Following nearly a decade of futility, Stanford’s football team is bowl-eligible for the second consecutive year after defeating Washington State 38-28 on Saturday afternoon at Stanford Stadium. The No. 12 Cardinal improves to 6-1 on the season and 3-1 in the Pac-10, while the Cougars fall to 1-7 overall and 0-5 in conference play.

The 6-1 start is Stanford’s best record through seven games in 40 years.

While the game ended in a victory for Stanford, the result was somewhat disappointing for the Cardinal. Washington State entered Saturday’s game as the conference’s unquestioned cellar-dweller, having lost four straight conference games. Its only victory this season came on a last-second drive against Montana State, an FCS team. The Card was expected to blow out the Cougars with ease, but Washington State refused to cave late in the game and kept it close to the final whistle.

“We knew it was going to be a fight,” said Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh. “This was a good football team we played. We did more things right than they did, and we won the ball game.”

Coming off its bye week, Stanford seemed sluggish and rusty on its opening drives. After an early interception by senior linebacker Owen Marecic gave the Card the ball on the WSU seven-yard line for its opening drive, Stanford only managed to muster five yards, settling for a field goal despite its starting field position. The Cardinal rushing attack looked especially weak, as the Cougar front seven routinely stuffed sophomore running back Stepfan Taylor.

Despite scoring a touchdown on its next drive, Stanford still didn’t look terribly sharp against a Washington State defense ranked among the worst in the nation in numerous statistical categories.

“It was a little disappointing,” said redshirt sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck. “We were a little sluggish…it didn’t feel like we ever got in a rhythm. Washington State deserves credit. They did a good job of putting us in tough situations.”

Stanford’s defense, on the other hand, played well early in the game. The much-maligned unit forced the Cougars into turnovers and punts on their first three possessions and only gave up one touchdown through the first three quarters.

However, much of that success came courtesy of a strong run defense that dominated the line of scrimmage all afternoon. Sophomore quarterback Jeff Tuel, the WSU starter, had a strong day against a Stanford secondary that sorely missed junior safety Delano Howell, who was out with an undisclosed injury. Tuel ended the day with an impressive stat line—21-28 passing for 298 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.

“He’s a really composed, poised quarterback who made a lot of accurate throws in the ball game,” Harbaugh said of Tuel. “He’s an impressive quarterback.”

Three of those touchdowns came on Washington State’s last three drives of the game, as the Cougars attempted to mount a late comeback as the game wound down in the fourth quarter. The final frame began with Stanford leading 31-7, but the final score of 38-28 felt a little too close for comfort.

Defensive lapses especially hurt Stanford toward the end of the quarter, as Washington State receivers found and exploited gaps in the Stanford secondary. A desperation pass by Tuel found receiver Marquess Wilson for a 74-yard touchdown as time wound down in the fourth quarter, but it was too little and too late to prevent the Cougars from taking their seventh loss of the season.

After the game, Harbaugh expressed his unhappiness at the defensive lapses in the fourth quarter, many of which happened after he had removed his starters from the game.

“We’re playing with young freshman safeties in there, and they have to step up. There are no excuses,” he said. “You have to make the play and at least do what you’re supposed to be doing.”

“We came ready to play—there were just mental lapses,” said sophomore linebacker Shayne Skov. “We made a couple of mistakes. We had a lot of opportunities, especially in that fourth quarter, but we just let them slip by.”

While Stanford’s defense faltered late in the game, its offense continued to show why it’s considered one of the best units in the country, even after its listless first-quarter performance. As the Cardinal amassed a decent lead, it went to an effective strategy of short passes and runs up the middle to eat time off the clock and keep Tuel off the field.

Luck had yet another strong day under center, going 20-28 for 190 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. However, he still felt that the Cardinal should have done better given the caliber of its opponent.

“We just didn’t play up to our standards,” he said. “That’s what it boils down to.”

Luck’s receiving corps played strongly, though it is still hamstrung by injuries to key players. Junior wide receiver Chris Owusu, who appeared fully recovered from a knee injury that had kept him out of Stanford’s early schedule, did not play against the Cougars and will likely take some more time to recover before returning to full health. Senior receiver Ryan Whalen, who has recently been limited by an elbow injury, came back strong, catching six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.

The running attack, led by Taylor, also picked up considerably after falling flat on Stanford’s early drives. Taylor finished with one of the best days of his Stanford career, running the ball 27 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns. True freshman Anthony Wilkerson added 55 yards on nine carries.

The game was played in front of a half-empty Stanford Stadium as the chilly, rainy conditions drove many fans away as the game wore on. Even the student section was nowhere close to capacity.

Stanford’s win has bowl implications for both teams. With six wins, the Cardinal is now bowl-eligible for the second consecutive year, while the Cougars were officially eliminated from earning a bowl berth.

While Washington State is left to look forward to next season, Stanford isn’t satisfied with merely earning bowl eligibility. The Cardinal still has a daunting Pac-10 slate ahead, starting next weekend at Washington. The Huskies have had an inconsistent season, beating USC and Oregon State while losing to Arizona State in Pac-10 play, and will provide a significant challenge to the Card.

“Coach Harbaugh has set a standard here, and that standard certainly isn’t just being bowl-eligible,” Luck said.

—Dash Davidson contributed to this report.