October 12, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

Cardinal erases the agony

by Rick Eymer

ick Sanchez cradled the ball against his chest, making sure the officials knew he held onto the ball. Sanchez didn't want this one taken away.

Sanchez's interception preserved Stanford's 24-21 victory over host Washington State on Saturday in a Pac-10 Conference contest.

Sanchez has a knack for being at the right place late in the game. His interception in the waning moments of the Navy game preserved that victory. He also thought he had a game-saving interception against UC Davis, but officials ruled differently.

"It did go through my mind a little bit," Sanchez said. "I was thinking 'how can they take this away from me?' I made sure to hold on to the ball so they couldn't say I dropped it."

The victory gave Stanford its first conference win in nearly a year and all but exorcized their loss to the Aggies three weeks ago. Even first-year Cardinal coach Walt Harris had to wonder if things would ever turn around.

"It's been rough with the loss to Davis and the loss last week," he said. "We practiced well, but we had to wait to see how they played. When you're struggling you never know who will show up. We have a great group of seniors and they are the ones who got us going. This is their victory."

Redshirt junior quarterback Trent Edwards showed up, and he carried the weight of the season on his shoulders with perhaps his best collegiate showing to date. He performed as though the complexities of the playbook were crystal clear and he knew what the Cougar defense was trying to accomplish before the snap.

"The coaches really prepared us well," Edwards said. "I knew the middle would be open when the defensive backs looked at their receivers and not at me. It was a great show. We had a great week of practice and we believe in ourselves and what the coaches are doing."

The season suddenly bodes a lot better after the quality win - Washington State lost its second straight after opening the year with three victories. And there's Stanford (1-1 in the Pac-10, 2-2 overall) in a fifth-place tie (with Oregon State) in the conference with a game against Arizona (0-2, 1-4) on Saturday in Tucson.

The Cardinal have a chance to return home on Oct. 22 against Arizona State with a winning record.

"I think about it (the UC Davis game) a lot," Sanchez said. "It's hard to forget. I should have three interceptions and we should be 3-1, and the season should be a lot prettier. I know we sent the tape to the officials and from what I hear they admitted to making a mistake. There's nothing we can do about it now. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Everybody makes mistakes."

There would be no regret after beating the Cougars. The win erased the agony of consecutive losses and allowed Stanford the pleasure of its second road victory of the year.

"We instituted the 12-hour rule," Harris said. "They had 12 hours to enjoy the victory and then move on. We'll try to capture what we had last week and bring it with us on the road again."

A history lesson: Stanford was 1-1 (3-1) after four games last year and went on to win just once the rest of the way. This is a different year, of course, and these are smart guys. They won't be looking back.

"We have to keep our heads into it," Edwards said. "We still have a long stretch ahead of us."

While some questioned whether Edwards was tough enough, or that his offensive line would never allow him the time to show off his talent, he and his teammates never flinched. The results are right there in black and white: 27 first downs, time of possession 37:06, 47 rushes for 218 yards, 19-of-29 passing for 257 yards, and zero turnovers.

Edwards produced 92 rushing yards in addition to his 257 passing yards and his career-matching three touchdown tosses - of 17 and six yards to Mark Bradford and 19 yards to Justin McCullum. Michael Sgroi added a 35-yard field goal.

"Those are some of the best routes those guys have run all year," Edwards said. "When they are making plays like that it's a lot of fun for me."

Edwards was eight yards shy of becoming the second Stanford quarterback since World War II to rush for 100 yards or more. The late Don Bunce rushed for 129 yards against Washington State in 1969.

If this was a game that showed how much Edwards has grown as a quarterback and leader, then it was also a game where the offensive line may have found themselves. Rotating linemen out of necessity as much as a strategy, the Cardinal found a way to control the trenches.

"The offensive line was a key to this game," Harris said. "The running backs ran hard and Trent was elusive. He threw the ball extremely well. If we protect him, he'll do good things for us. We got ourselves ready to play better."

NOTES: Washington State running back Justin Harrison was responsible for 54 percent of the Cougars' offensive production with a game-high 218 rushing yards (and one yard receiving). He matched Stanford's team rushing totals. Edwards led Stanford in rushing. Anthony Kimble rushed for 77 yards and caught two passes for another 48 yards . . . Linebacker Michael Okwo missed the game with an ankle injury he suffered in the first half of last week's loss to Oregon. He's questionable for the Arizona game. Pannel Egboh also left the game with a broken leg and is out indefinitely . . . Running back J.R. Lemon saw his first action of the season, rushing for 10 yards on three carries. He led Stanford with 440 rushing yards last year.

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