A maligned defense led Stanford to a 10-7 upset victory at Washington State.
The Cardinal had allowed more than 40 points in each of its last four games, but allowed a single scoring drive on a cold and rainy Saturday night as Stanford improved to 3-1 on the road.
The Cardinal (3-6, 2-5) trailed 7-0 when Scotty Edwards intercepted a pass midway through the third quarter. On the ensuing drive, wildcat QB Justin Lamson converted a third-and-1, completed a 27-yard pass to tight end Sam Roush off of a reverse, and then scored on a 1-yard TD to tie the game with 2:55 remaining in the third quarter.
Stanford QB Ashton Daniels was intercepted at his own 35 with one second left in the third quarter, but back-to-back sacks by Anthony Franklin and Mitch Leigber pushed the Cougars (4-5, 0-5) into a 43-yard field goal attempt, which sailed wide left.
Stanford then went on a six-minute drive to score the winning points on a 31-yard field goal by Joshua Karty with 5:56 to play, keyed by a 30-yard pass from Daniels to Elic Ayomanor.
The Cardinal, 14-point underdogs, clinched the win when Lamson converted a fourth-and-1 from his own 47 with 2:32 remaining.
Cameron Ward, the nation’s leading passer, completed 24 of 40 passes for 241 yards as the Cougars lost their fifth straight game.