The West Virginia Mountaineers won the Cactus Bowl, 43-42, on January 2nd, 2016. The opponent? The Arizona State Sun Devils.
WVU will travel to Tempe for the third-ever showdown between the two programs on November 15th. Read more: Tale of the Tape: 2025 WVU Football Opponent #11 – Arizona State
About Arizona State
Arizona State is riding high into the 2025 season, and for good reason. The Sun Devils are coming off an appearance in the CFP against Texas, falling just short of a Cotton Bowl berth.
ASU is no stranger to success. The Sun Devils have won 18 conference championships and collected 15 bowl victories throughout the program’s history. 2024 might have been the best season in the history of the program, though.
Despite the stellar campaign from the year before, the 2025 Sun Devils won’t have a workhorse such as Cam Skattebo in the backfield. To no surprise, there was a hefty roster turnover in Tempe during the offseason. This will not hinder ASU’s efforts to prove everyone wrong again.
This past summer, before the season began, Arizona State was projected to finish last in the Big 12 standings. Based on the on-field performance that followed, it’s safe to say the polls were incorrect.
Regarding the Matchup
Despite two extensive program histories, the Mountaineers have only faced the Sun Devils twice on the gridiron. The series is split, 1-1, with WVU taking the most recent game in the aforementioned Cactus Bowl on January 2nd, 2016.
The only other time the two teams have met was on November 17th, 1979. The Mountaineers traveled to the “Grand Canyon State,” only to be sent packing following a 42-7 drubbing.
On the same weekend, two days short of being 46 years apart, WVU and ASU will play their second-ever regular-season game against each other. The 2025 meeting will be held at the same venue as the 1979 contest, now under corporate sponsorship.
Formerly known as Sun Devil Stadium, Mountain America Stadium currently has a listed capacity of 53,599. It can be a tough place to play, as the Sun Devils went 6-0 at home in 2024. WVU will try to pick up its first win at the stadium in the program’s second visit.
Defense has been an issue for WVU in both games against ASU, with the Mountaineers allowing 42 points per meeting. If the Sun Devils’ offense from 2024 is any indication, West Virginia will have to batten down the hatches. Arizona State averaged nearly 33 points per game this past season.
Small Connection
West Virginia and Arizona State do not share many similarities outside of sharing a conference since 2024. One connection, however, is WVU Head Coach Rich Rodriguez.
From 2012 to 2018, Rodriguez was the head coach of the Sun Devils’ in-state rival, the Arizona Wildcats. Despite many successes throughout his career, Rodriguez went just 2-5 against ASU.
Maybe his luck swings in the other direction now that he’s wearing the old gold and blue.
Related: The Rich Rodriguez Show – Live From Kegler’s
Tune In
No kickoff time has been set for the matchup between West Virginia and Arizona State. Regardless of the time, WV Sports Nation will have all the coverage you need.
All Mountaineer football games will be broadcast on 100.9 FM The Torch and its nine affiliate stations. For more WVU football content and all things West Virginia sports, stay up to date with WV Sports Nation.
Note: Even though Tale of the Tape has typically been a weekend piece, the 12th and final entry will be published on Monday, August 25th. This is to accommodate for content leading up to the 2025 season opener against Robert Morris.
Tale of the Tape: 2025 WVU Football Opponent #11 – Arizona State
