MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia is one of two Big 12 Conference football teams that have scored at least 25 touchdowns this season.

The Mountaineers have reached the end zone 25 times in five games this season. They're also converting on 86% of their red-zone trips.

Still, despite averaging 37.4 points per game, which is No. 4 in the conference, West Virginia is 3-2 heading into Saturday's contest against Arizona.

The Mountaineers' high-speed attack has been a cornerstone for their offensive prowess, with quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. and running back Cam Cook leading the charge.

West Virginia is going against an Arizona defense ranked No. 28 nationally in scoring defense, allowing 16.6 points per game.

"Offensively explosive, crazy tempo team. A lot of plus-one run game with the quarterback," Arizona coach Brent Brennan said of WVU. "They want to run the football. They do a great job of that. Their running back is a total stud, he's run for a ton of yards. Lots of explosive plays.

"The quarterback is a stud, a total badass. That'll be a great challenge for us."

Hawkins is tied for No. 1 nationally in rushing touchdowns with Florida's Jadan Baugh with 11.

In each of WVU's last four games, he's had at least two touchdowns, with the Virginia and Oklahoma State games seeing him rush for three.

Hawkins also ranks No. 21 nationally in total offense, as he's accumulated 1,410 yards in five games.

"He's super-twitchy and powerful with acceleration," Brennan said. "This is a whole different challenge for us."

West Virginia's rushing attack has been leaps and bounds ahead of last year's showing.

The Mountaineers, in their first five games in 2025, rushed for 1,080 yards, while this year's squad has totaled 1,480 yards over that same span on the ground. That's a 37% increase.

West Virginia is also the only Division I FBS team to have multiple players rush for at least 570 yards this season, which are Cook and Hawkins.

Cook is No. 2 nationally with 652 yards.

"We've certainly run the ball better," WVU coach Rich Rodriguez said. "Pretty consistently with it. We're still breaking in a lot of new guys. Mike has played pretty well. Every game, he's continuing to learn.

"Offensively, we're playing well enough the last couple games, but we didn't play well enough defensively."

Still, there are problems, according to Rodriguez, that need to be addressed.

"It's easier for me to understand the problems," Rodriguez said. "But we meet every day as a staff. Obviously, I'm very hands-on offensively."

Arizona in its two conference games has held its opponents to an average of 296 yards, which is No. 4 in the league.

The Wildcats limited Cincinnati to 227 yards, with 74 yards coming in the run game, last week. The Bearcats entered that game averaging 478 yards per game.

Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales has had nightmares about WVU's spread, even dating back to the summer, he said.

"They're capable of doing that, which is the scary part," Gonzales said. "They put a lot of points on everybody. I was wondering, 'What do they do that got me dreaming about it?' Rich Rod is unbelievable. Schematically, he does unbelievable things with who he has. It doesn't matter.

"I've never been to West Virginia. This will be my first trip out there. When I was 12 years old and Major Harris was the quarterback there, they played Notre Dame. I can remember what a stud that guy was."

Gonzales continued: "They've got such a rich tradition of football that was probably in the back of my head while I was trying to sleep. That scares me. They can do it, and that's what scares me."

Arizona has yet to allow its opposition to score more than 30 points. The Wildcats allowed three teams to get over that mark last season.

Saturday's contest will be Arizona's first trip to the Mountain State.

The only other time the Wildcats and Mountaineers shared the field came in 2024, when WVU won 31-26.

Taylor Kennedy covers sports. He can be reached at 304-348-7935 or tkennedy@hdmediallc.com. Follow @Taylor_kennedy7 on Twitter.

Originally published on wvgazettemail.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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