JOE HARRIS; Contributing writer | • Published October 04, 2010

ST. LOUIS - Brandon Gibson has many fond memories of growing up in the Puyallup area. On Sunday, the St. Louis Rams wide receiver started giving Seahawks fans some bad ones.

Gibson, who played for the first time this season last week, caught three passes for 50 yards and a touchdown against his favorite childhood team.

“Growing up, I was a big-time Seahawks fan,” said Gibson, a former star at Washington State (2005-08). “When you grow up in Seattle, you’re a hometown kid. Of course, I love the Seahawks, but come game time, it doesn’t matter who it is.”

Gibson slipped behind Seattle linebacker Will Herring to haul in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Sam Bradford for the Rams’ first score with 5:49 to go in the first quarter. It was Gibson’s first touchdown of the season and the second in his two-year career.

The catch also turned out to be the winning score in the Rams’ 20-3 win.

“Great throw by No. 8 (Bradford),” Gibson said. “He made an incredible throw and put it right in the hole. All I had to do was catch it.”

Bradford said Gibson had more to do with the score than the QB would admit.

“They run a two-deep zone, tried to move the middle linebacker,” Bradford said. “Gibby did a great job wrapping around their ’backer in front of the safety, and he made a great play on the ball in the end zone.”

A 23-yard catch by Gibson with less than a minute to go in the first half gave the Rams the ball on the Seahawks’ 21 and led to a 30-yard field goal by former Seattle kicker Josh Brown that gave the Rams a 10-3 halftime lead.

Gibson and Bradford seem to be developing some chemistry. The two also hooked up for a pair of touchdown passes during exhibitions.

What has held Gibson back are injuries – he missed a large portion of the preseason with a hamstring issue – and some untimely drops. After dropping a couple last week against Washington, Gibson dropped what would have been a 15-yard first-down catch in Seattle territory in the fourth quarter Sunday.

Gibson redeemed himself later in the fourth quarter, making a 12-yard catch with 10 minutes remaining to give the Rams a first down.

“There are growing pains,” Gibson said. “It’s my second year in the league, and I’m ready to grow up and be a consistent player and continue to make plays.”

Gibson at times was lined up against a fellow WSU alum, Marcus Trufant. Though the two weren’t Cougars at the same time, Gibson has plenty of respect for the former Pro Bowl cornerback.

“Tru’s a great player, and I really enjoy playing against him.” Gibson said. “I’m going to try to bring the best out of him, and he’s going to try to bring the best out of me. The biggest thing is competing every play, and that’s what we want to do.”

Gibson has gained the respect of his teammates since being acquired in a 2009 trade with Philadelphia. He especially made a quick impression on fellow receiver Mark Clayton.

“He’s been doing his thing,” Clayton said. “From the first time I saw him when they started putting him in practice, I was like, ‘Man this guy’s nice.’ He snags the ball, runs great routes. I’m like, ‘We’ve got to get this man some rocks.’ For him to come in and contribute is no surprise, from what I’ve seen in practice.”