PULLMAN, Wash. - After reaching the Rose Bowl for the first time in eight years, Washington coach Rick Neuheisel's thoughts were about what it took to get there.

"It's a dream come true and it just makes me think about all the work that went into it," the second-year Huskies coach said, alluding to the players, coaching staff and administration. "Those are all things you have to have to give yourself a chance to be in this situation."

The Huskies took no chances of blowing their chance, as Marques Tuiasosopo threw three touchdown passes in a 51-3 victory over Washington State on Saturday.

The sixth-ranked Huskies (10-1, 7-1 Pac-10) tied with Oregon State and Oregon for the conference lead, but edged the Ducks and Beavers in the tiebreaker for the trip to Pasadena.

Washington, which beat Oregon State 33-30 in Seattle on Oct. 7, clinched the berth by winning the Apple Cup game after Oregon State beat Oregon earlier in the day.

Even though the Huskies lost to Oregon, they won the tiebreaker based on non-conference records. Washington went 3-0, while the Ducks won two and lost to Wisconsin.

"We were on all cylinders, unfortunately for them, they were not," Neuheisel said of the Cougars. "They had a good season, but it was a season of `what could have been' because of their overtime disappointments."

The Cougars lost three overtime games.

Tuiasosopo completed 11 of 20 passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns. He became the first Huskies quarterback with back-to-back 2,000-yard seasons since Sonny Sixkiller in 1971-72.

"We're definitely excited," Tuiasosopo said of the Rose Bowl trip. "Our goal was to keep winning games and to get Washington back in that game. We did that, and now we have to win."

Tuiasosopo hit Justin Robbins on scoring passes of 6 and 34 yards. Wilbur Hooks Jr. scored on a 19-yard pass from the Washington senior quarterback.

Washington racked up 526 yards of offense to the Cougars' 210 in cold Martin Stadium, with temperatures in the 20s.

Tailbacks Rich Alexis and Braxton Cleman contributed to a strong rushing effort that netted 336 yards. Alexis carried 11 times for 122 yards and a 1-yard touchdown. Cleman rushed for 105 yards on 15 carries and also scored on a 3-yard run.

Pat Conniff and Sean Sweat also had touchdown runs, and John Anderson added a 41-yard field goal for the Huskies.

"We threw the ball well. We ran the ball well and we were able to take advantage of some things they did with pressure," Neuheisel said. "The running backs did a great job of hitting their holes and the defense was very opportunistic, holding a very talented offensive team to three points."

Washington State (4-7, 2-6) frequently started drives deep in its own territory and was hurt by penalties. The Cougars were flagged 15 times for 108 yards, often after long plays.

"I said going into the game the team that made the least mistakes would win the game, and we made a whole bunch of them," Cougars coach Mike Price said. "They were going to come out and run the ball against us and they ran it and got after it and knocked us off the ball and did a nice job."

Washington State's Matt Kegel, making only his second start, was battered by the Huskies. He completed 12 of 28 passes for 122 yards and one interception. He was sacked twice. Dave Minnich carried 19 times for 113 yards for the Cougars.

Drew Dunning kicked a 33-yard field goal late in the third period for Washington State's score.

It was the second time in his career that Tuiasosopo threw three touchdown passes in a game. He also threw for three scores last season against Oregon.

By the time the result of the Oregon State-Oregon game was announced in the first quarter, the Huskies held a 13-0 lead and took a 27-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Tuiasosopo left the game after the third quarter, with the Huskies up 37-3. Backup Cody Pickett took over in the fourth quarter.

The 48-point margin of victory was the largest for either team in a 93-game series and the worst home loss for the Cougars since UCLA beat them 55-0 in 1955.

By JOHN K. WILEY
Associated Press Writer