Arizona is headed to Morgantown for a noon kickoff Saturday, and the Wildcats arrive with a 4-1 record, a lone loss to a top 10 BYU team, and a fresh 34-7 win over Cincinnati. To get a better read on what West Virginia is walking into, Brian Pederson of AZ Desert Swarm laid out why Arizona still feels a little under the radar, what the matchup means, and where he sees the game going.
Pederson said Arizona’s quiet start was a bit of a surprise coming into the season, especially after a 9-win performance in 2025 and the return of Noah Fifita, “who is such a rarity nowadays as a 5th-year senior at the same school.” He expected the BYU game to be the moment Arizona broke through nationally, and pointed to the Halloween trip to Texas Tech as the next chance - though, in his view, that spotlight only really arrives if Arizona gets to Lubbock at 6-1.
The noon start and long trip east, at least in Pederson’s view, shouldn’t rattle the Wildcats much. Arizona practices in the mornings, he noted, and last year the Wildcats won at Cincinnati in a noon ET kickoff in November. He also said they were blown out at UCF in the afternoon in 2024, but didn’t think the time change would be a major factor this week because Arizona will fly out Thursday to get acclimated.
That Cincinnati game also served as a useful measuring stick for Arizona’s latest performance. Pederson called the result “a little of both” when asked whether the Wildcats dominated or whether Cincinnati’s 4-0 record was misleading.
Arizona had a clear plan to slow the Bearcats’ ground game and force them into more passing than they wanted, he said. Still, he pointed out that the game was only 10-0 in the third quarter, and that a strange Cincinnati play - batting an Arizona fumble out of the back of the end zone and leading to a touchdown two plays later - may have changed the feel of the night.
What stood out most from that win was Arizona’s balance. The Wildcats ran for 238 yards, a number that jumped off the page given how much the passing game has carried the conversation around the team.
Pederson said the run game had generally underachieved before Cincinnati, even if the per-carry numbers were solid once sacks were removed. Against the Bearcats, Arizona showed a stronger commitment to balance, and he added that the backfield has enough depth even with Ismail Mahdi - last year’s leading rusher - unavailable after losing his eligibility case the night before the game.
That rushing emphasis could matter again this week, especially if West Virginia’s ground attack starts piling up pressure on Arizona’s defense. Pederson expects the Wildcats to keep running the ball for two reasons: to avoid ultra-short drives that leave the defense on the field too quickly, and to keep the offense in rhythm.
On the defensive side, Pederson said Arizona has had issues with mobile quarterbacks under Danny Gonzales, though he added that the Wildcats mostly handled Bear Bachmeier earlier this year. For this week, he said the emphasis will be on the defensive line and linebackers staying disciplined with their assignments so they don’t lose track of the ball in the backfield.
The conversation also drifted into Rich Rodriguez, and Pederson didn’t hold back on how Arizona fans have viewed that era. He said the immediate reaction after Rodriguez’s dismissal included “misguided joy,” with some believing that “43-35 with five bowl games in six years just wasn’t good enough.”
Then, after Kevin Sumlin “imploded the program” and it took more than five years to repair the damage, followed by Jedd Fisch leaving and “restart[ing] the clock a bit,” some fans have come around in a strange way. Pederson said a certain faction now misses Rodriguez’s sideline antics and behavior because, as he put it, they don’t think Brent Brennan is exciting enough.
As for Saturday, Pederson sees points on both sides. He said Arizona’s defense looked better against Cincinnati’s run game, which managed just 74 yards after averaging 270 per game, and that gave him more confidence in the Wildcats slowing West Virginia on the ground.
But he also believes Michael Hawkins Jr. is better than Cincinnati’s quarterback, which is why he expects a shootout. His final read: Noah Fifita is the X-factor, Arizona’s defense doesn’t look capable of taking the passing game away, and if the Wildcats run it with any consistency, they can win.
His prediction: “Former RichRod employer 38, Current RichRod employer 34.“
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Noah Fifita Faces A Bigger Test Than Arizona Fans Might Think
Arizonas trip to West Virginia brings a familiar face back into the picture for Rich Rodriguez, who once coached in Tucson and now gets a shot at his former program in a Big 12 matchup. It also comes at a time when the Mountaineers are trying to steady themselves after dropping their last two games, while Arizona arrives with some momentum thanks to a three-game winning streak.
The Wildcats have not exactly reached the open date in perfect shape, though, with injuries thinning their group of wide receivers and putting more of the burden on Noah Fifita. The quarterback is set to make his 40th consecutive start against a West Virginia defense that has had its own struggles this season, which turns this into more than just a road test for Arizona. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Hawkins Jr. Gets A Big Chance To Change The Narrative
Mike Hawkins Jr. has already given West Virginia a better version of its quarterback room than many expected, especially on the vertical throws that can change a game in a hurry. The dual-threat sophomore has completed 12 of 27 passes beyond 20 yards for 416 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions this season, and Rich Rodriguez has pointed to the growth in Hawkins passing and his overall versatility as reasons for the Mountaineers offense has become harder to defend.
The next test is a revealing one, because Arizona brings a defense built to heat up the pocket and make a quarterback win from the pocket under stress. For Hawkins, that means another chance to show the arm talent and decision-making that have already started to reshape the conversation around him, even if the most important part of the evaluation may come down to how he handles the pressure he is about to see. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Faces A Season Pressure Point Against Arizona
West Virginia heads into a noon ET matchup at Milan Puskar Stadium with a familiar kind of urgency, this time against Arizona in a Big 12 Conference game that already carries an early-season edge. The Mountaineers are still looking for their first league win after opening conference play with losses, and the setting only adds to the pressure as they try to steady things at home.
The challenge is clear enough: West Virginias defense has struggled nationally, while Arizona brings the conferences top passer into Morgantown. ESPNs Football Power Index gives the Mountaineers a 39.5% shot to win, which only underscores how much has to go right if they are going to flip the script on TNT and get their league season moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]