UCLA at Wash. St. Recap
PULLMAN, Wash.(AP) Dwight Tardy rushed for a career-best 214 yards and two touchdowns as Washington State upset UCLA 27-7 on Saturday, spoiling the Bruins' bid to stay atop the Pacific-10 standings.
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Against the third-best rush defense in the conference, Tardy broke free for a 51-yard scoring run in the closing seconds to cap his first 100-yard game against a league opponent this season. The effort bettered his 145-yard performance against Oregon last year.
Washington State (3-5, 1-4) used a bye week after a humiliating 53-7 loss at Oregon on Oct. 13 to figure out how to defend against UCLA (5-3, 4-1), which suffered its first conference loss. The Cougars had 545 yards of total offense, limiting UCLA to 267.
Alex Brink was 28-of-46 for 271 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
WSU's defense badgered UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan, who keyed the Bruins' victory over California last week. Cowan was sacked twice.
Cowan completed 17 of 36 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown.
The Bruins took the opening kickoff 62 yards on three plays, capped by Kahlil Bell's 50-yard scoring run just over a minute into the game. Bell picked his way through tacklers along the right sideline, then cut left to the middle to score untouched.
Bell, who gained 142 yards on 22 carries in the Bruins' upset of California last week, was injured early in the game, finishing with four carries for 67 yards. UCLA officials did not announce the nature of Bell's injury.
WSU answered on its first possession, marching 51 yards on 10 plays. Tardy scored from a yard out to tie it 7-7.
After WSU's Devin Giles recovered a fumble by Bell's replacement, Chris Markey, on the UCLA 25, Romeen Abdollmohammadi provided the go-ahead 41-yard field goal to make it 10-7.
Abdollmohammadi kicked a 24-yard field goal in the third quarter to put WSU up 13-7.
Brink hit Brandon Gibson with a 5-yard scoring pass to put the game away, 20-7, midway through the final quarter.
UCLA missed an opportunity to tie it late in the second quarter when Kai Forbath missed 43-yard field goal attempt.
Abdollmohammadi missed a 50-yard try just before the half. An 18-yard attempt at the end of the third quarter was blocked by the Bruins after the Cougars failed to score in three tries from the UCLA 1.
It was the Cougars' second consecutive defeat of the Bruins. WSU won 37-15 in the Rose Bowl.
The Bruins have been criticized for losses against lightly regarded teams this season and came into this one assuring fans they would be prepared.
It was the Cougars' first win against the Bruins in Pullman since a 31-13 victory in 2003.