WVU football lost a heartbreaking 25-23 battle against Arizona State on Saturday in Tempe, officially falling out of contention for bow eligibility and moving to 4-7 overall with the loss. Here are some initial takeaways from the brutal defeat.
Cyncir Bowers Breakout Game
Sophomore running back Cyncir Bowers was the star of the game for West Virginia, as he racked up 132 all-purpose yards and one touchdown on the afternoon. He carried the ball 13 times for 42 yards, and hauled in two receptions for 89 yards and one touchdown – with the score coming on a 90-yard reception on what stands as the fourth-longest touchdown pass in program history. Nearly following in Diore Hubbard's footsteps from the previous week, Bowers was one-yard short in the receiving game of having a WVU tailback as the leading rusher and leading receiver for WVU on Saturday.
A Hard Edge Has Emerged
WVU won two games in a row entering this weekend, and four on the season – but this might have been the most 'hard edge' performance from the Mountaineers since the overtime comeback win against Pitt in The Backyard Brawl.
The Mountaineers went up 3-0 early, but was outscored 22-7 in the second quarter and struggled often to get their offense going. But WVU continued to fight, blocking a field goal to keep the game within 12 points and scoring a massive touchdown on 3rd & 27 with their backs against the wall. Despite the loss, WVU fought their tails off and took a double-digit favorite down to the wire in a road environment, and showed the type of fight expected of a Rich Rodriguez-led team.
It's Time To Look Towards Next Season
The Mountaineers are now down to one game left on the schedule, with a bye week sandwiched in between. Don't get it twisted – Rich Rodriguez will be playing to win against a highly-ranked Texas Tech team. But there will be no postseason for WVU, and the bye week will give the coaching staff a chance to do some in-depth evaluation and decide what roster pieces they want to keep and what roster pieces they're willing to part with. It's a time to gauge what has worked and what hasn't, and who is best equipped to build on the foundation laid so far.
The staff also will double-down on recruiting as they're in multiple massive recruiting battles for big-time targets, and players across the nation have already started to announce their intentions to enter the transfer portal. Big visits will be lined up for the final home game against Texas Tech. It's been an interesting season, and it's one that technically isn't over, but a lot of attention will now start turning to 2026 with bowl eligibility no longer in play.