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SEATTLE (Ticker) -- By the width of a rose's stem. A controversial first down allowed Washington to post a 35-30 victory over No. 25 Stanford, dealing the Pac-10 Conference's last unbeaten its first league loss and further muddling the race for the Rose Bowl. Washington quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo set several school records en route to becoming the first quarterback in Division I-A history to rush for 200 yards while passing for 300 in Rick Neuheisel's biggest victory as Huskies coach. "There were times out there when my legs felt stiff and I wasn't sure what was going to go on," said Tuiasosopo, who played the majority of the game with a bruised backside. "My teammates were great. They gave me encouragement to stay in there and battle." With a five-point lead and 3rd-and-4 from his 46-yard line, Tuiasosopo took the option left and was brought down right at the marker. Although television replays contradicted the ruling, the Huskies were given a first down by the slimmest of margins. The game was all but over at that point, but moments later for good measure, Maurice Shaw burst up the middle 48 yards for a touchdown, giving Washington a 12-point advantage and sending the Huskies' faithful into a jubilant celebration. "The O-line just opened up a hole and I ran behind my fullback," said Shaw. "It was open through the middle so I got to show some of my old track speed." Todd Husak's three-yard touchdown pass to Russell Stewart on the game's last play accounted for the final margin. Washington (5-3, 4-1 Pac-10) moved within one-half game of Stanford (5-3, 5-1) atop the league standings. Arizona State, which entered the day tied with Washington, lost at Oregon. "Certainly we're ecstatic that we won and to be 4-1 in the conference and with a chance to be in the thick of things come November but more than anything else I'm just trhilled to be part of a team, and a game, where kids play as hard as they do because they love the game," Neuheisel said. "It (the wild Pac-10 race) is the story of the season," said Washington cornerback Anthony Vontoure, who had two interceptions. "It's a level field and everybody has to play every game, so we went out and played four quarters." A 6-2, 215-pound junior, Tuiasosopo was the star as Washington scored 23 straight points in a 22 1/2-minute span bridging the third and fourth quarters. He completed 19-of-32 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 207 yards and two scores on 22 carries. "You talk about putting your team on somebody's shoulders," said Neuheisel. "We just gave him the ball in the locker room. He stood up, told the team how much he appreciated them, how honored he was to play with the team. That's the kind of kid he is and we're very fortunate to have him." Tuiasosopo's 509 all-purpose yards shattered the Washington record of 419 yards, set by Cary Conklin against Arizona State in 1989. He became the first Huskies quarterback to rush for 100 yards in a game since Dennis Fitzpatrick had 249 against Washington State in 1974. "Marques played an outstanding football game," added Stanford coach Tyrone Willingham. "Coming into the ballgame, we knew he was a special athlete who had demonstrated special skills throughout the season. We knew that if we could somehow control him, we would have a good chance to win the football game." Tuiasosopo's performance allowed the Huskies to rack up 670 yards, their most since gaining 734 against San Jose State in 1996. "He's an amazing player and once you think things aren't going well, he pulls out a play and you turn around and he's making a 60-yard play and you kind of have to laugh to yourself and say 'I'm glad I'm not a defensive player trying to contain him,'" said Washington guard Chad Ward. Stanford took a 23-12 lead on Husak's 26-yard scoring strike to DeRonnie Pitts 2 1/2 minutes in the third quarter. Husak completed 22-of-41 passes for 300 yards and three touchdowns and Pitts had nine receptions for 109 yards. A poor decision on the ensuing kickoff forced the Huskies to start from their 1 but they drove 99 yards. Tuiasosopo took an option left and went 30 yards for a score. Washington's next possession ended with a 40-yard field goal by John Anderson that cut the deficit to 23-22. The Huskies began the eventual game-winning drove on their 33 and after a penalty moved 72 yards in just six plays, with Tuiasosopo's 10-yard run to the right putting Washington on top for good. Leading 28-23, the Huskies went for two but the junior quarterback was stopped just shy of the goal line. Stanford went three-and-out on its next possession but had a golden opportunity to steal the game after safety Tim Smith's second interception and ensuing return gave it possession at the Washington 28 with 8:44 to play. Moments later, Vontoure's second interception and fifth of the season gave control back to the Huskies. "They (Washington) did and excellent job of defense in the second half," said Willingham. "We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times with penalties. They put us off rhythm and in some long-down situations, where it is very hard to have success." Stanford led 14-3 after one quarter courtesy of Coy Wire's five-yard touchdown run and Husak's 49-yard scoring strike to Troy Walters. "There's no doubt Stanford has a potent offense and we gave them their shots and they gave us theirs and luckily we were standing at the end and feel real fortuante to have won that game," said Vontoure. Walters became the all-time Pac-10 receptions leader by catching five passes for 95 yards. He passed fellow Cardinal Darrin Nelson, who had 223. Walters now has 224 catches for 3,559 yards, both conference records. Anderson's 40-yard field goal just over four minutes into the second quarter followed by Tuiasosopo's 13-yard scoring strike to Gerald Harris seven minutes later pulled Washington within 14-12. Stanford's Mike Biselli booted a 24-yard field goal in the final minute of the first half. Stanford freshman running back Kerry Carter suffered a leg injury on his only carry of the game but sophomore Brian Allen picked up the slack, rushing for 101 yards on 18 carries. The Cardinal have lost nine straight in Husky Stadium dating to a 24-21 victory in 1975. "It (the crowd) did not effect us because we were able to adjust," said Husak. "However, it gives them momentum and gets their defense fired up. We were not able to get the crowd down."
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