Phil Steele isn’t backing away from West Virginia just yet.
After a rough start to Big 12 play, the college football analyst still sees enough in the Mountaineers to believe they can handle Arizona when the Wildcats visit Morgantown. Steele broke down the matchup on Friday’s In the Gun Podcast and pointed to a handful of factors working in WVU’s favor, even with Arizona bringing a dangerous passing game into town.
The biggest concern, as Steele sees it, is still West Virginia’s defense.
“Anytime West Virginia steps on the field, you got to expect points right now because that defense has really been struggling. It’s struggling to stop the run, struggling to stop the pass.
But on the bright side, the offense looked pretty damn good. I like what I see out of Michael Hawkins, Cam Cook.
This is an offense that can run the football and put points on the board. The one matchup I’m looking at, the Arizona defense allowing just 79 yards per game against a West Virginia team that wants to run the football, so that’s going to be huge.
I think these teams are close talent-wise. If you’re putting it on a neutral field, I would take Arizona.
Probably by about six points. But I love the advantages West Virginia has here.
You got Arizona traveling across the country to the Eastern Time Zone, playing this game at 9 o’clock in the morning. And last week, when they were taking on Cincinnati, in the first quarter I believe it was, they lost their top three receivers in the game and two of them are going to be out here.
You’ve got Fifita, yes. You’ve got an offense that can hurt you, but (Tre) Spivey was by far their top guy, and he’s now out for the year.
I think the injuries, the time zone, the fact that Rich Rod will probably want revenge- a lot of factors here. If they can shore up that defense even just a little bit, I like West Virginia to come out of here with the win.
They are getting a field goal or 3.5 points here.”
Steele’s read is pretty simple: West Virginia’s defense has to hold up just enough for the offense to do its part. He likes what he’s seen from Michael Hawkins and Cam Cook, and he believes the Mountaineers can move the ball against an Arizona defense that has been stingy against the run.
Arizona, meanwhile, arrives with questions of its own after losing key receivers against Cincinnati. Steele said two of those players will be unavailable, and he singled out Tre Spivey as the Wildcats’ biggest loss, noting that Spivey is out for the year.
The matchup kicks off at 12 p.m. ET in Morgantown and will be televised on TNT.
In Other News...
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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
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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 🡒]
WVU Secondary Suddenly Faces A Real Problem Before Arizona
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There is at least some encouraging news on the other side of the defensive coin, as pass rusher Harper Holloman is expected to play despite a shoulder injury. If Taylor cant go, Jason Chambers is likely to step into the starting role, while Keyshawn Robinson and Jaire Rawlison are expected to help fill out the rotation and keep the secondary from getting stretched thin. [Read more 🡒]