On Saturday, the Arizona Wildcats came into Morgantown, West Virginia and laid a smack down on the Mountaineers, winning 52-31. The offense, which was without its top three receivers, was humming most of the day. The defense, who was subjugated to 104 plays from the Mountaineer offense, held them to an average of five yards per play. That is a great stat when you consider that WVU gained 522 yards, but again, on 104 plays.
Arizona had plenty of positives throughout the day, so let’s delve into who stood out as the Players of the Game.
Offense: Isaiah Mizell, WR
- Game Stats: 6 rec, 183 yds, 2 TD
I think it is safe to say that Mizell has arrived. West Virginia really did not have an answer for him and he was open pretty much from the opening snap. Besides his excellent route running, Mizell was able to show off his speed. There were multiple instances of Mizell getting behind the defense with ease, to include a 48-yard bomb he caught at the beginning of the second half. And this isn’t to mention his 72-yard touchdown sprint or the fact that he should’ve had more yards but the WVU decided to commit PIs instead of let Mizell catch the ball.
Defense: Jay’Vion Cole, CB
- Game Stats: 4 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 FF
I went back-and-forth on this one, but I’m confident in picking Cole. First and foremost, Cole was very good in coverage. His presence was missed in the second half after he came off the field with an injury. His PBU on the opening drive while WVU was driving forced the Mountaineers to settle for a field goal. Second, he played the run well, which isn’t something one would expect from him. Finally, his experience showed at the end of the first half. With the Wildcats up 24-17, West Virginia was marching down the field with eyes set on tying the game up. On 2nd and Goal from the two-yard line, Cam Cook took the hand-off to the right of the line and ran into a wall. Cole came in and ripped the ball out and it was recovered by Taye Brown. Just a fantastic play all around and ensured that Arizona stayed out front the rest of the game.
Special Teams: Chase Ridley, P
- Game Stats: 3 punts, 109 yds, 36.3 yds per punt, 41-yd long, 1 Inside the 20
Nothing too crazy here. Ridley came in and did his job well. His one punt inside the 20-yard line pinned the Mountaineers at their own 8-yard line. Even though the defense subsequently gave up a long touchdown drive after the punt, Ridley did his job and gave his team a chance.
Honorable Mention:
- Noah Fifita, QB: 16-for-23, 341 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT; 3 car, 1 yd
- Brandon Phelps, WR: 4 rec, 88 yds, 1 TD
- Antwan Roberts Jr., RB: 7 car, 63 yds, 1 TD
- Cam Chapa, S: 15 tackles, 1 TFL
- Quinn Olson, S: 9 tackles, 2 TFL
- Lee Molette III, S: 7 tackles, 1 FR, 32-yd TD