The Arizona Wildcats lost to West Virginia in their first-ever matchup

On Saturday, the Arizona Wildcats failed to win against the West Virginia Mountaineers in their first-ever faceoff. Arizona's recent move to the Big 12 Conference sparked this new matchup; Give Arizona a good taste of the Big-12.

After a scoreless first quarter for the Wildcats, they were able to keep pace with West Virginia by one touchdown and didn't surpass the Mountaineers until the fourth quarter. Despite Arizona's loss on home soil, several players on West Virginia's front line were able to prevail.

WR Tetairoa McMillan had 202 receiving yards and a touchdown on Family Weekend, leading his team to rally from an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter. McMillan is currently the only Wildcat with multiple receiving games over 200 yards. After a quiet game against Colorado last week, McMillan set out to give the Mountaineers a fair fight.

As for personal victories, TE Sam Olson caught his first touchdown pass since signing with Arizona, pushing the Wildcats closer in the third quarter.

Defensively, Arizona was unable to keep up with the opponent's running game, allowing West Virginia to take an early lead. West Virginia's ability to not only convert but actually score on their fourth downs really dashed Arizona's hopes. The Mountaineers were able to score three times on four downs and wreck Arizona's defense. However, Arizona was only able to hold West Virginia to 198 yards; For the third time this season, they held an opponent to under 200 yards.

Looking ahead to next week, the Wildcats' hopes of a bowl appearance remain questionable as they sit 1-4 in conference play. Next week's matchup against UCF gives Arizona a chance to get back in the win column, especially in the conference standings. Following a pattern of firsts for Arizona, the Wildcats will face back-to-back conference opponents next week for the first time.

UCF is also 1-4 in conference play; Give Arizona a glimmer of hope and try to climb the conference ladder.

Without home advantage, Arizona will have to pull out all the stops to get back into the win column. The Knights will also look to end a losing streak following their loss to No. 11 BYU. With Arizona's offense in good shape and most of its defense in action, the team will look to show that it has what it takes to contend for the Big 12 Conference.