Winners and losers from West Virginia's embarrassing Week 6 loss to Arizona

The West Virginia Mountaineers allowed the most points to an opposing team since Rich Rodriguez returned to the program on Saturday, as the Mountaineers dropped a 52-31 decision against the Arizona Wildcats to mark their third straight loss.

As has been the case over the past few weeks, there were a few bright spots. And unfortunately, quite a few more ugly showings. Let's take a look at what players, coaches, and position groups emerged as the team's "winners" against Arizona, and which emerged as the team's "losers" – think of it as a 'stocks up, stocks down' assessment of the loss.

Winner: Prince Strachan

Fans have been waiting for Strachan to live up to his hype, and that was slowed down by a spring football injury that lingered into the regular season and kept him out for multiple games at the start of the year. A 6-foot-5 receiver is a dangerous weapon if he has the skill to back that size up, and Strachan certainly showed he does with a season-best 121 yards on five receptions.

Loser: Bowl aspirations

Most West Virginia fans assumed that the floor this season was a .500 record and a bowl game to end the year. Now, it looks like the floor might be dead last in the Big 12. Now, they must split their final six games of the season to go bowling, and three of those opponents (Houston, Texas Tech, Utah) are Top 25 teams. The margin for error for making the postseason is getting low for West Virginia.

Winner: RB Room

Cam Cook had his fourth consecutive game with 100-or-more receiving yards on Saturday, with a season-high 34 carries for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Amari Latimer, meanwhile, tallied a season-best 55 rushing yards and scored a touchdown of his own, marking the second score of his career. For all their weaknesses last season, West Virginia's backfield is much improved in 2026.

Loser: Defense

Well, let's not dwell on it too much – we've spilled plenty of ink about it in other articles already, and will have more coming. But Zac Alley's defense continued to look awful, allowing 483 offensive yards and 9.5 yards per play to the Wildcats. The Mountaineers have one of the worst defenses in the country, and they continue to be among the team's "losers" each week.

Winner: Kevin Brown

Brown is a true freshman starting at left tackle, which is an immensely difficult position to be in. But he continues to improve and come into his own each week, and he was the only West Virginia offensive lineman with an above-average pass blocking grade (71.4) and run-blocking grade (68.8) against Arizona on Saturday. He will be a key piece to retain for the Mountaineers next season.

Loser: Rich Rodriguez

Rich Rodriguez has gotten West Virginia's offense looking like a legitmate contender this season, but none of that matters if the defense can't play well enough to get stops. And while Rodriguez isn't calling plays on defense, he is responsible for the program as a whole. There were "fire Rich Rod" signs in the crowd on Saturday, and a third straight loss won't help them go away any time soon.

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