Sept. 28, 2008
SEATTLE (AP) -Backup running back Anthony Kimble dashed 83 yards for his second touchdown early in the second half and Stanford took advantage of a costly injury to Washington star quarterback Jake Locker in the Cardinal's 35-28 win over the Huskies on Saturday night.
Kimble took over for Stanford (3-2, 2-1 Pac-10) starting tailback Toby Gerhart, who suffered a mild concussion in the first quarter and didn't return. Kimble filled in quite nicely, finishing with a career-high 157 yards on 15 carries, and Stanford rolled up a season-high 466 yards of offense against a Washington defense allowing 520 yards per game in losses to Oregon, BYU and Oklahoma.
Kimble also had a 13-yard touchdown run in the first half to help Stanford beat Washington for the second straight time in Seattle, the first time the Cardinal accomplished that feat since 1973 and 1975.
Meanwhile, the Huskies fell to 0-4 for the first time in coach Tyrone Willingham's career and potentially lost Locker, their best offensive talent, for an extended period because of a broken right thumb.
Locker had accounted for nearly 70 percent of Washington's offense, but was injured midway through the second quarter. Willingham said on the radio at halftime that Locker was hurt throwing a block on a 27-yard reverse to Jordan Polk. Locker left two plays later and immediately went to the locker room. He returned to the sidelines early in the third quarter wearing sweats and with his right hand wrapped.
Redshirt freshman Ronnie Fouch filled in admirably for Locker, completing 13 of 27 passes for 186 yards, and threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Kearse midway through the third quarter to pull Washington within 28-21. Fouch also directed a 95-yard scoring drive in the closing minutes, capped by his 1-yard dive over the pile with 1:25 left.
But the ensuing onside kick bounced out of bounds and Stanford ran out the clock.
Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard took another step in his development, throwing for 222 yards and three scores, the last an 18-yard strike to Ryan Whalen with 10:22 left to extend Stanford's lead to 35-21.
Playing about an hour from where he was a high school star, Pritchard was outstanding.
Pritchard missed only three throws in the first half, and hit backup tight end Jim Dray for an 11-yard touchdown to give Stanford a 14-7 lead. After Washington pulled even at 14, Pritchard needed only five plays to give the Cardinal the lead again, finding Doug Baldwin open on a crossing route and watching the speedy receiver sprint past most of Washington's secondary for a 61-yard score late in the first half.
Gerhart left midway through the first quarter with a mild concussion, getting hit by a pair of tacklers after taking a screen pass 21 yards. He came into the game third in the Pac-10 averaging 101.8 yards rushing. He had two carries for 14 yards before his injury.
Brandon Johnson had a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs for Washington.