Nicolas Grigsby scores a touchdown as lineman Joe Longacre celebrates. Grigsby finished with a season-high 189 yards rushing.

david sanders / arizona daily star

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PULLMAN, Wash. — At a time when the Arizona Wildcats needed saving, Nicolas Grigsby was Superman.

The UA's sophomore tailback rushed for a season-high 189 yards on 28 carries and scored a touchdown in Saturday's 59-28 win over Washington State.

He even leaped a Cougar in a single bound.

With Arizona struggling in the second quarter, Grigsby took a handoff from quarterback Willie Tuitama and sprinted toward the sideline.

Washington State's Romeo Pellum converged on Grigsby and lowered his head to make the tackle.

But just as the defender made his dive, Grigsby leaped over Pellum's shoulders, landed, and went another 15 yards.

Washington State was flagged for a personal foul at the end of the play, turning what should have been a short gain into a 34-yard net romp.

Arizona scored on the drive to take a 28-14 lead, and stayed ahead the rest of the way.

"That was probably the best (leap) I've ever seen," Tuitama said after the game. "You see them on SportsCenter and stuff, but this guy, the defender, was almost standing up."

Grigsby's leap was the result of some split-second scouting. He and Pellum have known each other for years; they attended rival high schools in Los Angeles.

"I know how he plays, and he likes to go low," Grigsby said. "I just decided to take a leap on him. I didn't think I was going to make it, but I did. And then I just kept going."

On a night when he soared, Grigsby received more kudos for carrying the load. He carried the ball seven times during a tumultuous first quarter, and maintained that frantic pace for the rest of the game.

Wildcats coaches said they planned to run all week to counter the cold and intermittent rain that would have limited their passing options.

Backup tailbacks Keola Antolin and Xavier Smith combined for 85 yards and three touchdowns.

But Grigsby had the highlight — and the heroics.

"I told him he got lucky," guard Joe Longacre said with a laugh. "If he didn't make it, he would have been in some pain."

The Wildcats endured a sloppy, hectic first quarter before taking control of the game.

UA linebacker Ronnie Palmer intercepted Washington State quarterback Kevin Lopina on the third play of the game, only to watch Tuitama throw one back to Wazzu on the Wildcats' second play from scrimmage.

Pellum returned the interception to midfield, setting up the Cougars' first touchdown in 10 quarters.

"We didn't start off very well," offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes said. "We hadn't played in a week, and I think they wanted to score 14 points on the first drive of the first half. Willie made a throw he probably shouldn't have and a decision he probably shouldn't have made."

Compared to past weeks, Saturday's game was a point bonanza for Washington State.

The Cougars had been outscored 127-0 by USC and Stanford in their previous two games. Saturday's point total was double their previous best against a Pac-10 Conference team.

"To be able to turn that ball over on the first series and then to get an interception right back, I thought it was critical for us," WSU coach Paul Wulff said. "Then we went down and scored. That was encouraging, and our kids started to believe a little bit more."

Defensive tackle Kaniela Tuipulotu did not make the trip to Pullman because of an ankle injury he suffered in practice. Donald Horton Jr. started in his place, and finished with one quarterback hurry.

With Tuipulotu hurt and wide receiver Terrell Reese suspended for academics, the Wildcats brought a few new faces on the trip.

Defensive tackles Kenny Barnes and Hans Philipp made the trip. And Shawn Trowbridge came as the emergency long snapper; he switched to special teams from safety earlier this week.

Tuipulotu started seven of the Wildcats' first eight games at defensive tackle. He has 11 tackles, including one for a loss.

● Tuitama is not known for his speed, but he saved the Wildcats a few times with his feet.

The UA quarterback turned a blown play into a 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and gained a season-high 11 yards on a lead-draw play later in the game. Tuitama finished with three rushes for 13 yards.

"He's nimble," Dykes cracked.

● Defensive end Brooks Reed registered his team-best fifth sack of the season with a wide-open, blindside crushing of Lopina in the third quarter.

● Devin Ross grabbed a tie for the team lead with his third interception of the season, but lost the lead when Trevin Wade grabbed one in the end zone in the game's final moments.

● Arizona wore white tops with red pants again on the road. The Wildcats are 2-0 when they wear the two-tone combination.