Arizona State Survives West Virginia’s Upset Bid

Saturday, November 15

Tempe, Ariz.

1:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

Arizona State

Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

November 15, 2025 04:47 PM | Football

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By: John Antonik

Arizona State used two goal-line stands and turned away West Virginia three times on fourth down to come away with a 25-23 victory over the upset-minded Mountaineers today at Mountain American Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.

The double-digit-favorite Sun Devils held West Virginia to just 68 rushing yards on 38 attempts and got their only turnover on the Mountaineers' final play of the game.

WVU was just 6 of 15 on third downs and 7 of 19 overall on transition downs.

"You've got to be able to run the ball this much (holding his two fingers together)," an upset West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said afterward. "When you can't run for more than 68 yards, you don't deserve to win the game."

Backup quarterback Jeff Sims completed 19-of-28 passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns and ran 17 times for 81 yards to lead the Sun Devil offense.

Mountaineer true freshman Scotty Fox Jr. passed for a season-high 353 yards and two touchdowns, completing passes to nine different players.

Cyncir Bowers caught two of them for 89 yards and added 42 yards rushing to give him 131 yards from scrimmage.

"When you play the run as hard as they do, you are going to hit some play action passes," Rodriguez said.

West Virginia (4-7 overall and 2-6 in Big 12 play) used the early 11 a.m. local start time to its advantage by stopping the Sun Devils on their opening possession and then turning that into points when Kade Hensley booted a 29-yard field goal.

The Mountaineers got a 14-yard run from Fox and a 19-yard Fox-to-Rodney Gallagher III pass play before the drive stalled at ASU's 11.

WVU got right back into Arizona State territory on its next possession, Fox beginning the drive with completions off 11 yards to Cam Vaughn and 16 yards to Jarod Bowie, but the Sun Devil defense stiffened near its goal line.

West Virginia, facing a fourth and 2 at the ASU 6, bypassed another Hensley field goal and Fox's pass intended for Jeff Weimer fell incomplete in the end zone.

Arizona State, outgained 114 to 29 in the first quarter, found its way in the second quarter.

Sims completed passes of 24, 21 and 25 yards, leading to his 6-yard touchdown toss to 255-pound tight end Chamon Metayer.

Following West Virginia's three-and-out possession, it took ASU just four plays to return to the end zone after Oliver Straw's 26-yard punt gave it the ball at WVU's 40. On first and 15 at the 31, after a false start penalty, Sims flipped a short pass to Derek Eusebio who ran 19 yards for a touchdown.

ASU lined up for the conversion kick but instead snapped the ball to place kicker Jesus Gomez, who flipped a pass to a wide-open Cameron Harpole for the two-point conversion, making the score 15-3 Sun Devils.

That scored lasted 11 seconds, or the time it took Fox to complete a quick slant to Jeff Weimer for a 75-yard touchdown.

After an exchange of possessions, Arizona State took over at its 31 with 4:30 left in the half. Raleek Brown and Sims runs netted 21 yards, setting up Sims' 15-yard pass to Eusebio to the WVU 33 ahead of the two-minute timeout.

Two incomplete passes later, Sims found Brown out of the backfield, and he took the pass 33 yards untouched into the end zone. This time, Gomez kicked the conversion to give the Sun Devils a 22-10 lead with 1:41 left in the second quarter.

Neither team could get a first down to conclude the first half.

West Virginia began the third quarter with another long drive that got deep into Arizona State territory. Facing fourth and 1 at the ASU 7, Curtis Jones Jr. got 3 yards to the 4, but his second fourth-down carry from the 2 was stopped just short of the goal line, turning the ball over to the Sun Devils on downs.

Both teams had two possessions in the third quarter without scoring, and Greg Genross blocked Gomez's 46-yard field goal attempt to begin the fourth quarter.

Starting at its own 28, West Virginia got a Fox 17-yard pass to Grayson Barnes out to the 45, and then a 26-yarder to Vaughn that gave the Mountaineers a first and goal at the 8. Four yards were added on a roughing the passer penalty Clayton Smith for a high hit on Fox, setting up Jones' 1-yard touchdown run, his third in the last two games.

The drive covered 72 yards in 10 plays while consuming 3:26 of game time.

West Virginia's defense came up with two big plays, tackling Sims for a 6-yard loss and sacking him on third down, requiring Krew Jackson to punt the ball back to West Virginia.

The drive began at the 27 but went backwards 17 yards to the 10 on a holding penalty and a sack, making it third and 27.

Fox completed a pass to Bowers out to the right flat, and he weaved his way down the field for a 90-yard touchdown. He picked up a great block from Weimer at the 20 and made five Sun Devil defenders miss before falling into the end zone in exhaustion.

It was third-longest touchdown pass in school history and the longest since Rasheed Marshall's 93-yard scoring pass to Travis Garvin against Virginia Tech in 2003.

The Mountaineers used their final timeout on the two-point conversion, which ended up being an unsuccessful Jones run.

Arizona began at its 29 and got out of a hole when Braden Seiders was called for roughing the passer penalty on Sims' errant pass to Jalen Moss. That moved the ball to the 46. A Sims 9-yard run on third and 2 got the ball to WVU's 37, but the Mountaineer defense stiffened at the 31.

Gomez came on to kick a 49-yard field goal, giving the Sun Devils a 25-23 lead with 2:44 left.

A Fox pass to Weimer gained 12 yards to the Mountaineer 37, but two more passes to Weimer gained just 3 yards ahead of the two-minute timeout.

A short Fox pass to Bowie made it fourth and 4 at the 44. His next one went into the arms of Keith Abney II at the 49 and the Sun Devils were able to run out the clock.

West Virginia was penalized five times for 70 yards, four of those coming on personal foul penalties called on the defense.

The loss snaps West Virginia's two-game losing streak and eliminates the Mountaineers from bowl contention.

WVU will conclude its season at Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 29 against eighth-ranked Texas Tech.

Arizona State boosts its overall record to 7-3, and with two conference losses, remains in contention for its second straight Big 12 championship game berth.