West Virginia gets back home Saturday with a lot still on the line, and a lot to clean up.
The Mountaineers are 3-2 after dropping their last two games, and the defense has taken the brunt of the damage. Now they open a two-week homestand against Arizona, a 4-1 team that brings a proven offense and a fifth-year quarterback in Noah Fifitia. It’s only the second meeting between the programs, with WVU winning the first one in 2024, 31-26 in Arizona.
One of the biggest variables may be the clock.
This is a noon kickoff in Morgantown, but it works out to 9 a.m. back home for Arizona. The Wildcats are making a long trip from Tucson to West Virginia, a stretch of 2,072 miles, and the time change could matter.
WVU made that trip in 2024 and got a night game on the road, which gave it more time to settle in. This time, the Mountaineers get the early start at home and Arizona has to adjust fast.
The matchup also has the feel of another game where points could come in bunches.
WVU’s loss to Iowa State played out like a classic 2010s Big XII shootout, the kind where offense is mandatory and defense is optional. The Mountaineers had a late chance to respond, and if Epps had gone down, they still had a shot to tie the game or win it outright.
Arizona’s offense averages 32 points per game. WVU is averaging 37.
That sets up another game where the final possession could decide everything, and another spot where a turnover could swing the outcome.
Injuries are also shaping the week for both teams.
West Virginia will be without WR Armoni Weaver-Bomar and may also be missing TE Cam Bell. Those are real losses for an offense that has defined roles for both players.
Arizona’s injury list is longer and hits harder. WRs Tre Spivey, Chris Hunter III, and Giovanni Richardson are all out for Saturday, and Spivey, the Wildcats’ leading receiver, is done for the year. TE Cole Rusk will also miss the game, taking another piece away from Fifitia and that passing attack.
With those absences, former Mountaineer Rodney Gallagher III is expected to have a role for Arizona.
So yes, this one has the ingredients for another wild afternoon at Milan Puskar Stadium. West Virginia needs a reset, and it needs one fast. After what the win over Virginia felt like, the Mountaineers would love to get that energy back.
In Other News...
WVU Has One Lingering Concern In A Very Winnable Arizona Game
West Virginia gets a favorable setup against Arizona this weekend, and that is exactly why the matchup feels like one the Mountaineers should be able to manage if they play to their strengths. Phil Steele pointed to West Virginias offensive upside, while also noting Arizonas injury situation and the burden of a long road trip, both of which add to the sense that this is a game the Mountaineers can control from early on. The noon ET kickoff on TNT gives the meeting a little extra visibility, too, for a WVU team trying to turn a promising spot into a clean result.
Still, Steeles read comes with a catch, because West Virginia has not exactly erased concerns on the defensive side. Even in a game that looks winnable on paper, that remains the lingering issue, and it is the sort of thing that can keep a staff and fan base uneasy until the opening series and beyond. Steeles cautious lean toward the Mountaineers reflects the overall shape of the matchup, but it also underscores how much WVU may need its offense to carry the day if the defense does not firm up. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Faces A Tough Road Test With Noah Fifita Rolling
West Virginia gets Arizona in a Week 6 matchup that arrives at a tricky moment for the Mountaineers, who have dropped their last two after opening 3-0. The home side still has plenty to play for, but the recent slide has made this one feel more like a measuring stick than a routine conference-style tune-up, especially with a Wildcats team coming in on a three-game surge.
Arizona has steadied itself after an early loss, and much of that turnaround has come with Noah Fifita running the offense confidently as a senior. He has paired strong passing production with enough threat on the ground to keep defenses honest, which makes him a difficult matchup on the road and a big reason this trip to Morgantown has real bite. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Needs This Week 6 Test To Show Real Big 12 Progress
Week 6 brings a full slate of Big 12 games with real weight behind them, and the race is already starting to sort itself out. Iowa State heads to BYU, UCF visits Oklahoma State, Houston travels to Kansas State, and Hawaii makes the trip to Arizona State, but for West Virginia fans the spotlight is on Arizona coming into Morgantown. It is the kind of October test that can tell you a lot about where a team stands once the league grind starts to separate contenders from the rest.
West Virginia gets a chance to measure itself against a conference opponent that arrives with its own ambitions, while Kansas has a different proving ground out in Utah. The Big 12 has enough matchups this week to shape the standings in more than one direction, and the Mountaineers are right in the middle of a weekend that could clarify who is making real progress and who still has ground to cover. [Read more 🡒]