Breaking down the most troubling numbers from Kansas State’s loss to Arizona
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas State fell to 1-3 after a 23-17 road loss to Arizona on Friday night.
- Wildcats averaged just 1.3 yards per rush and failed on four fourth-down tries.
- Jayce Brown accounted for 143 of K-State’s 193 total yards in the sluggish loss.
Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson found himself in a familiar position after the sun went down on Friday night at Arizona Stadium.
His team was not playing well, and fans were getting restless as they watched K-State punt five times and turn it over on downs four times against an underdog opponent. But he could erase an ugly night of mistakes and win the game with a clutch drive in the final quarter.
All that stood in his way was 72 yards of artificial turf with 1 minute, 55 seconds remaining on the clock.
He was only able to lead K-State 15 yards upfield and Arizona won 23-17. That was a disappointing result for Johnson and everyone else in EMAW nation. The worst part about it: K-State has been in that position far too often this season.
Chris Klieman’s team has trailed in the fourth quarter of all four of its games, and Johnson has only been able to save the Wildcats once with a clutch drive against North Dakota for a 38-35 victory. K-State (1-3, 0-1 Big 12) is now off to its worst start since 1989, and some are ready to give up on this season.
It’s too early for that, considering that the Wildcats still have eight conference games ahead of them. Theoretically, they can still earn an automatic berth into the College Football Playoff if they end the year on an unexpected heater.
But things are clearly not going well for K-State at the moment.
Johnson just produced the worst statistical game of his college career with 88 passing yards and minus-16 rushing yards. Those numbers previously seemed unfathomable for a dual-threat quarterback who carved up Arizona last season during a win at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
K-State also averaged just 1.3 yards per run and 2.8 yards per completion on plays that didn’t feature wide receiver Jayce Brown.
On defense, K-State allowed Arizona to possess the ball for more than 36 minutes and gain 412 yards. It also allowed Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, who is not known as a runner, to sprint up and down the field for 48 yards and two touchdowns. If not for three missed field goals and other miscues from the home team, this game might not have been close.
K-State has much to fix heading into its first idle week of the season.
Here’s more analysis and grades from the Arizona game...
Player of the game: Jayce Brown
It’s hard to imagine how much worse things would have gone for K-State without him. The junior wide receiver scored on a trick play at the start of the third quarter that resulted in a 75-yard touchdown run. He also caught six passes for 68 yards. The Wildcats are low on playmakers without Dylan Edwards and Jerand Bradley. But they can still count on Brown.
Stat of the game and a quote to note
Kansas State gained 193 total yards. Brown was responsible for 143 of them.
As for the quote...
“I just felt like we were real slow in all aspects. It was the offensive line, running backs, receivers, me at the quarterback position. It was like we had no fire.” — Avery Johnson.
K-State football grades
Offense: F. It’s startling to see a Chris Klieman team that can’t run the ball. That was his calling card at North Dakota State. And then he developed NFL running backs at K-State in Deuce Vaughn and DJ Giddens. Maybe a healthy Dylan Edwards would improve things. But the Wildcats can’t get anything done on the ground without him. The offensive line is a mess right now.
Defense: F. You know things are going poorly for this unit when a quarterback like Noah Fifita, who had never before rushed for 30 yards in a college game, is zooming up field for first downs and touchdowns. The K-State defense hasn’t looked good since the first half of the season-opener against Iowa State.
Special Teams: B. It was far from a perfect night for “Special Teams U,” but Luis Rodriguez connected on a 51-yard field goal and K-State benefited from three missed field goals by Arizona.
Coaching: F. There isn’t much creativity right now on offense. The defense looks slow and untalented. Energy and passion are lacking from players. Klieman is not pushing the right buttons.
Next up: UCF
K-State will get a much-needed off week before it returns to action at home against UCF.
On paper, this should be one of the least taxing games on the schedule. The Knights are thought to be among the worst teams in the Big 12 with Scott Frost in his first year back as head coach.
But K-State can’t take any game for granted at the moment.
The Wildcats need to take advantage of their time off to make some important changes and get healthy. While it’s not an excuse, the schedule makers didn’t do K-State any favors in its first four games. This team has played in Dublin, faced a triple-option offense and traveled to play a Friday night road game. Maybe that has caught up with K-State at times.
A week off will give the Wildcats an opportunity to hit the reset button. Will they take advantage?
This story was originally published September 13, 2025 at 10:41 AM.