For two years Washington State coach Jim Walden knew something 18 other league coaches did not.
How to defeat the Washington Huskies.
Saturday, Walden nearly pulled out a third straight upset before the No. 5 Huskies rallied from a 26-16 deficit for a 38-29 victory. The decision raised Washington's record to 10-1 and gained the Huskies a possible Orange Bowl bid.
'They (Orange Bowl representatives) certainly were very postive and let me know before Saturday we were just one of those they were considering,' said Huskies athletic director Mike Lude. 'After Saturday (and the win over Washington State), they said we were the No. 1 team they were considering.'
Washington tailback Jacque Robinson rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Huskies. The loss dropped the Cougars overall record to 6-5 and erased their slim Bowl hopes.
While Washington coach Don James finally topped his old nemesis, the seventh-ranked and Rose Bowl-bound USC Trojans had their hands full with their long-time foe.
UCLA topped the Trojans 29-10 to make it three straight victories over USC.
'It's hard to beat a team with USC's tradition three straight times,' UCLA coach Terry Donahue said. 'Without trying to gloat, let me say this is not an accomplishment we're not proud of. This was one of the biggest wins of my career.'
John Lee boomed five field goals, four from more than 40 yards, and Dennis Price returned an interception 63 yards for a touchdown to lift the Bruins. Lee's performance gave him an NCAA-record 29 field goals this season.
The Bruins, 8-3 overall and 5-2 in the conference, seemingly have assured themselves a bowl berth.
In Logan, Utah, Randall Cunningham passed for three touchdowns and ran for a another score to lead powerful Nevada-Las Vegas to 36-20 victory at Utah State, giving UNLV the Pacific Coast Athletic Association title.
The Rebels, 6-0 in the PCAA and 9-1 overall, clinched the league's berth in the California Bowl. UNLV will host Mid-America Conference champion Toledo Dec. 15 in the 4th annual post-season game, at Fresno, Calif.
In other games, reserve tailback Tony Cherry ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns and Chris Miller threw 105 yards and a score to lead Oregon to a 31-6 victory over Oregon State.
Stanford tailback Brad Muster rushed for a career-high 204 yards and quarterback John Paye threw for one touchdown and ran for another to lead the Cardinal to a 27-10 triumph over California.
Jeff Van Raaphorst passed for three touchdowns to Doug Allen and kicker Luis Zendejas set an NCAA career scoring record as Arizona State rolled over Colorado State 45-10.
Zendejas, with his second extra point in the second quarter, broke the NCAA Division I career scoring mark of 356 points set by Pittsburgh's Tony Dorsett in 1976. Zendejas ended the game with a field goal and six extra points for a career total of 364.
In New Mexico, Damon Allen threw for 163 yards and a touchdown to lead Fullerton State to a 20-0 PCAA triumph over New Mexico State. Allen, who was 16-of-28, finished the season with just three interceptions in 330 attempts to set an NCAA record for lowest ratio of interceptions.
Fullerton ended its season 11-1 overall and second in the PCAA with a 6-1 mark behind Nevada-Las Vegas.
San Jose State quarterback Bob Frasco threw for two touchdowns and scored once on an 8-yard run to the Spartans to a 33-0 PCAA victory over Pacific. The Spartans finished with a final 5-2 league mark and 6-5 overall record. The Tigers dropped to 2-5 and 4-7.
In Fresno, Calif., Montana State quarterback Kelly Bradley spoiled record-setting Fresno State's passing day by leading the Bobcats to three fourth-quarter touchdowns and a 35-31 victory at Fresno State.
The Bobcats, champions of the Big Sky Conference, closed the season at 9-2. Quarterback Kevin Sweeney completed 32-of-51 passes for a school-record 476 yards, shattering Jeff Tedford's standard of 373 yards he twice recorded in 1982.
