Washington State vs. Arizona: Previewing the game by the numbers

This one feels like it's going to be close, so let's take a look at how these two teams match up.

Every week (well, most weeks), we look at some numbers to try to figure out what is going to happen in the Arizona Wildcats' upcoming game. This week, we take a look at how the numbers say the Wildcats will perform against the Washington State Cougars.

398.5

Unsurprisingly, Washington State has the top-ranked passing offense in the conference, averaging 398.5 passing yards per game, which ranks fourth nationally. Luke Falk has done a very good job executing Mike Leach's Air Raid offense, completing 72.3% of his passes and throwing only four interceptions on 325 attempts.

Just as unsurprisingly, though, Washington State can't (or at least doesn't) run the ball. They're the only team in the Pac-12 averaging less than 100 rushing yards per game, and they're ranked 125th nationally in rushing offense. A large part of that is the design of the offense, but it's worth pointing out that Washington State isn't built to run all over Arizona.

542.4

In spite of Washington State's prolific passing attack, the best offense in the Pac-12 still belongs to Arizona. Arizona is averaging 542.4 yards per game, with most of those yards (297.4) coming on the ground. Obviously the way Arizona attacks Washington State will depend heavily on who is starting at quarterback (given Jerrard Randall's limitations passing the ball), but given that the Cougars have had to prepare for both Randall and Anu Solomon, expect to see the same productive Arizona offense regardless of who is getting the snaps.

5

Arizona already has five wins on the season, and a win on Saturday will secure bowl eligibility. A trip to a minor bowl game probably isn't what Arizona fans envisioned at the beginning of the year, but given the injuries the team has sustained and how much they've struggled at times, securing bowl eligibility will at least allow fans to breathe a sigh of relief as Arizona enters the "no easy wins" part of the schedule.

7.5

The line for this game opened at Arizona -8.5, but has now settled at Arizona -7.5. Even that line, though, seems high. Washington State has been extremely competitive in recent weeks, beating Oregon and almost beating California. On the plus side, Arizona's biggest problem this year has been stopping the run, and Washington State isn't equipped to take advantage of that. I still think Arizona will be able to pull out the win at home, but that 7.5 spread is too high.

Arizona has a great opportunity to prove that they can beat a good team, and I think they'll be able to close out the win late in front of an amped homecoming crowd and secure bowl eligibility.

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