Arizona State and West Virginia want to play smashmouth football when they square off Saturday in Tempe, Ariz.
The Sun Devils (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) are 4-1 at home and come off a bye week having picked up a 24-19 win at Iowa State to open November. Quarterback Jeff Sims piled up 235 rushing yards and two touchdowns and Raleek Brown chipped in another 70 yards against the Cyclones.
“From now to the end of time, running the ball and stopping the run is always going to be a recipe to win football games,” ASU coach Kenny Dillingham said. “If you can successfully run it and successfully stop it you’ll win more games than not.”
Sun Devils safety and veteran leader Xavion Alford will miss the rest of the season with an injury. However, ASU expects edge rusher Prince Dorbah and linebacker Tate Romney to return this week.
West Virginia (4-6, 2-5) has won two straight games. The Mountaineers topped Colorado 29-22 last week behind freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr.
He had 202 passing yards, rushed for 72 yards and had a touchdown and an interception.
If you need a moving exhibit of the Mountaineers’ dedication to the ground game, it’s linebacker Curtis Jones Jr.
He converted to running back in short-yardage situations against the Buffaloes and punched in a pair of touchdowns on three total carries for the Mountaineers
“I’m just trying to help my team in any situation I can,” Jones said.
WVU held a commanding edge in rushing yards against Colorado, and was beyond committed to the smashmouth style of play. WVU rushed the ball 53 times for 213 yards and two scores, while the Buffaloes ran 38 times for 126 yards.
In their two-game winning streak, the Mountaineers have outrushed the opposition 459-208 yards. WVU coach Rich Rodriguez said it’s all about settling into his system and being aggressive.
“We know on offense when the snap count is,” Rodriguez said. “So we get to throw the first punch because we know when we are coming off the ball. You’ve got to take that mentality all the time. That’s who we’ve got to be and who we should be all the time.”
