Huskies Achieve No. 1 Goal : Washington: Don James’ team is going to Rose Bowl. It also has sights on national title.

Thanks to Virginia and Nebraska, coach Don James has a new whip to use on the Washington Huskies.

Top-ranked Virginia and No. 3 Nebraska were beaten Saturday, reducing by two the short list of unbeaten teams and greatly enhancing the national championship aspirations of once-beaten teams such as Washington.

“It’s amazing,” Washington Coach Don James said when told that Virginia and Nebraska lost. “It’s good to have a shot at the national championship. That’s a big motivator not to let up.”

The seventh-ranked Huskies (8-1) clinched a spot in the Rose Bowl with a 54-10 defeat of No. 23 Arizona. Mark Brunell passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third, and Greg Lewis ran for 100 yards for the ninth time this season as the Huskies earned their first trip to Pasadena since 1981.

“If there’s a better team in the country, I’m anxious to see them,” Arizona Coach Dick Tomey said. “They made a believer out of me.”

Washington players learned they clinched a Rose Bowl trip when No. 22 Oregon came back to beat UCLA, 28-24, only minutes after the Huskies’ victory over the Wildcats (6-3, 4-3) and after most of the crowd of 70,111 had left Husky Stadium. Washington’s band was on the field and struck up “California Here I Come.”

Washington earned its 11th Rose Bowl trip and fourth in James’ 16-year coaching career. James took the Huskies to Pasadena in the 1977, 1980 and 1981 seasons. The Huskies are going to their 12th bowl game under James and 11th in the past 12 seasons.

It was Washington’s fifth victory in a row, all in the Pac-10, since losing at Colorado, 20-14, on Sept. 29.

The Huskies have outscored their six Pac-10 victims, 263-64.

Beno Bryant was another Washington standout against Arizona, scoring on a 70-yard punt return for the Huskies’ second touchdown in the first quarter and a 73-yard run for Washington’s seventh touchdown in the last quarter.

Brunell, a sophomore, completed 11 of 18 passes for 169 yards, including scoring pass plays of 47 yards to Mario Bailey and 12 yards to tight end Aaron Pierce in the second quarter. He scored on a two-yard run in the third quarter.

Lewis, a senior, gained 103 yards in 22 carries, including a five-yard touchdown run for the Huskies’ first touchdown in the opening quarter. It was the 14th 100-yard rushing game of his career and gives him 2,628 yards--464 shy of Joe Steele’s school record.

Washington’s defense, best in the nation against the run, held Arizona to 94 yards in 48 rushes and recovered three Wildcat fumbles.