Nov 16, 2025 4 min read

By Spencer Ripchik

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

West Virginia’s quest for a bowl game came to an end Saturday afternoon.

The Mountaineers fell to Arizona State 25-23 to lose their seventh game of the season, knocking WVU out of bowl game contention. The Mountaineers fell to 4-7 on the year, 2-6 in the Big 12. Arizona State moved up to 7-3, with a chance to make the Big 12 title game.

WVU has a bye and then closes out the season against Texas Tech, which is ranked in the top 10, and could be even higher in two weeks.

“Lack of discipline,” Rich Rodriguez said. “That goes back to coaching. Can’t even get lined up on the last play to get the field goal blocked. Lack of discipline, coaching.”

The Mountaineers were close to completing a fourth-quarter comeback. It started with a long 72-yard drive, capped off with a 1-yard Curtis Jones rush. The pass rusher turned running back has now scored three touchdowns in two games. WVU still trailed 22-17.

Then, the defense got a stop, so true freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. had an opportunity to take the lead. The drive only went backwards, and WVU faced a third-and-24. Fox just dumped it off to running back Cyncir Bowers, hoping for some extra punting room, and Bowers followed some blockers and took off for a 90-yard touchdown. The Mountaineers now had the lead 23-22.

Arizona State quarterback Jeff Sims moved his squad into field goal range. Jesus Gomez hit a 49-yard field goal, and ASU was up 25-23 with 2:44 left to play.

Fox had a chance to get his team back into field goal range to win the game. After three plays, WVU gained six yards and faced a fourth-and-4. Fox tried to force in a pass, and Keith Abney intercepted it, ending the game.

Fox, despite the late pick, put on another career performance and threw for 31 times, completing 19 of them for 353 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t get the win, but made the game competitive.

“When they play the run, hard as they play the run, you should be able to have some play action passes,” Rodriguez said. “That kind of goes hand and hand.”

WVU really put itself in a hole in the first half. On the first two drives, WVU made it into the red zone and only came up with three points. Out the first half, the Mountaineers drove down the field again and couldn’t convert.

WVU only need a couple of yards, too, but just couldn’t get any push. Rodriguez was frustrated after the game the team couldn’t punch it in.

“The game would’ve been tied in the first half if we moved that much,” Rodriguez said while making a yard distance with his hands. “I didn’t feel like in the first half they were better than us.”

Meanwhile, the Sun Devils started off slow, punting twice, but found their stride shortly after hitting on a couple big passes, dicing up the WVU secondary.

Sims hit Raleek Brown for a short pass, and it turned into a 33-yard touchdown. He hit Derek Eusebio the drive before for another score. Quickly, WVU scored two touchdowns and went up 15-3 after the Sun Devils went for a fake extra point, where the kicker threw for the 2-point conversion.

After setting the Arizona State quarterback single-game rushing record, Sims rushed for 81 yards. He did more damage with his arm, throwing for three touchdowns and 207 yards.

The Sun Devils as a whole rushed for 123 yards with Sims leading the way. Running back Raleek Brown was behind Sims in rushing going for 53 yards.

It was just a matter of those three empty trips in the red zone. WVU outgained ASU 421 to 330, and had two more first downs.

WVU gets a bye and will look to finish the season on a very high note, if it can upset Texas Tech after Thanksgiving.

“Played hard,” Rodriguez said. “But that’s a given.”