West Virginia’s defense has reached the point where the numbers are starting to tell a rough story all by themselves. The Mountaineers sit 133rd nationally in total defense, which also puts them last among the 68 Power Four programs, and the week ahead doesn’t exactly offer much relief.
Arizona is coming to Morgantown with Noah Fifita and a passing attack that can stress a defense in a hurry. The one edge West Virginia gets is the home crowd, plus a 9 a.m. body-clock start for the Wildcats. The question is whether either of those factors is enough to help WVU snap back into the win column.
The betting market doesn’t seem to be in any rush to give West Virginia much credit. The line opened with Arizona favored, and the expectation is that it could move again as the week goes on. That makes sense given what Arizona has done in its wins: the Wildcats are winning by an average of 22.5 points in their four victories this season.
The total is another number worth watching because West Virginia games have become a weekly track meet. Their final scores this season have totaled 55, 59, 65, 65 and 87, and the pattern is hard to ignore. The defense has been a mess, but the offense has been more than good enough to keep games alive.
Quarterback Mike Hawkins Jr. has been the engine. Through the first five weeks of the season, he leads all Big 12 quarterbacks with 18 total touchdowns and has thrown just one interception.
On the ground, he and Cam Cook have been a problem too, ranking among the top three in rushing in the league. If Aiden Flora had not gone off against West Virginia’s defense on Saturday, those two would be sitting at No. 1 and No.
West Virginia and Arizona are set for a 12 p.m. ET kickoff. The game will air on TNT and can also be heard on Mountaineer Sports Network on the Varsity Network App.
In Other News...
West Virginias Cincinnati Weekend Is Turning Into A Program Showcase
West Virginias Oct. 17 home game against Cincinnati is getting a bigger stage, with the Big 12 announcing the matchup will air on TNT and also be simulcast on TruTV and HBO Max. For a program that has spent the fall trying to turn home dates into full-event weekends, it fits neatly with what is already building around the game in Morgantown.
The Mountaineers are layering in a Stripe the Stadium theme, group ticket packages for alumni and the induction of the 36th WVU Sports Hall of Fame class, while the Big 12 Fall Tour is also set to stop in town with a free kickoff concert on Oct. 10. It is the kind of calendar that gives the Cincinnati game more weight than just another conference Saturday, and West Virginia will be hoping the extra attention translates into a packed house and a lively atmosphere. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Mourns A Heartbreaking Loss In Its Recruiting Class
A heartbreaking loss struck West Virginias recruiting class on Monday morning when Chris Wilson, a senior at Yorktown High School and a committed defensive line recruit for the Mountaineers, was killed in a shooting. The incident remains under investigation, and authorities have not released additional details.
Yorktown High School principal Stacey Brewer issued a statement expressing condolences to Wilsons family and the school community while also confirming there is no threat to students or schools. For West Virginia, the news goes far beyond football, cutting into the lives of coaches, teammates and a program that had welcomed Wilson as part of its future. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginias Fast Start Is Reviving A Feeling Fans Missed
Five games into the season, West Virginias offense has given fans reason to flash back to one of the programs most beloved stretches. The comparison centers on Mike Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook alongside Pat White and Steve Slaton from 2006, a season that still sits near the top of the Mountaineers modern memories because of how smoothly the quarterback-runback pairing fit together and how hard it was for defenses to sort out who was doing what.
The numbers are not identical, and the styles are not carbon copies, but the similarities are enough to make the conversation worth having. Hawkins Jr. and Cook have already drawn the kind of attention that comes when a backfield starts to feel layered and dangerous at the same time, with the passing and rushing production inviting side-by-side study rather than simple nostalgia. For West Virginia, the interesting part is not just the flash of a fast start, but whether it can sustain the kind of offensive rhythm that once made this pairing feel inevitable. [Read more 🡒]