Five things to know before Kansas State plays final nonconference game at Arizona
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- K-State seeks rebound after 1-2 start and narrow Army loss at home.
- Arizona enters matchup unbeaten with strong offensive production early.
- Friday's game in Tucson remains nonconference despite league alignment.
Kansas State football players will need to shift their focus forward earlier than usual this week as the Wildcats are set to play a road game against Arizona on Friday night in Tucson.
Perhaps that is a good thing for Chris Klieman and his team as K-State is looking to bounce back from a 24-21 home loss to Army. Or maybe it will help Arizona, Brent Brennan and his squad look to remain undefeated.
We will soon find out.
Here is everything you need to know to start getting ready for the game:
Game details
Kickoff: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Arizona Stadium in Tucson
TV/Stream: FOX
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City and KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: Arizona by 1.5 with an O/U of 54.5.
Five things to know before Friday
1. K-State is off to its worst start in 16 years. This was not the start that Chris Klieman was hoping for. The Wildcats (1-2, 0-1 Big 12) would be winless right now if not for a clutch touchdown drive from Avery Johnson in the final minute of a 38-35 win over North Dakota. They also have a negative point differential (-3) on the season despite only playing one game against a power-conference opponent.
2. Arizona looks like an improved football team. Many were down on head coach Brent Brennan when Arizona slumped to a 3-9 record last season, but he may have things heading in the right direction in Year 2. Arizona has won both of its games by huge margins against Hawaii and Weber State. Its point differential is +79. Granted, those wins have come against weak competition, but Noah Fifita (534 yards and six touchdowns) has looked great. So has top wide receiver Javin Whatley (eight catches for 206 yards and two scores).
3. This game won’t count in the Big 12 standings. Remember, this is technically not a Big 12 game even though Arizona and K-State are conference rivals. These teams decided to play home-and-home series against each other back when Arizona was a member of the Pac-12. Rather than scrub the games and find new nonconference opponents, both decided this was a better solution.
4. Fatigue could be a concern for K-State. Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said that his players were definitely going to be sore after they played a hard-nosed game against Army on Saturday. Chris Klieman said the K-State defense already looked worn out in the second half trying to stop a triple-option offense. Soreness and fatigue could both work against K-State this week as the Wildcats travel on a short week to play a road game on Friday night. The schedule makers did no favors for K-State with this one.
5. Avery Johnson continues to put up impressive numbers at quarterback. The junior quarterback has completed 64 of 98 passes for 763 yards and six touchdowns this season. He looked particularly sharp against Army, as the majority of his passes were on the money and he earned a 91.8 grade (out of 100) from Pro Football Focus. A frustrating game script worked against him, as Army hogged the ball most of the night. But when Johnson was on the field he made things happen with his arm.
This story was originally published September 8, 2025 at 11:58 AM with the headline "Five things to know before Kansas State plays final nonconference game at Arizona."