bowl MVP honors:

"He [Tuiasosopo] is the absolute epitome of what a quarterback should be"- Washington Head Coach Rick Neuheisel after the Huskies' 2001 Rose Bowl win over Purdue

Tuiasosopo's performance against Stanford in 1999 wasn't the start of his journey to becoming a Washington football legend. It did undoubtedly launch him towards becoming a household name for all college football fans of that era, though. He achieved something statistically that seemed unfathomable before he did it. 26 years later, it's still so rare that only two players have joined him. That's a performance worth remembering. Here's hoping that we see someone new join the 300/200 club (or even push it further) in 2025.