MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez has cautioned against making too much of one game when there are 11 others guaranteed over the regular season.
But as the Mountaineers are set to welcome Arizona for Saturday’s noon affair airing on TNT/TruTV/HBO Max, Rodriguez is well aware the direction of the second season in his second tenure at WVU could well be based on the outcome against the Wildcats at the Milan Puskar Stadium.
“They have some good football players and might be the best football team we’ve played so far this year, so it’s going to be a great challenge,” Rodriguez said. “I think our guys are hungry to play well and prove themselves, and our fans are wanting to see true Mountaineer football and guys playing with great passion. We owe it to the fans to try and do that.”
Having lost two straight while allowing 86 points and 1,186 total yards in setbacks to Oklahoma State and Iowa State, a West Virginia defense that was already under the microscope before last week’s poor effort against the Cyclones is hoping less is more in terms of forming a game plan that can yield better results.
“I think we’re talented enough to be a lot better than we are,” WVU defensive coordinator Zac Alley said. “That’s on myself and the coaches. We have to get these guys to play to their ability level. I don’t expect every guy to be an All-American every play, but to at least be the best version of themself every day and every play they’re in is what we need and to maximize their ability level. Certainly, we’re not playing to what the talent level is.”
The task against the Wildcats (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) means opposing quarterback Noah Fifita, a four-year starter with more than 10,500 career passing yards and 86 touchdowns through the air.
Fifita has excelled over five games thus far in 2026, completing 124-of-168 passes for 1,415 yards with 13 touchdowns and three interceptions. Nimble enough to extend plays, Fifita also has 106 rushing yards and three rushing TDs.
“He’s a very unique guy. He can scramble around, create some vision for himself, and his eyes are always downfield,” Rodriguez said. “He’s one of the best in college football, and I’ve thought that for the last couple of years just watching a few games that I watched. We didn’t play him last year, but he’s been a phenomenal player and if you talk to anybody in their program, he’s been phenomenal for their program, too, recruiting wise and helping coach [Brent] Brennan and a new staff when they came in. They’ve done a marvelous job with him and the other guys they have.”
While the Wildcats have at least 34 points in all four victories, Fifita’s job is undoubtedly made more difficult Saturday by the absences of wideouts Tre Spivey, Giovanni Richardson and Chris Hunter III and tight end Cole Rusk as they’ve all been ruled out for the game.
Spivey, the team’s leading pass-catcher with 22 receptions for 314 yards and four touchdowns, is out for the season, while Richardson and Hunter have combined for 29 catches for 342 yards.
Arizona has excelled on third down, converting nearly 58 percent of its attempts to rank third nationally (and third in the Big 12 behind Houston and Kansas State).
The Mountaineers (3-2, 0-2) will be without cornerback Nick Taylor as they try to find solutions defensively after allowing an average of 34.2 points to they first four FBS teams on this year’s schedule.
“I didn’t even see anything, even defensively, that we can’t fix,” Rodriguez said. “We just have to have an urgency kind of to fix it right away.”
There have been far more bright spots offensively for WVU, which is 28th nationally in scoring offense at 37.4 points and has surpassed 30 in four of five games.
The nation’s No. 3 rushing offense that’s churning out 294 yards per game is keyed by quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. and tailback Cam Cook.
Cook enters the contest the No. 3 rusher in the country with 652 yards and five touchdowns on 119 carries, while Hawkins is tops among quarterbacks with 574 yards on 92 attempts. Hawkins’ 11 rushing scores are tied for the lead among all FBS players.
Rodriguez described Arizona’s defense as probably the blitz-happiest unit he’s seen over the last six or seven years and that figures to play into his offensive plan.
“People are going to force us to throw. They can outnumber you and play cover zero, and if you can’t pitch and catch, you’re going to have a hard time,” he said.
What is only the second all-time meeting between WVU and Arizona allows Rodriguez to coach against the program he served as head coach for from 2012-17 when he helped guide the Wildcats to 43 wins in 78 games.
“There were some good times at Arizona,” Rodriguez said. “It’s been a long time. It’s been nine years, so it’s been a little while. But coach Brennan and his staff have done a great job. They have the program in the right spot.”