TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona State Sun Devils (6-3, 4-2) are nearing, if not already in, do-or-die mode as they head into Saturday morning’s matchup against the West Virginia Mountaineers (4-6, 2-5) at Mountain America Stadium.
ASU football enters the matchup riding high following a close victory over the Iowa State Cyclones and a bye. ASU coach Kenny Dillingham gave the team the week off during the bye to recover from an “emotional season.”
West Virginia is also flying into Tempe hot. The Mountaineers have won back-to-back games for the first time this season, one of which came in Houston against the No. 22 Cougars.
The Cougars defeated the Sun Devils just one week prior, 24-16.
The running game is set to play a key role for ASU
The run game will play a significant role for each offense. Sixth-year quarterback Jeff Sims, who will start his third game of the season in the absence of sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt, will play a key role.
His 405-yard day against ISU was a leap in the right direction for the 6-foot-4-inch quarterback.
“I thought he threw the ball very well,” Dillingham said. “He controlled the perimeters, throwing the screens, whatever we asked him to do…he did a really good job taking what the defense gave him.”
His 228-yard rushing performance broke the ASU single-game rushing record by a quarterback, and Sims won the AP National Player of the Week award.
Sims will once again be heading into the matchup without star junior wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, Dillingham announced Wednesday.
Senior tight end Chamon Metayer has continued to play a big role in the offense, reeling in 189 yards over the last three weeks. Senior wide receiver Malik McClain and junior wide receiver Jalen Moss have both seen heightened production following the Tyson injury.
West Virginia will be run-heavy, too
West Virginia’s offense also features a lot of quarterback runs, something that has been a prominent struggle for the Sun Devils defense.
Mountaineer quarterbacks have rushed for over 650 yards this season. The Utah, Texas Tech, and Houston games featured the ASU defense getting dominated by the quarterback run.
In those three weeks, the Sun Devils allowed 284 yards on the ground to the starting quarterback. They punched the ball into the endzone a combined six times.
ASU managed to keep Iowa State’s junior quarterback Rocco Becht in check, only allowing six yards. Becht, however, is not as run-heavy as previous quarterback matchups or future ones.
West Virginia’s freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. has started the last three games after taking over for the injured freshman quarterback Khalil Wilkins.
Fox comes into the matchup averaging 61.5 rushing yards per game over his last two games, and he’s combined for 359 yards through the air with four total touchdowns.
The Sun Devils have lost both games in 2025 when they have allowed over 50 yards rushing to the quarterback.
“That’s why coach Rodriguez always wins games,” Dillingham said. “He’s dedicated to the plus one run, and he’s won a lot of games doing it.”
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