Brunell Tightens No. 1 Grip : Pacific 10: In first start since 1991 Rose Bowl, he leads top-ranked Huskies past Oregon, 24-3.

Mark Brunell slipped right back into No. 1, but Washington may slip right out.

Brunell, starting for the first time since his MVP performance in the 1991 Rose Bowl, threw for a touchdown, ran for another and lofted a 50-yard bomb to set up a third as No. 1 Washington beat Oregon, 24-3, Saturday.

“It felt really good to get the start again,” he said. “Any time you come down to Oregon it’s a terrific challenge, and it’s a good feeling to be able to contribute more.”

However, the 21-point victory may not be enough to keep the Huskies ahead of second-ranked Miami, which beat Texas Christian, 45-10.

“I couldn’t care less about the polls,” Coach Don James said. “Everyone cares except us.”

Josh Moore intercepted two passes, one in the end zone, as the Huskies, 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the Pacific 10, ran their winning streak to 20 games.

Oregon (3-4, 1-3) averted its first shutout in seven seasons when Tommy Thompson kicked a 56-yard field goal with 11:35 to play.

Washington broke the game open by scoring 10 points in the final 1:14 of the first half.

Louis Jones blocked Thompson’s punt to give the Huskies the ball at the Oregon 25 with 2:02 left in the second quarter and Washington leading, 7-0.

Two plays later, the left-handed Brunell scrambled to his left and threw a 31-yard scoring pass to Jason Shelley to make it 14-0.

After Oregon failed to move the ball, Brunell completed passes of 18 yards to Damon Mack and 21 yards to Joe Kralik to set up Travis Hanson’s 38-yard field goal that boosted the lead to 17-0 as the first half ended.