West Virginia heads into Saturday’s matchup with Arizona still looking for its first Big 12 win, and the Mountaineers know exactly where the problem has been. The offense has done enough to keep games alive, but the defense has left too much room for opponents to keep answering back. After back-to-back disappointing losses, Rich Rodriguez’s team is trying to stop the slide before it becomes three straight.
Arizona arrives in Morgantown with some real injury and availability issues on offense. The Wildcats will be without three of their top four receivers - Tre Spivey, Giovanni Richardson, and Chris Hunter III - plus top tight end Cole Rusk and top running back Ismail Mahdi, who is now ineligible.
That doesn’t make the challenge disappear, though. Noah Fifita is still expected to do what he does, and he enters this one averaging 283 yards per game, the highest mark of his career so far.
The biggest swing point may come on the ground. Arizona has not been great at running the ball this year, and if West Virginia can finally slow that part of the game down, the Mountaineers may give themselves a real shot.
That’s easier said than done after what WVU has already shown defensively. The Mountaineers gave up at least 570 yards in each of their first two Big 12 conference games, and the Iowa State rushing attack last week only reinforced how shaky things remain.
That said, West Virginia’s offense has enough firepower to make this interesting. The Mountaineers are third in the country in rushing at 294 yards per game, behind only two service academies, and they won’t be bottled up easily by Arizona’s 11th-ranked run defense. They may not hit that 290-yard mark again, but they should still move the ball.
Arizona’s blitz-heavy approach adds another wrinkle. The Wildcats can get after the quarterback, but when they miss, they’ve been exposed by explosive passing plays.
That’s a dangerous game to play against Mike Hawkins Jr., who can punish a defense with both his legs and his downfield arm. West Virginia’s offense has improved week by week, and if the Mountaineers are going to stay in this, they’ll likely need a shootout.
Even so, the predictions here lean different directions. One view sees West Virginia hanging around long enough to pull it out, while another expects Arizona’s offense to control the game with its physical run game and Fifita’s passing. Arizona averages 151.6 rushing yards per game with a trio of backs behind a big offensive line, and one prediction says that kind of balance will help the Wildcats finish strong against an undersized defense.
The final call is split, but the caution around West Virginia is clear: despite the 3-0 start, this is still a team that’s hard to trust until the defense shows real improvement. One prediction has the Mountaineers falling 37-34 in a heartbreaker. Another takes Arizona to leave Morgantown with the win.
In Other News...
WVUs Defense Gets A Break But Still Faces A Real Test
West Virginias defense could use a little relief after a rough stretch, and Arizonas injury report offers some of it. The Wildcats are set to come in without leading receiver Tre Spivey, along with Giovanni Richardson, Chris Hunter III, Cole Rusk and running back Ismail Mahdi, a depleted group that changes the shape of their offense and trims some of the pressure on the Mountaineers secondary and front.
Noah Fifita, though, still gives Arizona a dangerous focal point. Even with the missing weapons, the quarterback is expected to keep steering the passing game, which means West Virginia cannot treat this like a soft landing spot after its recent defensive struggles. The Mountaineers may get a break in terms of personnel, but they still have to prove they can handle a competent passing attack and avoid another night of chasing plays. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Defense Just Got Called Out Before Arizona Test
West Virginias defensive issues have become impossible to ignore as the Mountaineers head into this weeks matchup with Arizona, and coordinator Zac Alley did not sugarcoat where things stand. The unit has been beaten for plenty of yardage and points during the season, leaving the defense searching for answers at a point when every possession matters even more.
The challenge only gets sharper against an Arizona team that has been sturdy against the run, which puts a spotlight on West Virginias ground game and whether it can help keep the pressure off a defense trying to stop the bleeding. For the Mountaineers, the game is about more than one matchup on paper. It is also a chance to see whether the frustration Alley voiced can turn into a response on the field. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Suddenly Faces A Lineup Shuffle Before Arizona
West Virginia got its first availability report of the week, and it immediately put some uncertainty around the Mountaineers setup heading into Arizona. Several players were listed with uncertain status, including Neider, Holloman, Taylor and Cam Ball, which gives the coaching staff an early reminder that the lineup may need some adjusting before the next kickoff.
The timing matters because the second report is due later tonight, and that should provide a clearer picture of who is actually trending toward availability. For a team trying to settle on its best rotation, this kind of midweek uncertainty can affect everything from personnel plans to how aggressively West Virginia can script its approach for Arizona. [Read more 🡒]