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BOX SCORE
PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) -- After reaching the Rose Bowl for the first
time in eight years, Washington coach Rick Neuheisel's thoughts
were about what it took to get there.
"It's a dream come true and it just makes me think about all
the work that went into it," the second-year Huskies coach said,
alluding to the players, coaching staff and administration. "Those
are all things you have to have to give yourself a chance to be in
this situation."
|  | | Washington QB Marques Tuiasosopo went 11-for-21 for 183 yards and three first-half touchdowns. |
The Huskies (No. 5 ESPN/USA Today, No. 6 AP) took no chances of blowing their chance, as Marques
Tuiasosopo threw three touchdown passes in a 51-3 victory over
Washington State on Saturday.
The Huskies (10-1, 7-1 Pac-10) tied with Oregon
State and Oregon (No. 6 ESPN/USA Today, No. 5 AP) for the conference lead, but edged the Ducks and
Beavers in the tiebreaker for the trip to Pasadena.
Washington, which beat Oregon State 33-30 in Seattle on Oct. 7,
clinched the berth by winning the Apple Cup game after Oregon State
beat Oregon earlier in the day.
Even though the Huskies lost to Oregon, they won the tiebreaker
based on non-conference records. Washington went 3-0, while the
Ducks won two and lost to Wisconsin.
"We were on all cylinders, unfortunately for them, they were
not," Neuheisel said of the Cougars. "They had a good season, but
it was a season of `what could have been' because of their overtime
disappointments."
The Cougars lost three overtime games.
Tuiasosopo completed 11 of 20 passes for 190 yards and three
touchdowns. He became the first Huskies quarterback with
back-to-back 2,000-yard seasons since Sonny Sixkiller in 1971-72.
"We're definitely excited," Tuiasosopo said of the Rose Bowl
trip. "Our goal was to keep winning games and to get Washington
back in that game. We did that, and now we have to win."
Tuiasosopo hit Justin Robbins on scoring passes of 6 and 34
yards. Wilbur Hooks Jr. scored on a 19-yard pass from the
Washington senior quarterback.
Washington racked up 526 yards of offense to the Cougars' 210 in
cold Martin Stadium, with temperatures in the 20s.
Tailbacks Rich Alexis and Braxton Cleman contributed to a strong
rushing effort that netted 336 yards. Alexis carried 11 times for
122 yards and a 1-yard touchdown. Cleman rushed for 105 yards on 15
carries and also scored on a 3-yard run.
Pat Conniff and Sean Sweat also had touchdown runs, and John
Anderson added a 41-yard field goal for the Huskies.
"We threw the ball well. We ran the ball well and we were able
to take advantage of some things they did with pressure,"
Neuheisel said. "The running backs did a great job of hitting
their holes and the defense was very opportunistic, holding a very
talented offensive team to three points."
Washington State (4-7, 2-6) frequently started drives deep in
its own territory and was hurt by penalties. The Cougars were
flagged 15 times for 108 yards, often after long plays.
"I said going into the game the team that made the least
mistakes would win the game, and we made a whole bunch of them,"
Cougars coach Mike Price said. "They were going to come out and
run the ball against us and they ran it and got after it and
knocked us off the ball and did a nice job."
Washington State's Matt Kegel, making only his second start, was
battered by the Huskies. He completed 12 of 28 passes for 122 yards
and one interception. He was sacked twice. Dave Minnich carried 19
times for 113 yards for the Cougars.
Drew Dunning kicked a 33-yard field goal late in the third
period for Washington State's score.
It was the second time in his career that Tuiasosopo threw three
touchdown passes in a game. He also threw for three scores last
season against Oregon.
By the time the result of the Oregon State-Oregon game was
announced in the first quarter, the Huskies held a 13-0 lead and
took a 27-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Tuiasosopo left the game after the third quarter, with the
Huskies up 37-3. Backup Cody Pickett took over in the fourth
quarter.
The 48-point margin of victory was the largest for either team
in a 93-game series and the worst home loss for the Cougars since
UCLA beat them 55-0 in 1955.
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Washington Clubhouse
Washington State Clubhouse
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