Five takeaways as Kansas State drops to 1-3 with a costly football loss at 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.
- Despite being favored in each game, K-State is off to its worst start since 1989.
- Running back Dylan Edwards returned from injury but exited early in the first quarter.
A cold realization became apparent in the desert heat on Friday night as Kansas State played listless football and suffered a 23-17 road loss to Arizona.
Head coach Chris Klieman’s team is in trouble.
Big trouble.
Even the most optimistic K-State fans are wondering what in the world has happened to their Wildcats right now. A season that began with Big 12 championship hopes has already been reduced to rubble. Things are going so poorly that bowl eligibility is beginning to feel like a long shot.
K-State (1-3, 0-1 Big 12) is off to its worst start since 1989, so long ago that Bill Snyder was a rookie head coach in Manhattan.
That is shocking to many, because K-State was projected as the better team in all four of its games. It has been favored in every contest this season. But it has only managed to win one time, and that was a 38-35 nailbiter over North Dakota. This team could easily be winless.
A nightmare start continued with another disappointing effort against Arizona.
The score was close enough for K-State to have a shot late in the fourth quarter, but anyone who watched every snap knew that Arizona dominated. Arizona out-gained K-State by more than 200 yards.
K-State quarterback Avery Johnson played perhaps his worst game in a purple uniform and Arizona never trailed.
Where does EMAW nation go from here? Good question.
K-State will search for answers until it is next in action at home game against UCF on Sept. 27.
Until then, here are some takeaways from Friday’s action:
Noah Fifita was a much better QB than Avery Johnson
It was a bit startling to watch Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita outplay K-State quarterback Avery Johnson in every way imaginable.
He was the better passer, the better runner and the better decision-maker.
A year ago, Johnson carved up the Arizona defense for 156 yards and two touchdowns as a passer to go along with 110 yards as a runner. He was the unquestioned MVP of that game.
Not this time. Fifita completed 16 of 33 attempts for 178 yards. Johnson went 13 of 29 for 88 yards and no scores.
But it was more than just passing stats. Fifita also put up better numbers as a runner.
Arizona’s quarterback entered this game with negative rushing yards on the season, but he managed to rumble for 48 yards and two touchdowns on the ground against K-State. Johnson, meanwhile lost 16 yards as a runner.
Johnson is supposed to lift K-State to victory in these types of games. It simply isn’t happening right now.
Jayce Brown was Kansas State’s best (and only) offensive weapon
He proved that much on the opening play of the third quarter when offensive coordinator Matt Wells dialed up a trick play for him. Brown, a junior wide receiver, lined up at quarterback. From there, he faked a handoff to Avery Johnson, who lined up at running back, and kept the ball on a designed run.
It caught the Arizona defense by complete surprise, and Brown was able to speed past everyone into the end zone.
That play gave K-State some badly needed energy and helped it get back in the game. Problem was, the offense couldn’t find much production from anyone else.
Kansas State had 193 yards of total offense. Jayce Brown was responsible for 143 of that. Kansas State had 105 yards rushing. Jayce Brown is responsible for 75.
But it wasn’t a perfect day for Brown. He was unable to come down with a catch from Johnson on a key fourth-down conversion attempt in the fourth quarter that more or less clinched a win for Arizona.
The first half was a complete disaster for EMAW
Kansas State’s second half against Army was a nightmare that led to a 24-21 loss at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The first half here was somehow even worse.
Arizona jumped out to a 17-3 lead at intermission, and K-State was fortunate the score was as close as it was. If not for missed field goals and needless penalties from the home team, the game would have been out of reach.
K-State only gained 44 yards in the first half. Its lone scoring drive went for negative yards and resulted in a 51-yard field goal from Luis Rodriguez. That was only possible because Arizona lost a fumble while trying to return a punt and K-State recovered in excellent field position.
It was also hard for K-State to get stops against Arizona. Brent Brennan’s team piled up 257 yards before halftime.
Talk about one-sided.
K-State coaches looked everywhere for a spark in this game
Klieman and his coaching staff were willing to try just about anything to get better results from their K-State players on Friday.
As things started poorly and then got worse in the first half, some unusual lineup combinations could be seen on the field.
K-State was unafraid to bench veterans (at least momentarily) for freshmen like Linkon Cure, JB Price, Gus Hawkins and Logan Bartley. Other young or seldom used players like Devin Vass and Jet Dineen saw action.
The moves were more than justified, as Arizona gained 257 yards in the first half and K-State only managed 44.
Some coaches will stick with their proven players no matter what. Klieman was willing to look elsewhere at times when his were struggling.
Dylan Edwards returned, but his impact was minimal
K-State got one of its best playmakers back in the starting lineup for this game.
But his return was short-lived. It wasn’t long before the Wildcats lost him back to the sideline.
Dylan Edwards saw action for the first time since he suffered an ankle injury in the early moments of the season opener against Iowa State. He missed the vast majority of that game and the two that followed. K-State fans were hopeful that he could be a difference-maker when he returned on Friday.
Things didn’t work out that way, though. Edwards rushed for 13 yards on four carries and left the game with a noticeable limp at the end of the first quarter. He was unable to return.
This was a disappointing game from him for two reasons. For starters, it was not a good sign that he was only able to last one quarter. Secondly, he failed to ignite the K-State running game when he was on the field.
Klieman will need to continue searching for answers in that area.
This story was originally published September 12, 2025 at 11:55 PM with the headline "Five takeaways as Kansas State drops to 1-3 with a costly football loss at Arizona."