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STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Matt Kegel passed for 331 yards and threetouchdowns, and Sammy Moore's 64-yard punt return set up another score as No. 6Washington State defeated Stanford 24-14 Saturday.
Chris Jordan caught five passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns for theCougars (6-1, 3-0 Pac-10), who weren't sharp offensively in their first gamefollowing a bye week. They struggled to move the ball against a Stanford teamthat allowed 413 yards and 41 points in the first half alone against No. 5Southern California a week earlier.
This was supposed to be the Cougars' easy game before consecutive meetingswith Oregon State and USC. But their defense kept them in it, knocking Stanfordquarterback Trent Edwards out of the game and pounding backup Chris Lewis untilMoore's brilliant return set up Kegel's third TD pass to Cody Boyd with 9:45 toplay.
Kegel left the game holding his non-throwing shoulder with 13:14 remainingafter blitzing linebacker Jared Newberry flattened him from the blind side, butreturned two series later. Kegel completed 26 of 47 passes despite constantpressure.
The Cardinal (2-3, 0-3) played their first home game since their Sept. 6season opener against San Jose State, and 48,526 came out for the school'shomecoming as Stanford played a ranked team for the third straight week.
Stanford set up its first touchdown with a 36-yard completion from Edwardsto Gerren Crochet that put the Cardinal on the 3, the team's longest play ofthe season. It took them five plays once they were inside the 3 to get into theend zone, taking advantage of a defensive holding call on third down beforeKenneth Tolon's 1-yard TD run.
Mark Bradford caught a 12-yard scoring pass from Lewis with 6:11 left.
Devard Darling helped the Cougars control the clock in their final drivewith a spectacular 31-yard catch, reaching over cornerback Stanley Wilson'sshoulders to haul in the pass. Moments later, Drew Dunning made a 37-yard fieldgoal with 3:16 to go.
The Cougars, winners of 10 of their last 11 road games, missed a bigopportunity late in the third. Kegel passed up a chance to run for an easyscore, instead throwing incomplete to Troy Bienemann. Three downs later, holderBrett Johnson bobbled the snap on a field-goal try and attempted a wobbly passinto the end zone that was picked off by Will Svitek.
Dunning, the nation's leading field-goal kicker, also had an extra pointblocked in the third quarter.
Washington State managed only 12 yards in the second quarter and 164 for thehalf and Stanford 102 as the teams combined for 13 punts.
Virgil Williams' interception of Edwards' pass in the third quarter led toJordan's 22-yard TD catch from Kegel. Washington State has scored 91 points offturnovers this season.
The Cougars struggled to run the ball. Junior Chris Bruhn made his firstcareer start because Jonathan Smith and Jermaine Green were injured.
Will Derting, the Cougars' leading tackler, was dropped from the startinglineup after getting arrested for drunken driving two weeks ago. He poundedEdwards in the third quarter, knocking the freshman out of the game.
By JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer