During the mostly successful RichRod era, you could always expect Arizona to score points but the lack of defense kept the Wildcats from reaching greater heights. Turns out that’s the same for facing a Rich Rodriguez-coached team.
The UA scored its most points of the season, averaging more than nine yards per play in a 52-31 win at West Virginia on Saturday afternoon. It was the fourth straight victory for the Wildcats (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) and matches their best start since 2014, ironically when RichRod
led the program to its lone Pac-12 title game appearance.
Noah Fifita threw for 341 yards and three TDs, two to Isaiah Mizell, who had six catches for 183 yards. Mizell, making his first career start as Arizona was down all three starting receivers, entered the game with 177 yards and two scores this season.
The Wildcats ran for 141 yards with rushing TDs from Kedrick Reescano, Quincy Craig and Antwan Roberts. They finished with 492 on 51 plays, compared to 104 offensive plays for West Virginia (3-3, 0-3).
The Mountaineers gained 522 yards, including 303 on the ground, with Cam Cook going for 141 yards and two TDs. But he also lost two fumbles, one returned for a score and the other coming inside the UA 5-yard line right before halftime with West Virginia close to tying it.
West Virginia QB Michael Hawkins Jr. had 317 yards of total offense and a rushing TD but was just 11 of 28 on pass attempts. The Mountaineers were 9 of 19 on third down but turned it over on downs five times.
Up 24-17 at halftime, Arizona needed 73 seconds to double that lead in the third quarter. A 48-yard pass to Mizell set the stage forReescano’s 8-yard scoring run.
The Wildcats almost got their third takeaway on the ensuing possession, with Brown intercepting a 4th down pass as Mays Pese hit Hawkins, but replay overturned the pick and instead it was a second turnover on downs.
Arizona quickly punted and West Virginia had its longest drive of the game to get within seven. A 16-play, 92-yard drive that took 6:40 ended with Amari Latimer scoring on a 2-yard run to get the Mountaineers within 31-24 with 1:28 left in the third.
The Wildcats answered, with Fifita finding Mizell for a 72-yard catch and run score on 3rd and 7 with West Virginia blitzing, to get it back to a 2-score lead with 13 seconds to go in the third. The Mountaineers needed only 2:40 to get the points back, with Cook scoring on a 1-yard run to make it 38-31 with 12:33 remaining.
Instead of milking the clock to preserve the lead, Arizona stayed aggressive and went back up 14 two plays later. A long pass to Shane King set up a trick play, with Fifita firing a flea flicker to Brandon Phelps for a 42-yard TD and a 45-31 edge with 11:35 to go.
The UA defense got the stop it needed after that, forcing a 3-and-out, and then Marshall transferRobertsbroke off a 30-yard TD run to get it to 52-31.
West Virginia carved up Arizona’s defense on the opening drive until it got to the red zone, where a TFL by Malcolm Hartzog Jr. and a near interception by Jay’Vion Cole forced the Mountaineers to settle for a 25-yard field goal. The Wildcats scored on their first possession, which for the first time in four games did not begin with Fifita getting sacked.
Despite three offensive penalties, including a hold in the red zone on a TD pass toMizell, Fifita and Mizell hooked up on the next play for a 14-yard score and a 7-3 lead with 5:35 left in the first.
Arizona made it 14-3 less than a minute later, when Lee Mollette scooped up a fumble and returned it 32 yards for a score. Cooper Blomstrom forced Hawkins into a rushed pitch on an option play, which Cookmuffed and Mollette grabbed for the Wildcats’ first fumble return TD since 2024.
The Mountaineers got into the red zone again on their second drive but couldn’t get points, going for it on 4th and goal but coming up short when Quinn Olson stopped a short pass inside the 4-yard line. But four plays later the Wildcats gave the ball right back when Fifita’s pass was deflected at the line and intercepted by David Afogho.
Hawkins scored on a 3-yard run on the next snap to cut the UA lead to 14-10 with 12:59 left in the first half.
Michael Salgado-Medina connected on a 44-yard field goal to make it 17-10 midway through the second, but West Virginia tied it a few minutes later on a 30-yard run by Cook. That came two plays after Hartzog was called for pass interference on 3rd and long.
Arizona retook the lead with 2:52 left before halftime on a 40-yard run byCraig, his first touch of the game. That gave West Virginia plenty of time to even it before halftime, and it again got inside the 5 beforeCole ripped the ball from Cook andBrown recovered to keep the lead at the break.
Arizona has its bye next week, returning to action Oct. 24 for its Homecoming game against Iowa State. The Cyclones (3-3, 1-2) lost 24-10 at BYU on Friday and will be making their first trip to Tucson since 1966.
