What will it take for the West Virginia Mountaineers to keep their hopes of bowl eligibility alive as they travel to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils? West Virginia is certainly playing the best football they have all season as they’re riding a two-game winning streak, including a road win over a ranked Houston team. If Coach Rodriguez and his squad are able to pull off another upset, here’s what we think will prove to be the difference makers in the matchup.
1. Force Jeff Sims to beat you through the air
With Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on in his injured foot, Jeff Sims has taken over at quarterback. The 23-year-old Sims has had a long career that began at Georgia Tech in 2020. In his one start prior to the bye week, Sims rushed for 228 yards and 2 touchdowns on 29 carries, setting a new school record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game. Sims’ most dangerous trait is what he is capable of doing in the running game. His video game-like performance led the Sun Devils to a road win over Iowa State.
On the flip side, West Virginia has faced several dual-threat quarterbacks this season and has yet to allow one to reach the 100-yard mark. Expect WVU DC Zac Alley to seek to force Sims to throw the ball. Sims has 33 touchdown passes to go along with 30 interceptions throughout his career. West Virginia must seek to (as much as they can) make Sims one-dimensional.
2. Take some pressure off of Scotty Fox Jr.
While this point is about “pressure,” we’re not directly talking about the performance of the WVU offensive line, though that is important. Over the course of the last two weeks (two wins for WVU), skill-position players have stepped up within the offense. Diore Hubbard carried the ball 29 times for 108 yards and a touchdown in the win against Houston. Hubbard followed that up with 158 total yards in the win over Colorado, including hauling in a wheel route from Scotty Fox Jr. for 69 yards. Against Houston, Jeff Weimer and Rodney Gallagher III combined for 120 yards on 8 catches.
The play of Scotty Fox Jr. has undoubtedly made a significant difference for the Mountaineer offense, but he’s not doing it alone. If West Virginia wants to pull off another upset, Fox Jr. is going to need a little help from his friends.
3. Put the Arizona State offense in 3rd & long situations
With the success that Arizona State has had in the running game recently, and the underwhelming passing statistics that Jeff Sims has posted during his career, forcing the Sun Devils into difficult 3rd down situations would be ideal for West Virginia. If Arizona State is hoping to run the football on early downs, WVU should counter by selling out against the run, and again, looking to force Sims to beat you with his arm.
4. Force Turnovers
A double-digit road underdog’s two best friends are interceptions and fumble recoveries. As a road underdog a couple of weeks ago, West Virginia faced a Houston team that turned the ball over four times in a 10-point victory for the Mountaineers. Simply put, in order to win this game, you are going to have to win the turnover battle, and possibly by a margin of two or more.