Cardinal Fall to No. 13 Cougars

PULLMAN, Wash.--Michael Black rushed for 173 yards and the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and Ryan Leaf threw for two scores and ran for another as 13th-ranked Washington State kept its Rose Bowl hopes alive with a 38-28 Pac-10 victory over Stanford.

A 77-yard punt return touchdown by Troy Walters, who caught two first-half touchdown passes, gave Stanford a 28-27 lead just 28 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Black answered 2:46 later when he scampered four yards into the end zone and Leaf completed the conversion pass to Shawn McWashington for a 35-28 edge. Rian Lindell tacked on a 29-yard field goal with 4:23 to play, helping the Cougars (9-1, 6-1 Pac-10) snap a five-game losing streak against the Cardinal.

Leaf, who completed 23-of-37 passes for 258 yards, ran for a four-yard touchdown in the first quarter and hooked up with Chris Jackson eight times for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Black had 27 carries and moved into seventh place on the school's all-time yards rushing list.

Washington State remained tied atop the Pac-10 with Arizona State, which beat Oregon, and UCLA, which defeated Washington. The Cougars host the state-rival Huskies next weekend.

Walters finished with eight catches for 118 yards as Stanford (4-6, 2-5) suffered its fifth straight setback, the school's longest losing streak since 1989. He has 80 receptions this season, surpassing Brad Muster for the school's single-season record. Walters is just 12 yards shy of passing Gene Washington's Stanford single-season receicing yardage record of 1,117.

Todd Husak threw both touchdown passes to Walters after replacing Chad Hutchinson, who left the game with a bruised thumb after just two plays. Husak was 12-of-27 for 155 yards but was picked off four times.

Anthony Bookman rushed for 115 yards on 11 carries for Stanford, which opened the season at 4-1 and had reached number 16 in the polls. The Cardinal closes their season at home against California next weekend.

Trailing 14-10, the Cougars came back with a touchdown just 68 seconds before halftime to take the lead. Leaf found Jackson for a five-yard score, but Lindell missed the extra point and Washington State took a 16-14 edge at the half.

Leaf, who threw one interception, opened the third quarter with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jackson and connected with Nian Taylor on the two-point conversion for a 24-14 lead. Lindell added a 21-yard field goal with 7:26 left in the period.

Leaf needs to throw for 349 yards next weekend to break the single-season conference record of 3,627 passing yards, set by former Cardinal quarterback Steve Stenstrom in 1993.

Damon Dunn rumbled for a nine-yard touchdown on his only carry of the game with 56 seconds left in the third quarter, pulling the Cardinal within 27-21. After Washington State gained just 12 yards on its next possession, Walters posted his second punt return for a touchdown this season.

The Cougars raced to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Lindell booted a 52-yard field goal midway through the period, and Leaf drove the Huskies 78 yards in nine plays and scored on a four-yard run with 1:50 remaining.

Stanford responded with a pair of touchdowns early in the second quarter. Husak tossed a 59-yard TD bomb to Walters just 1:05 into the period, and the duo hooked up for a five-yard score just over five minutes later.

Dorian Bose contributed two sacks and Kevin McKenzie made eight receptions for 77 yards for Washington State, which had lost the previous two meetings at home against the Cardinal.

Stanford University Football