With football season fast approaching, let’s look back on how West Virginia has done against Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah.
Arizona
The West Virginia Mountaineers and Arizona Wildcats have never played each other in football before. However, that will change this season with West Virginia traveling to Tuscon for a match-up on October 26th.
Arizona State
West Virginia and Arizona State have played each other twice in their histories. Their first game came in 1979, with the Sun Devils unceremoniously defeating the Mountaineers 42-7. As a result of this loss, former West Virginia head coach Frank Cignetti would be fired a few days later by former West Virginia University athletic director Dick Martin. This made way for Don Nehlen’s 21-year tenure as head coach for the program.
Their second game came in the Cactus Bowl in 2016. Quarterback Skyler Howard led West Virginia with 532 passing yards and five passing touchdowns. His fifth touchdown came with 2:19 left, as Howard hit wide receiver David Sills on a 15-yard pass. Arizona State quarterback Mike Bercovici threw for 418 yards and four touchdowns, but the Sun Devils couldn’t out-duel West Virginia.
Colorado
The Mountaineers faced the Buffaloes in a home-and-home series in 2008 and 2009, with the teams splitting the games. West Virginia traveled to Boulder, Colorado in 2008 and fell in overtime 17-14. The Mountaineers were only able to provide 43 passing yards from quarterback Pat White to assist their steadfast rushing offense. Colorado quarterback Cody Hawkins hit 22 of his 33 throws for 179 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Buffaloes to victory.
2009 was a different story with the Buffaloes coming to Morgantown. While Hawkins threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns, he also threw three interceptions. Running back Noel Devine averaged 10 yards per carry, rushing for 220 yards and a touchdown in the game. While Colorado kept it competitive, the Mountaineers walked away with a 35-24 win.
Utah
West Virginia and Utah have faced each other twice, but they have never played in either team’s home stadium. Their first meeting came in the 1964 Liberty Bowl squaring off in Atlantic City, New Jersey in Atlantic City’s Convention Hall, now known as the Boardwalk Hall. In that Bowl match-up, Utah would roll over the Mountaineers 32-6. Quarterback Allen McCune struggled against the Utes, throwing four interceptions and totaling -14 yards on the day.
The schools wouldn’t play each other again for another 53 years until they were invited to play in the Heart of Dallas Bowl in 2017. Utah would seize the day behind their future NFL talents with running back Zack Moss’s 150 yards and touchdown on the ground. Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley would pile on with two rushing touchdowns of his own. With West Virginia quarterback Chris Chugunov throwing two interceptions to safety Julian Blackmon, the Mountaineers would fall to the Utes by a final score of 30-14.
Looking to the Future
While West Virginia has a combined 2-4 record amongst these opponents, history has a chance to be rewritten within the next two seasons. The Mountaineers will face all four schools within the next two seasons, as they’ll play Arizona for the first time in 2024 and the remaining three schools in 2025 during the regular season. These upcoming games provide an exciting opportunity for West Virginia to not only improve their record against them, but to also create new memories and milestones in their history with these teams.
