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Dec. 25, 2012

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HONOLULU - In a battle of Cougars, No. 18 Washington State scored 24 points in the second quarter to defeat No. 14 Houston 24-22 in the Eagle Aloha Bowl, earning its first postseason victory since the 1916 Rose Bowl.

Washington State trailed 3-0 late in the first quarter after its first three possessions resulted in a fumble recovered by Houston and a pair of punts. Timm Rosenbach completed a pass to Tim Stallworth for 40 yards to the Houston 15 to open the Cougars' next drive.

Steve Broussard converted a fourth-and-one from the Houston to 6-yard line to set WSU up with first-and-goal at the 5. On the ensuing play, Broussard fumbled, but Victor Wood picked up the loose ball and took into the end zone giving Washington State its first lead with 13:39 left in the first half.

After forcing a Houston punt, Washington State drove 80 yards in eight plays to increase its lead to 14-3. Rosenbach scrambled for 15 yards on a third-and-four play and picked up a first down with a 28-yard toss to Stallworth on a third-and-six from the WSU 45. Rosenbach capped the drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Wood.

The Cougars' defense flexed its muscle on the next play from scrimmage when Shawn Landrum intercepted a pass by Houston quarterback Andre Ware. It was the second interception of the day for a Washington State defense that held Ware, the 1989 Heisman Trophy winner, to 8-for-28 passing for just 44 yards.

Landrum's interception led to a 33-yard field goal by Jason Hanson. Three of Ware's completions came on the next drive as Houston drove 70 yards in 1:28 to cut its deficit to 17-9.

Again, WSU's offense went to work. This time, the Cougars march 75 yards in 10 plays and consumed 3:56 off the clock. On consecutive plays, Rosenbach connected with Michael Wimberly for 12 yards on third-and-11 before finding William Pellum for a 35-yard gain to the Houston 29. Broussard shouldered the majority of the workload from there, carrying three times for 24 yards to help set up WSU at the Houston 1. A quarterback sneak by Rosenbach from the 1-yard line pushed the Cougars' lead to 24-9 with 53 seconds left in the first half.

The teams traded punts for much of the third quarter before Houston drove 87 yards for a touchdown that pulled the Texas school within 24-15 with 4:45 left in the stanza. A failed two-point conversion maintained the nine-point margin.

After Houston intercepted a Rosenbach pass, David Dacus threw his second touchdown in as many possessions since replacing the ineffective Ware in the third quarter. The score closed the gap to 24-22 with 13:47 to play.

Washington State was stopped on a fourth down play in Houston territory on its next possession prior to the teams exchanging punts. Houston took over at its 20 with 5:16 remaining needing a field goal to take the lead.

Houston moved the ball to the Washington State 31 on the strength of two completions by Dacus. On the next play, James Dixon hauled in a pass by Dacus, but was separated from the football by a bone-crushing hit from Tuineau Alipate. The fumble was recovered by Artie Holmes on WSU's 5-yard line with 2:44 left in the game.

Needing one more first down, Washington State again turned to Rosenbach and Stallworth. The duo hooked up for a 6-yard completion on third-and-three from their 12 to seal the victory.

Rosenbach finished the game 19-for-36 for 306 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Stallworth led all receivers with 120 yards on eight catches. Wood was named the Most Outstanding Player from Washington State with 223 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Broussard rushed for a game-high 139 yards on 33 carries. Mark Ledbetter tied for team-high honors with five tackles, including one sack, and recorded five quarterback hurries.