West Virginia’s defense is about to face Arizona with a major break on the injury front, but that doesn’t automatically make the matchup any easier.
The Wildcats are expected to be without three of their top receivers and their top tight end when they meet WVU, leaving quarterback Noah Fifita without a chunk of his usual pass-catching options. Arizona will also be missing running back Ismail Mahdi, along with linebacker Max Harris and safety Dajon Hinton.
Tre Spivey, Arizona’s leading receiver this season, is out for the rest of the year after breaking his foot in last week’s win over Cincinnati. He has 22 catches for 314 yards and four touchdowns.
Giovanni Richardson, who ranks next on the team with 16 receptions for 187 yards, is sidelined with a lower-body injury. Senior wideout Chris Hunter III will also miss the game because of a lower-body injury; he has 13 catches for 155 yards and a touchdown.
Arizona’s top tight end, Cole Rusk, is also unavailable. Mahdi, the Wildcats’ starting running back, is out as well.
He has played in only two games this season, missing the start of the year before seeing a few carries in a blowout win over Northern Illinois. A couple of weeks ago against Washington State, he carried 10 times for 63 yards.
Mahdi and Harris were ruled ineligible ahead of Arizona’s game against Cincinnati last week. A Pima County judge ruled them ineligible because they were each playing their fifth year under a temporary restraining order they had received just a month ago.
Even with all those absences, Arizona still brings a passing game that can give West Virginia problems. Fifita has a way of lifting the players around him, and the Mountaineers can’t assume the missing names will solve their issues on that side of the ball. With Arizona kicking off at 9 a.m. body clock time for WVU, the defense does get one small edge, but this still looks like a demanding assignment.
The absences could also open the door for former Mountaineer Rodney Gallagher III to see more action.
In Other News...
WVU Faces A Brutal Home Test In First Big 12 Win Bid
West Virginia heads into a difficult home matchup with Arizona still searching for its first Big 12 win, and the timing could hardly be trickier. The Mountaineers are trying to navigate the league grind while dealing with a trimmed offensive group, which only raises the pressure on a team that needs cleaner execution and more balance to keep pace.
Arizona brings a lot more than just a capable passing game into Morgantown. With Noah Fifita directing an offense that has shown it can move in multiple ways, the Wildcats arrive with a clear edge in firepower, even if there are paths for West Virginia to make it interesting at home. The bigger question is whether the Mountaineers can turn a tough spot into a breakout league moment before the schedule starts to really tighten. [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 🡒]