A must-win game that will determine if West Virginia can stay in the Big 12 race pits WVU football against Arizona.

Below are the key storyline to keep an eye during the game.

Rich Rodriguez Evaluating Staff on Development of WVU’s Defense

After two lackluster performances by the WVU defense, head coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff have been searching for answers of how to fix it, and fast.

One aspect Rodriguez has consistently emphasized is putting the players in the right position, something he doesn’t believe he and the staff have done well enough to this point.

“Well, coaching-wise, obviously we got to try to find out about our guys and the right position to put them in more consistently,” Rodriguez said in a press conference on Tuesday. “By now, we should have a pretty good idea what our players’ strengths and weaknesses are so we can plan accordingly, as far as what their responsibilities are on the field.”

On the year, WVU is the 133-ranked FBS team in total defense out of 138 teams. As poorly as that side of the ball has performed, he said it’s not for a lack of effort.

“It’s frustrating because our guys are all working hard, our players are working hard, and, you know, we just haven’t had the results and haven’t played like we need to and the way we should be playing on defense,” Rodriguez said.

Inside Arizona Defensive Coordinator’s Nightmare About WVU Offense

While WVU football fans are losing sleep because of their team’s defense, Arizona’s defensive coordinator is staying up at night thinking of a different nightmare.

Arizona’s Danny Gonzales let reporters in on the secret of his recent reoccurring nightmare about facing Rich Rodriguez and the Mountaineer offense. In Gonzales’ dreams, Mike Hawkins and Cam Cook put up nearly 100 points on the Wildcats.

“It was nightmarish. And you know what? They’re more than capable of doing that, which is the scary part,” Gonzales told reporters. He then explained his appreciation for Rodriguez and his track record.

WVU Football Ready to Fully Unleash JaCorey Thomas, Jason Chambers

Needing all the help they can get, WVU unleashed newcomer JaCorey Thomas and the returning Jason Chambers at Iowa State. Their 2026 debuts didn’t end up mattering, as West Virginia still allowed 577 yards to the Cyclones in the 45-42 loss.

But despite the overall struggles of the defensive unit, Alley was still mostly pleased with how Thomas and Chambers played in limited roles. However, the limited part will change moving forward.

Alley plans to unlock more from both players, most notably Thomas – he has the pedigree of being a starter in the SEC and experiencing a College Football Playoff game on his resume. Thomas recorded three solo tackles and Chambers registered four in total, with a pair credited as solo.

Alley believes they “can really help the team” and are now ready to be out there for more snaps.

Mountaineer Report: Can Zac Alley Fix the WVU Defense?

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With the defensive struggles at front and center all week, Mike Asti and Luke Blain spend a whole show talking about why the WVU defense has been so bad, what Zac Alley said and how much of a leash he should receive moving forward.

Despite returning home to Milan Puskar Stadium, West Virginia’s back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State and Iowa State have prompted major sportsbooks to make Arizona as much as a 3-point favorite.

Find more coverage of the WVU football program at WV Sports Now.

For a related story, Mike Asti details why WVU shouldn’t be behind who they’re behind.