Saturday at noon, Milan Puskar Stadium will host a unique College Football matchup: the West Virginia Mountaineers will take on the Arizona Wildcats in a Coal Rush‑themed game broadcast on TNT and truTV. For Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez, it is a personal milestone – the first time he will face a former program he led for six seasons.
Rodriguez reflects on his Arizona tenure
Rodriguez, who guided the Wildcats to a 43‑35 record and bowl appearances in five of his six years, said he has mixed emotions about the game. “It’s probably natural for a coach to have feelings. I have feelings about it, and I’ll keep it to myself,” he explained. “I enjoyed our time there. We had success, bowl games in five out of the six years, good players and big ranked wins too. My daughter was captain of the cheerleading squad and my son was a quarterback there. There were some good times at Arizona.”
Arizona arrives in Morgantown
Arizona enters the contest with a 4‑1 overall record and a 1‑1 mark in Big 12 play. After an opening‑season loss to BYU (28‑17), the Wildcats have rebounded with three straight victories, including a dominant 34‑7 win over Cincinnati last week. Their current head coach, Brent Brennan, is in his third season in Tucson. After a 4‑8 debut, Brennan steered Arizona to a 9‑4 campaign in 2025, capped by a Holiday Bowl appearance.
Rodriguez praised Brennan’s work, noting, “Coach Brennan and his staff have done a great job. They’ve got their program in the right spot and they have good football players. They might be the best team we’ve played so far this year. It’s going to be a great challenge. I want to think our guys are hungry to play and improve themselves.”
Key players to watch
Arizona’s offense will be led by senior quarterback Noah Fifita, who has thrown for 1,415 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions this season. In the two conference games he’s already amassed 514 yards and three scores. Fifita’s longevity at Arizona – a rare five‑year starter – has produced over 10,000 yards of offense and 90‑plus touchdowns. Rodriguez lauded his consistency: “He’s a rarity in college football, a guy that’s been there five years, could’ve left, but he stayed. He’s a very unique guy who can scramble and create vision downfield.”
Defensively, the Wildcats have shown stout run defense, allowing just 111 rushing yards in two Big 12 contests and limiting Cincinnati to 74 yards on the ground last weekend.
Mountaineers’ strengths
West Virginia counters with a potent rushing attack that ranks third nationally in Division I FBS, averaging 294 yards per game. The Mountaineers have recorded 17 rushing touchdowns, tying for sixth in the nation, a key factor as they anticipate Arizona’s aggressive blitz packages. “They are the blitz‑happiest team we’ve played since I’ve come back,” Rodriguez said. “They’ll bring it all the time. That’s who they are. Their identity defensively is to create negative‑yardage plays, and we have to be ready for that.”
Looking ahead
The game not only offers a nostalgic footnote for Rodriguez but also serves as a critical test for both programs in the early Big 12 schedule. A win for West Virginia could boost their conference standing and momentum heading into the remainder of the season, while Arizona hopes to solidify its resurgence under Brennan.
Saturday’s contest will be the first of two straight home games for WVU, with the next week’s matchup against Cincinnati slated for the same venue.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
