West Virginia hits the road to face Arizona this week for the first time in program history.
The Wildcats are in their first season in the Big 12, transferring over this offseason from the Pac-12.
Offense
Offensively, Arizona is led by an explosive pass game, highlighted by the play of wide receiver Tetaiora McMillan as well as quarterback Noah Fifita.
Fifita this season is completing 59 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,774 yards, nine touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, including at least one pick in every game this season. This comes after a 2023 campaign that saw him throw only six interceptions all season. Fifita has also been used some on the ground, totaling 65 yards on 34 total attempts.
McMillan is the big name on the outside for Arizona and rightfully so. He has 47 catches for 780 yards and four touchdowns this season. In addition to him, there are a lot of other weapons for Fifita to throw the ball to.
At running back, there are two guys who have gotten the load of carries, with Quali Conley leading the way. He has 500 yards on the ground on 93 carries, scoring six touchdowns. He also has the second-most catches on Arizona's roster, catching 25 passes for 163 yards. The other back is Kendrick Reescano has 42 rushing yards for 241 yards and a score.
Arizona ranks near the bottom of the Big 12 in most offensive categories, ranking 15th in scoring, 13th in total offense, and 16th in offensive efficiency.
Defense
On defense, Arizona has had a mostly up-and-down year. They allowed 10 points or fewer in three straight games, but in each of their last three losses, they've given up 28, 41, and 34 points.
They are led by linebacker Jacob Manu who has a team-high 47.0 total tackles, three for a loss, as well as a fumble recovered.
Two defensive backs who have played well this year are Dalton Johnson who has 44.0 total tackles and a forced fumble. Genesis Smith also has 28.0 total tackles, two interceptions as well as a forced fumble.
Another linebacker is Taye Brown who has 43.0 total tackles, three for a loss, and a pair of sacks. Defensive lineman Tre Smith is a force up front as he has 34.0 total tackles, 5.5 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks. He also has nine total quarterback hits this season.
Arizona is 13th in the Big 12 in scoring defense, but sixth in overall defensive efficiency. They are allowing 364 yards per game on defense, with 147 of them being given up on the ground and 217 being allowed through the air. They also have 12 total sacks this year.
Special Teams
On special teams, their kicker Tyler Loop is 14-for-18 on field goals, with him having one miss under 29 yards, one miss between 40-49 yards, and two misses from beyond 50 yards. His long field goal for the year is 54 yards.
Loop also heads the kickoff duties for the Wildcats, with all 35 of his kickoff attempts being kicked for touchbacks.
At punter, Arizona has had multiple punters take punts this season.
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @wesleyshoe
