West Virginia brings their up tempo offense to Tempe

Throughout the season, the Sun Devils have faced primarily passing based offenses; occasionally with a tempo factor but usually with the same base structure.

This Saturday, the Mountaineers of West Virginia will bring a different look offense to the gridiron.

Under (second term) first-year head coach Rich Rodriguez, the Mountaineers have transitioned to to a run-based spread offense that likes to work the tempo to their advantage with the no-huddle. With two and three tight end formations in their playbook, as well as heavy packages in short-yardage situations, West Virginia's goal is to keep the clock moving while also keeping the opposing defense off-balance.

Unfortunately, injuries have been uncooperative for the Mountaineers throughout the season. Week 1 starting quarterback Nicco Marchiol went down for the season with a foot injury Week 4 against Kansas. His replacement Jaylen Henderson has also been sidelined since Week 5 against Utah, but was reportedly on the mend according to Coach Rodriguez two weeks ago. Third-stringer Khalil Wilkins was the next to go down, sidelined since October 18th against UCF. That left just two scholarship quarterbacks healthy on the roster, Max Brown and Scotty Fox Jr. Brown's contribution has been limited to 2 rushing attempts for 19 yards, but the true freshman Fox has emerged to win the starting job, leading the Mountaineers to a 2-1 record since taking over three weeks ago against TCU.

In his three starts, he's compiled an impressive 63.7% completion rate for 660 yards with 4 TDs against 2 INTs. He's shown some ability with his feet, though not enough to truly fit in with the run first offensive scheme, tallying 109 yards and 2 TDs. The upcoming injury reports will give a clearer picture of what the Sun Devil defense could see under center, but if Henderson is deemed healthy enough to play, look for him to get some reps to get the ground game moving.

West Virginia's backfield has been hit hard by injuries as well, but the player to watch for is redshirt freshman Diore Hubbard. After starting the season in a reserve back role, Hubbard enjoyed a breakout game on the ground, rushing for 108 yards and a touchdown in a 45-35 upset win at Houston. He followed that up a week later with a 64 yard rushing performance and 6 catches for 94 yards, earning him Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Week honors. Coming on the heels of Fox earning those same honors a week prior, this freshman tandem will be a threat to the Sun Devil defense.

With the inconsistency at quarterback, the wide receiving room has suffered to this point in the season. Cam Vaughn comes in to this week as the Mountaineers' leading receiver with 30 catches for 462 yards and 4 TDs. The key for Fox since he's won the starting job has been the way he has spread the ball around to his receivers. At least 6 different receivers have caught a pass in his three games, with an incredible 9 receivers with at least one catch in his first start against TCU. Vaughn led the way with 6 catches for 85 yards against TCU, followed by Jeff Weimer with 3 catches for 67 yards at Houston, wrapping up with Hubbard's performance last week against Colorado. Rodney Gallagher III has also been a useful weapon with 5 catches each against TCU and Houston, but West Virginia has not been afraid to reach deep into the depth chart to find targets for Fox to throw to.

At 4-6 this season, the Mountaineers bring an offense that should not be overlooked. Bowl eligibility is still on the table, and they will be fighting for every down to make sure that remains a possibility.

The Sun Devils and Mountaineers will kick off from Mountain America Stadium at 11am on TNT.