Arizona Wildcats Fell to West Virginia in First-Ever Matchup
On Saturday, the Arizona Wildcats could not capture the win against the West Virginia Mountaineers in their first-ever faceoff. Arizona's recent move to the Big-12 Conference sparked this new matchup; giving Arizona a fair taste of the Big-12.
After a scoreless first quarter for the Wildcats, they were able to match West Virginia with a touchdown, only ever out-scoring the Mountaineers in the fourth quarter. Despite Arizona's loss on their home turf, a few players were able to shine through West Virginia's front lines.
WR Tetairoa McMillan showed out for Family Weekend, recording 202 receiving yards and one touchdown to bring his team up from an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter. McMillan is currently the only Wildcat with multiple 200-yard receiving games. After a quiet game against Colorado last week, McMillan broke out to put up a fair fight against the Mountaineers.
As far as personal wins go, TE Sam Olson caught his first touchdown pass since signing with Arizona, pushing the Wildcats closer in the third quarter.
Defensively, Arizona was unable to match pace with their opponent's run game, allowing West Virginia to break through to an early lead. West Virginia's ability to not only convert on their fourth-downs, but actually score on them, really ended hopes for Arizona. The Mountaineers were able to score three times on fourth-downs, nailing Arizona's defense into the ground. However, Arizona was able to hold West Virginia to only 198 yards passing; the third time this season they have held an opponent to under 200 yards.
Looking ahead to next week for the Wildcats, hopes for a bowl appearance remain questionable, as they sit 1-4 in conference play. Next week's matchup against UCF gives Arizona the chance to get back to the win column, especially in conference standings. Following the pattern of firsts for Arizona, next week will mark the first time the Wildcats face conference opponents back-to-back.
UCF also sits at 1-4 in conference play; giving Arizona a glimpse of hope to try and climb up the conference ladder.
Without the homefield advantage, Arizona must pull out all the stops to get back over to the win column. The Knights will also be looking to snap a losing streak after their loss to No. 11 BYU. With Arizona's offense in good health, followed by the majority of their defense, the team will look to show they have what it takes for the Big-12 Conference.
