Arizona walked out of Morgantown with a 52-31 win on Saturday, and the Wildcats had no shortage of standouts in a game that featured a productive offense and a defense that spent a lot of time on the field. West Virginia ran 104 plays and piled up 522 yards, but Arizona still limited the Mountaineers to five yards per snap, which tells the story of a unit that bent plenty without fully breaking.
The most explosive performance came from Isaiah Mizell, who made a loud statement at wide receiver while Arizona was missing its top three receivers. Mizell finished with six catches for 183 yards and two touchdowns, and West Virginia never really found a clean answer for him.
He was creating separation early, and his speed became a weapon as the day unfolded. That included a 48-yard strike early in the second half and a 72-yard touchdown run after the catch.
He also could have added even more to the total if not for repeated pass interference penalties by WVU.
On the other side of the ball, Jay’Vion Cole earned the nod at cornerback after turning in a strong all-around outing before leaving the game with an injury in the second half. His coverage stood out right away, and his pass breakup on the opening drive helped force West Virginia into a field goal.
Cole also held up better than expected against the run. His biggest moment came late in the first half, when the Mountaineers were driving with a chance to pull even.
On second-and-goal from the two, Cam Cook was stuffed near the goal line, then Cole punched the ball loose and Taye Brown recovered it. That takeaway kept Arizona in front and changed the feel of the game.
Special teams got its own steady contribution from Chase Ridley. He didn’t need to do anything flashy; he simply handled his job well.
His lone punt inside the 20 pinned West Virginia at its own 8-yard line, even though the Mountaineers later turned that field position into a long touchdown drive. Ridley still did enough to give Arizona a chance.
Honorable Mention:
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