Countdown to Kickoff: Mountaineers Making First Regular Season Visit to Tempe Since 1979
November 15, 2025 09:00 AM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia is making its first visit to Tempe, Arizona, to play Arizona State in its football stadium since 1979.
That year, the Mountaineers were struggling in coach Frank Cignetti's fourth season at the helm, and the mood had grown dark within the program. It was said that longtime Charleston Gazette sportswriter Shorty Hardman cornered then-West Virginia athletic director Dick Martin in the back of the press box at Sun Devils Stadium to ask him if he was going to fire Cignetti at the end of the season.
Martin, taken back by the audacity of Shorty's question, replied, "Shorty, if you don't back up, I'm going to punch you right in the nose!"
Hardman did back up and Martin did end up firing Cignetti shortly after the team's season-ending 42-7 loss to the Sun Devils.
Of course, today, the circumstances are not quite as dire for West Virginia.
The Mountaineers (4-6 overall and 2-5 in Big 12 play) are rebuilding in veteran coach Rich Rodriguez's second tenure in Morgantown, and the team has demonstrated significant progress over the last two weeks as true freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. continues to become more comfortable behind center.
The first positive step was taken in West Virginia's 23-17 home loss to TCU on Oct. 25 when Fox set school true freshman passing records with 28 completions in 41 attempts for 301 yards and two touchdowns.
A week later, Fox accounted for 222 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in the Mountaineers' 45-35 upset victory at 22nd-ranked Houston. It was the team's first road win against a ranked team since Rodriguez's first tenure here in 2007, and the double-digit win was only the eighth time in school annals that's happened.
Last Saturday, Fox overcame a two-interception performance to lead West Virginia to a hard-fought, 29-22 victory over the Buffaloes. Fox passed for 202 yards and a touchdown, including a beautifully thrown pass to running back Diore Hubbard for a 69-yard gainer, while contributing an additional 58 yards on the ground.
The emergence of Fox has finally stabilized a quarterback position that has seen four different players get starting nods this year.
Speaking of Hubbard, he wasn't even an afterthought on the team's depth chart before the season but has been pressed into action as a result of a rash of injuries to the position. Hubbard ran for a season-high 108 yards in the Houston victory and contributed 64 yards rushing and a team-best 94 yards receiving to earn Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors for the second straight week against Colorado.
The running back position has also been bolstered by the addition of linebacker Curtis Jones Jr., inserted into last Saturday's game against the Buffaloes in goal line situations to produce two of the team's three touchdowns.
Rodriguez indicated earlier this week that Jones could see more extended action with Hubbard battling nagging injuries this week.
Defensively, West Virginia went from having no sacks in its first four Big 12 games against Kansas, Utah, BYU and UCF to a season-high seven last Saturday against Colorado.
The seven sacks were the most by a Mountaineer team since the 2023 Dukes Mayo Bowl win over North Carolina, and the 15 tackles for loss were the most since producing the same total in an 80-7 victory over Rutgers in 2001.
The run defense has now held three straight opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing for the first time in 10 years. Last week, Colorado netted just 51 yards on 38 carries.
Zac Alley's unit has also forced 17 turnovers so far this year, a dramatic improvement from a year ago.
The special teams produced a blocked punt for a safety last Saturday against Colorado, and two weeks ago, got a career long 50-yard field goal from Kade Hensley. Kickoff specialist Nate Flower has helped solidify West Virginia's coverage unit and punter Oliver Straw continues to perform consistently.
In all areas, the Mountaineers have made significant strides since their embarrassing 45-13 loss at UCF back on Oct. 18.
"We have played better compared to playing so poorly earlier in the season, but there was no panic," Rodriguez said of last Saturday's performance against Colorado. "I didn't think we played really well all the time this past weekend but played with more of a sense of maturity if that's the right word. When we made mistakes, guys didn't get down and wasn't looking at the scoreboard or anything like that. Every win is a good win but we're continuing to grow.
"We're still going to have our moments," he added. "We've got two really good opponent left and we're going to have to play better to win those games. Any time you win or play well, you get some confidence and that's the best thing about having a win."
Rodriguez and the players believe their best performance is still out there, and it will be required in the team's final two remaining regular season games starting today at Arizona State (6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big 12), and concluding at home on Saturday, Nov. 29 against eighth-ranked Texas Tech.
The Sun Devils, last year's Big 12 champions who were edged in the first round of the College Football Playoffs by Texas in overtime, still remain in contention to return to Dallas in early December with just two league losses.
However, Arizona State is going to need some help to get back there. Star quarterback Sam Leavitt is out for the rest of the season with a foot injury, joining a long list of key players done for the year. Safety Xavion Alford, a preseason contender for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors, hasn't played since September and won't suit up for the rest of the season.
Arizona State's best player, wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury and he was listed as out for today's game against the Mountaineers. Rodriguez categorized the 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior as "one of the best players he's seen in years."
If not for West Virginia, Arizona State can stake a claim as the unluckiest team in the Big 12 this year regarding season-ending injuries, which is why coach Kenny Dillingham did the rare thing of giving his team a week off to refresh and regroup before returning for a light practice on Monday.
Despite the injuries, the Sun Devils are not devoid of talent.
Backup quarterback Jeff Sims stepped in for Leavitt and rushed for 228 yards and passed for 177 in Arizona State's 24-19 win at Iowa State two weeks ago. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder began his collegiate career at Georgia Tech, played a season at Nebraska in 2023, and has spent the last two years as Leavitt's understudy.
In six collegiate seasons, Sims has passed for 5,273 yards and 33 touchdowns and rushed 1,786 yards and 15 scores.
That's some backup.
"They weren't afraid to run the quarterback," Rodriguez said. "They are going to play with 11 and he played lights out in their last game. Jeff is an experienced guy; played in a lot of big games so I'm sure they feel confident whatever they want to do he can handle."
Raleek Brown has taken over ground gaining responsibilities from Kyson Brown and leads the team with 770 yards and an 85.6 yards-per-game average.
Chamon Metayer (31 catches) and Malik McClain (15 catches) have assumed more of the pass receiving responsibilities during Dyson's absence. Metayer is a 6-foot-4, 255-pound senior tight end.
The Sun Devils are also expected to get back pass rusher Prince Dorbah, whose four sacks and 7 ½ tackles for loss are tied for the team lead.
"They don't have to overload you, blitz and play cover zero to get pressure on you," Rodriguez observed. "They've been able to get pressure but just sending four a lot of times."
Oddsmakers list the Sun Devils as double-digit favorites.
"We're getting ready to make a long trip out to the desert to a place I've been several times before," stated Rodriguez, who faced the Sun Devils six times while coaching at Arizona. "We've got an early kick and they've had an open date with a little extra time so we're going to need to have a good week of practice before we go up against a very talented team. We'll see what happens."
Here is today's Countdown to Kickoff:
10 – WVU ranks sixth this week in conference action with 58 running plays of TEN yards or longer.
9 – Rich Rodriguez ranks NINTH among active coaches with 22 career wins against AP Top 25 teams, including 12 at West Virginia.
8 – The Mountaineers have surpassed 140 yards rushing in all but EIGHT of their last 48 games dating back to the 2022 season.
7 – West Virginia's SEVEN sacks against Colorado were the most in a game since the Duke's Mayo Bowl in 2023, and the most in a regular season game since 2019 at Baylor.
6 – Redshirt freshman running back Diore Hubbard led the team last week with a career-high SIX catches for 94 yards in the Mountaineers' 29-22 victory over Colorado.
5 – The Mountaineers have only lost FIVE of their last 20 games when scoring 30 or more points.
4 – The WVU defense has registered at least FOUR tackles for loss in 37 out of its last 44 games.
3 – Rodriguez has defeated Arizona State THREE times while coaching at Arizona in 2012 (24-17), 2013 (42-35) and 2015 (38-24).
2 – Scotty Fox Jr.'s TWO rushing touchdowns in WVU's 45-35 victory at 22nd-ranked Houston were the most ever in a game by a true freshman quarterback.
1 – West Virginia will be playing its FIRST regular season game in Tempe, Arizona, since 1979 when it faced coach Frank Kush's Arizona State squad at Sun Devils Stadium.
Today's game at Mountain America Stadium will kick off at 1 p.m. ET, 11 a.m. local, and will be televised nationally on TNT/TruTV and HBOMAX (J.B. Long, Mike Golic Jr. and Coy Wire).
A production crew was on-site in Morgantown earlier this week as part of its pregame coverage.
Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield radio coverage begins at 10 a.m. with the GoMart Mountaineer Tailgate Show leading into regular network coverage with Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning at 11 a.m. on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.
That year, the Mountaineers were struggling in coach Frank Cignetti's fourth season at the helm, and the mood had grown dark within the program. It was said that longtime Charleston Gazette sportswriter Shorty Hardman cornered then-West Virginia athletic director Dick Martin in the back of the press box at Sun Devils Stadium to ask him if he was going to fire Cignetti at the end of the season.
Martin, taken back by the audacity of Shorty's question, replied, "Shorty, if you don't back up, I'm going to punch you right in the nose!"
Hardman did back up and Martin did end up firing Cignetti shortly after the team's season-ending 42-7 loss to the Sun Devils.
Of course, today, the circumstances are not quite as dire for West Virginia.
The Mountaineers (4-6 overall and 2-5 in Big 12 play) are rebuilding in veteran coach Rich Rodriguez's second tenure in Morgantown, and the team has demonstrated significant progress over the last two weeks as true freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. continues to become more comfortable behind center.
The first positive step was taken in West Virginia's 23-17 home loss to TCU on Oct. 25 when Fox set school true freshman passing records with 28 completions in 41 attempts for 301 yards and two touchdowns.
A week later, Fox accounted for 222 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in the Mountaineers' 45-35 upset victory at 22nd-ranked Houston. It was the team's first road win against a ranked team since Rodriguez's first tenure here in 2007, and the double-digit win was only the eighth time in school annals that's happened.
Last Saturday, Fox overcame a two-interception performance to lead West Virginia to a hard-fought, 29-22 victory over the Buffaloes. Fox passed for 202 yards and a touchdown, including a beautifully thrown pass to running back Diore Hubbard for a 69-yard gainer, while contributing an additional 58 yards on the ground.
The emergence of Fox has finally stabilized a quarterback position that has seen four different players get starting nods this year.
Speaking of Hubbard, he wasn't even an afterthought on the team's depth chart before the season but has been pressed into action as a result of a rash of injuries to the position. Hubbard ran for a season-high 108 yards in the Houston victory and contributed 64 yards rushing and a team-best 94 yards receiving to earn Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors for the second straight week against Colorado.
The running back position has also been bolstered by the addition of linebacker Curtis Jones Jr., inserted into last Saturday's game against the Buffaloes in goal line situations to produce two of the team's three touchdowns.
Rodriguez indicated earlier this week that Jones could see more extended action with Hubbard battling nagging injuries this week.
Defensively, West Virginia went from having no sacks in its first four Big 12 games against Kansas, Utah, BYU and UCF to a season-high seven last Saturday against Colorado.
The seven sacks were the most by a Mountaineer team since the 2023 Dukes Mayo Bowl win over North Carolina, and the 15 tackles for loss were the most since producing the same total in an 80-7 victory over Rutgers in 2001.
The run defense has now held three straight opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing for the first time in 10 years. Last week, Colorado netted just 51 yards on 38 carries.
Zac Alley's unit has also forced 17 turnovers so far this year, a dramatic improvement from a year ago.
The special teams produced a blocked punt for a safety last Saturday against Colorado, and two weeks ago, got a career long 50-yard field goal from Kade Hensley. Kickoff specialist Nate Flower has helped solidify West Virginia's coverage unit and punter Oliver Straw continues to perform consistently.
In all areas, the Mountaineers have made significant strides since their embarrassing 45-13 loss at UCF back on Oct. 18.
"We have played better compared to playing so poorly earlier in the season, but there was no panic," Rodriguez said of last Saturday's performance against Colorado. "I didn't think we played really well all the time this past weekend but played with more of a sense of maturity if that's the right word. When we made mistakes, guys didn't get down and wasn't looking at the scoreboard or anything like that. Every win is a good win but we're continuing to grow.
"We're still going to have our moments," he added. "We've got two really good opponent left and we're going to have to play better to win those games. Any time you win or play well, you get some confidence and that's the best thing about having a win."
Rodriguez and the players believe their best performance is still out there, and it will be required in the team's final two remaining regular season games starting today at Arizona State (6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big 12), and concluding at home on Saturday, Nov. 29 against eighth-ranked Texas Tech.
The Sun Devils, last year's Big 12 champions who were edged in the first round of the College Football Playoffs by Texas in overtime, still remain in contention to return to Dallas in early December with just two league losses.
However, Arizona State is going to need some help to get back there. Star quarterback Sam Leavitt is out for the rest of the season with a foot injury, joining a long list of key players done for the year. Safety Xavion Alford, a preseason contender for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors, hasn't played since September and won't suit up for the rest of the season.
Arizona State's best player, wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury and he was listed as out for today's game against the Mountaineers. Rodriguez categorized the 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior as "one of the best players he's seen in years."
If not for West Virginia, Arizona State can stake a claim as the unluckiest team in the Big 12 this year regarding season-ending injuries, which is why coach Kenny Dillingham did the rare thing of giving his team a week off to refresh and regroup before returning for a light practice on Monday.
Despite the injuries, the Sun Devils are not devoid of talent.
Backup quarterback Jeff Sims stepped in for Leavitt and rushed for 228 yards and passed for 177 in Arizona State's 24-19 win at Iowa State two weeks ago. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder began his collegiate career at Georgia Tech, played a season at Nebraska in 2023, and has spent the last two years as Leavitt's understudy.
In six collegiate seasons, Sims has passed for 5,273 yards and 33 touchdowns and rushed 1,786 yards and 15 scores.
That's some backup.
"They weren't afraid to run the quarterback," Rodriguez said. "They are going to play with 11 and he played lights out in their last game. Jeff is an experienced guy; played in a lot of big games so I'm sure they feel confident whatever they want to do he can handle."
Raleek Brown has taken over ground gaining responsibilities from Kyson Brown and leads the team with 770 yards and an 85.6 yards-per-game average.
Chamon Metayer (31 catches) and Malik McClain (15 catches) have assumed more of the pass receiving responsibilities during Dyson's absence. Metayer is a 6-foot-4, 255-pound senior tight end.
The Sun Devils are also expected to get back pass rusher Prince Dorbah, whose four sacks and 7 ½ tackles for loss are tied for the team lead.
"They don't have to overload you, blitz and play cover zero to get pressure on you," Rodriguez observed. "They've been able to get pressure but just sending four a lot of times."
Oddsmakers list the Sun Devils as double-digit favorites.
"We're getting ready to make a long trip out to the desert to a place I've been several times before," stated Rodriguez, who faced the Sun Devils six times while coaching at Arizona. "We've got an early kick and they've had an open date with a little extra time so we're going to need to have a good week of practice before we go up against a very talented team. We'll see what happens."
Here is today's Countdown to Kickoff:
10 – WVU ranks sixth this week in conference action with 58 running plays of TEN yards or longer.
9 – Rich Rodriguez ranks NINTH among active coaches with 22 career wins against AP Top 25 teams, including 12 at West Virginia.
8 – The Mountaineers have surpassed 140 yards rushing in all but EIGHT of their last 48 games dating back to the 2022 season.
7 – West Virginia's SEVEN sacks against Colorado were the most in a game since the Duke's Mayo Bowl in 2023, and the most in a regular season game since 2019 at Baylor.
6 – Redshirt freshman running back Diore Hubbard led the team last week with a career-high SIX catches for 94 yards in the Mountaineers' 29-22 victory over Colorado.
5 – The Mountaineers have only lost FIVE of their last 20 games when scoring 30 or more points.
4 – The WVU defense has registered at least FOUR tackles for loss in 37 out of its last 44 games.
3 – Rodriguez has defeated Arizona State THREE times while coaching at Arizona in 2012 (24-17), 2013 (42-35) and 2015 (38-24).
2 – Scotty Fox Jr.'s TWO rushing touchdowns in WVU's 45-35 victory at 22nd-ranked Houston were the most ever in a game by a true freshman quarterback.
1 – West Virginia will be playing its FIRST regular season game in Tempe, Arizona, since 1979 when it faced coach Frank Kush's Arizona State squad at Sun Devils Stadium.
Today's game at Mountain America Stadium will kick off at 1 p.m. ET, 11 a.m. local, and will be televised nationally on TNT/TruTV and HBOMAX (J.B. Long, Mike Golic Jr. and Coy Wire).
A production crew was on-site in Morgantown earlier this week as part of its pregame coverage.
Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield radio coverage begins at 10 a.m. with the GoMart Mountaineer Tailgate Show leading into regular network coverage with Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning at 11 a.m. on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.
| Tale of the Tape | Arizona State | WVU |
| Points Per Game | 24.7 | 23.8 |
| Points Against | 23.7 | 29.6 |
| Rushing Yards Per Game | 187.7 | 182.2 |
| Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game | 123.2 | 141.4 |
| Passing Yards Per Game | 220.8 | 177.1 |
| Passing Yards Allowed Per Game | 211.6 | 259.4 |
| Total Yards Per Game | 408.4 | 359.3 |
| Total Yards Allowed Per Game | 334.8 | 400.8 |
| First Downs For | 199 | 196 |
| First Downs Against | 173 | 208 |
| Fumbles/Lost | 11/4 | 17/7 |
| Interceptions/Return Yards | 6/12 | 10/221 |
| Net Punting | 33.4 | 39.2 |
| Field Goal/Attempts | 18/24 | 9/11 |
| Time of Possession | 33:06 | 27:09 |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 47/137 | 45/150 |
| 3rd Down Conversion Defense | 42/122 | 50/146 |
| 4th Down Conversions | 16/26 | 18/36 |
| 4th Down Conversion Defense | 13/24 | 16/24 |
| Sacks By/Yards Lost | 24/172 | 23/162 |
Players Mentioned
K
/ Football
QB
/ Football
K
/ Football
RB
/ Football
BAN
/ Football
P
/ FootballJeff Weimer | Nov. 15
Saturday, November 15
Eddie Vesterinen | Nov. 15
Saturday, November 15
Rich Rodriguez | Nov. 15
Saturday, November 15
90 YARDS TO THE HOUSE! Bowers Gives WVU the Lead
Saturday, November 15
