West Virginia’s defense had no answer Saturday, and Arizona made sure the scoreboard reflected it in a 52-31 rout at Milan Puskar Stadium.
The Mountaineers actually opened with some promise. They moved the ball on a 13-play march to start the game, but the drive stalled short of the end zone and ended with a field goal for a 3-0 lead.
That edge disappeared fast. Arizona answered with ease, as fifth-year quarterback Noah Fifita hit sophomore receiver Isaiah Mizell for a touchdown to put the Wildcats in front 7-3.
From there, the game started tilting hard Arizona’s way. Michael Hawkings Jr. tried to pitch the ball late to Cam Cook, but the ball hit the turf, and fifth-year senior safety Lee Molette III scooped it up and went in untouched to make it 14-3. West Virginia kept leaning on the run, but the offense kept running into dead ends, including a failed fourth-and-goal from the three-yard line that left Arizona still ahead 14-3.
The Mountaineers did briefly swing momentum back their way. Senior defensive lineman David Afogho picked off a batted Fifita pass at the Arizona 3-yard line, and Hawkins Jr. punched in a score on the next snap to cut it to 14-10.
But Arizona kept answering. Michael Salgado-Medina added a 44-yard field goal, and after Cam Cook’s 30-yard touchdown run tied things at 17, Quincy Craig broke loose for a 40-yard touchdown to send the Wildcats into the half up 24-17.
Arizona wasted little time after the break. The Wildcats needed just three plays and 75 yards to strike again, with Fifita finding Mizell deep before Kedrick Reescano finished the drive from 8 yards out. West Virginia responded with one of its best possessions of the day, a 16-play, 92-yard march that ended with freshman Amari Lattimer scoring from the two to make it 31-24.
But every time the Mountaineers closed the gap, Arizona had a bigger shot waiting. Late in the third quarter, Mizell slipped free again and turned a short third-down throw into a 72-yard touchdown, the longest play of the game, to push the lead back to 38-24.
West Virginia made one last push early in the fourth. A 9-play, 75-yard drive ended with Cook powering in from the 1-yard line, trimming the margin to 38-31.
That was as close as it got. Arizona answered on its next possession with a 42-yard touchdown to Brandon Phelps, then sealed it with a 52-yard drive finished by Antawn Roberts from 30 yards out.
The Wildcats piled up 9.9 yards per play and put up 52 points, the most allowed by West Virginia since Texas tech Red Raiders scored the same number in 2024. Arizona moved to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12, while West Virginia fell to 3-3 and 0-3 in conference play. The Mountaineers will try again for their first Big 12 win next weekend against the Cincinnati Bearcats in Morgantown.
In Other News...
West Virginia Let A Winnable Home Game Slip Away Again
Arizona came into Milan Puskar Stadium and left with a 52-31 win, putting up the most points by an opponent in regulation there since 2018. For West Virginia, it was the latest reminder that strong yardage totals do not always translate into control of the game, even at home, where the Mountaineers had enough offensive production to keep things moving but never enough clean execution to settle the crowd or shift momentum.
Noah Fifita carved up the Mountaineers for 341 yards and multiple touchdowns, and Arizona kept finding the chunk plays that made West Virginia chase the game instead of manage it. The Mountaineers finished with 522 total yards, but two first-half fumbles by Cam Cook helped turn a winnable afternoon into another frustrating one, with the defense unable to slow Arizona long enough to let the offense recover. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Already Faces One Early Test In Its NCAA Push
West Virginias NCAA Tournament picture looks a little brighter after court rulings gave Brenen Lorient and Javan Buchanan a fifth year of eligibility, a development that could matter in a big way when March arrives. ESPNs Joe Lunardi has the Mountaineers in as a No. 11 seed in a play-in game against Creighton, which would set up a potential round-of-64 meeting with Kentucky and immediately put the stakes on a high wire.
The broader challenge is clear: this is a team likely to spend the season chasing quality wins while navigating a schedule that should offer chances to build a serious at-large case. With Miles Sadler, Finley Bizjack, Mo Sylla and Joson Sanon in the mix, West Virginia has enough pieces to make noise, but early tournament positioning suggests there is still plenty of proving to do before anyone can feel comfortable about the bracket. [Read more 🡒]
Rich Rodriguez Reaches A Breaking Point With West Virginia's Defense
West Virginias 52-31 loss to Arizona left Rich Rodriguez with plenty to sort through, and the defense was at the center of it. The Big 12 matchup exposed the Mountaineers in a way that made the postgame mood as much about frustration as it was about the final score, with Rodriguez making clear that the performance on that side of the ball has to get better.
Rodriguez also pointed to the offenses struggles, a reminder that this wasnt a one-unit problem for a team still trying to find steadier footing in conference play. For West Virginia, the challenge now is turning a lopsided loss into something useful as the season moves along, because the margin for error in the Big 12 doesnt leave much room for repeated lessons. [Read more 🡒]