Bell's theorem: a non-local win?
How the 'Cats and Dawgs stat up
By: Richard Linde, Posted 1 November 2004

Both the Washington Huskies (1-7) and the visiting Arizona Wildcats (1-7) will be looking for a win this Saturday, as both teams try to repair badly broken seasons. Reconnoitering after a string of losses, both teams need to face reality and square up with some woeful stats.

They share last and next-to-last rankings, one team or the other, in a number of conference measures.

Can particles be in more than one universe at a time?

Considering RB Mike Bell’s performance against the Huskies last season, stopping him might be as unlikely as a reincarnated Einstein putting a hit on Bell’s theorem, which states that reality must be non-local. So, is Mike Bell faster than the speed of light -- living proof of Bell’s theorem?

Last year, Bell rushed 26 times for 222 yards, including touchdown runs of 67, 69, and 37 yards, as the Mild-brats upset the Huskies, 27-22, snapping a 13-game conference home losing streak.

Bell, fourth in the conference in rushing (averaging 80.8 yards per game), must be salivating at the thought of facing the Huskies again. Previously, this year, UCLA’s Maurice Drew ran for a school record 5 touchdowns and 322 yards against the Huskies. Stanford’s J. R. Lemon rushed 19 times for 162 yards, scoring 3 touchdowns, one of them coming on a 58-yard gallop.

Lemon’s and Drew’s performances partially explain why the Huskies are fourth in the league in red zone defense, which can be an elusive statistic.

The UW can counter with  linebackers Joe Lobendahn and Scott White, who rank second and fourth in the league in tackles, respectively. Also, DE Manase Hopoi tops the Pac10 in both sacks and tackles for a loss.

The UW outplayed Oregon for most of the second half last week. QB Casey Paus settled into a rhythm -- as much as could be hoped for -- connecting with new-found weapon Craig Chambers on some nice passes. The second-half drives Paus put together rested a defense that held Oregon to 5 straight 3-and-outs. However, Paus' 4 interceptions on the game proved costly.

Of the 20 statistical categories shown in the Table below, Arizona bests the Dawgs in 10 of 19 categories, with one even. The 'Cats have an average conference rating of 7.2 to the Huskies' 7.55, where smallest is best.

In that Table, the Huskies' turnover margin (-14), rushing defense (184.5 yards per game) and time-of-possession (27:44) are the most significant categories with which the Dawgs must improve on.

"Will the Dawgs and 'Cats settle their tiff amicably?" Alice asked the March hare.

The Bottom Line:

Although Washington leads the conference in Pass Defense, its lofty ranking is offset by its pass-efficiency defense, which ranks eighth. The team that runs the ball best and commits the fewest turnovers should win the game. Their second half performance against Oregon gives the Huskies a glimmer of hope. Can Huskies coach Keith Gilbertson, who got his walking papers Monday, rally his troops for a spirited effort? We think the Huskies will bounce back and win one for the Gilber, Bell's theorem and non-locality notwithstanding.

Our Prediction: U-Dub 27, 'Cats 24
Las Vegas odds: Washington by 1 1/2
Our Record: 8-0, on the year
Forecast: Partly cloudy, 55 degrees

Table 1. How they stand in the Pac-10