Arizona went to Morgantown without its three starting wide receivers, and sophomore Isaiah Mizell had six catches for 183 yards against West Virginia on Saturday. Two of them were touchdown passes from quarterback Noah Fifita as the Wildcats sealed a 52-31 win.
Mizell entered the day with 13 catches for 176 yards this season, and his career high had been 67 yards, set in last week's win over Cincinnati.
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Isaiah Mizell Steps Up as Injuries Thin Arizona's Receiver Room
Arizona's receiver room thinned out in that 34-7 win over Cincinnati. Tre Spivey, who had 22 catches for 314 yards this season, broke his foot and is out for the season, head coach Brent Brennan confirmed Monday. Chris Hunter and Giovanni Richardson also left that game injured.
Before kickoff, Justin Spears wrote that Brandon Phelps, Rodney Gallagher III and Mizell would start at receiver. "Those three are replacing the injured Tre Spivey, Chris Hunter and Gio Richardson."
Arizona's coaches had vouched for the backups. "Those young players are ready to play," Brennan said after the Cincinnati game.
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EVERY QB, GRADED: PFN's CFB QB Impact Rankings
Seth Doege, who runs Arizona's offense, said this week he would not shake up the game plan much and that Mizell "has put a lot on tape so far and has made some big-time plays." He extended that confidence to the whole group. "We have full faith that they'll be just as productive."
That faith was repaid, with PNHX Wildcats referring to the performance as the "Isaiah Mizell legacy game,"
He caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Fifita in the first quarter Saturday for a 7-3 lead. His second touchdown came with 13 seconds left in the third quarter, after West Virginia had pulled within 31-24.
The touchdown came on a slant and put Arizona up 38-24. West Virginia's Cam Cook answered with a 1-yard touchdown run, but Fifita, who threw all three of Arizona's touchdown passes, found Phelps for a 42-yard score, and Antwan Roberts Jr. added a 30-yard touchdown run.
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West Virginia ran 76 times for 303 yards, but Cook lost two fumbles, and Lee Molette III returned one 32 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.
How Noah Fifita and Mizell Compare With Big 12 Rivals
The question is whether one game makes Fifita and Mizell the Big 12's best quarterback-receiver pairing. Fifita entered Saturday with 1,415 passing yards and 13 touchdown passes in five games.
West Virginia's defense also invites a caveat. Mountaineers defensive coordinator Zac Alley said this week that he thought his unit was the worst defense in college football.
Fifita's PFN Impact grade of 85.7 through Week 5 ranks tied for 15th of 165 graded and qualified FBS quarterbacks, with Houston's Conner Weigman and Utah's Devon Dampier among those above him.
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BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier's PFN Impact grade of 85.1 through Week 5 ranks 22nd of 165 graded and qualified FBS quarterbacks.
EVERY WR, GRADED: PFN's CFB WR Impact Rankings
BYU, meanwhile, holds the head-to-head result. The Cougars beat Arizona 28-17 in Provo on Sept. 12, when Bachmeier threw three touchdown passes, two to Kyler Kasper, and Fifita threw for 230 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
One fan took Arizona's big day as a compliment to BYU. "That BYU win is looking better and better. Fifita is a stud."
No. 8 BYU beat Iowa State 24-10 on Friday. Bachmeier threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard score to Legend Glasker, and ran for 109 yards.
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