The craziest stats from Kansas State’s loss to Army and a look ahead to Arizona
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Army controlled possession with 82 plays, including 63 of the final 75 snaps.
- K-State's defense allowed 237 rushing yards; Army converted 6 of 7 fourth downs.
- K-State faces 2-0 Arizona Friday after its worst season start since 2009.
It may be a long time before Chris Klieman stops thinking about Kansas State’s 24-21 loss to Army on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The way that game unfolded will serve as nightmare fuel for him, his entire coaching staff and many of the 52,723 fans in attendance.
Army beat K-State 3 yards at a time with a triple-option offense. The Wildcats could do nothing to stop it. The Black Knights possessed the ball for so long in the second half that it felt like quarterback Avery Johnson was chained to the sideline.
That kind of disparity led to some crazy stats. Here is a sampling:
- Army (82) nearly doubled K-State (43) in total plays
- Army ran 63 of the game’s final 75 plays
- Army rushed for 237 yards on 70 attempts
- Army went 6 of 7 on fourth down
- Army wide receiver Noah Short had more passing yards (52) than quarterback Cale Hellums (43)
- K-State only possessed the ball for 19 minutes, 31 seconds
- K-State punted to Army at the 11:18 mark in the third quarter. Its offense didn’t return to the field until 2:52 remained ... in the fourth quarter
Add it all up, and the Wildcats are off to their worst start in 16 years. They also have a negative point differential (-3) on the season.
Where does K-State go from here? Onto another challenging game against Arizona on the road on Friday.
Here’s more analysis and grades from the Army game...
Player and play of the game
Army quarterback Cale Hellums didn’t look like a backup as he rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns. He made tons of big plays on money downs.
Hellums connected with Brady Anderson for a short touchdown pass on the final play of the first half. That score pulled Army to within 13-7 and gave the Black Knights a real shot at winning the game. They took advantage. But K-State may have cruised to a comfortable victory without that play.
Stat of the game and quote to note
Army hogged the ball for all but 13 of the game’s final 75 plays.
As for the quote...
“I’ve been in tough spots before with this team. In 2022, people didn’t think we were going to win a Big 12 championship after the first couple games. The season is not over yet. There’s definitely a long way to go and we have got a lot of things to fix, but it’s not over at all.” - K-State defensive tackle Damian Ilalio.
K-State football grades
Offense: C. Avery Johnson looked great as a passer, as he completed 15 of 25 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown. His numbers would have been higher if not for drops from his receivers. But the K-State passing game wasn’t strong enough to make up for a pathetic rushing attack that only mustered 74 yards on 18 attempts.
Defense: F. Army is a difficult team to defend, but the Black Knights shouldn’t have looked that good against the Wildcats. There is a reason why this was Army’s first regular-season win over a power conference team since 2017. Most teams that possess a depth and talent advantage are simply too strong and fast for Army. That wasn’t the case Saturday. Army dominated at the line of scrimmage and moved the chains to perfection against a tired K-State defense.
Special Teams: A. Some will gripe about Army recovering an onside kick in the second half. But come on. That was either an ingenious play from Jeff Monken that K-State’s return team couldn’t have possibly anticipated or a squib kick that featured an incredibly lucky bounce. I think the Wildcats deserve a good grade here because Bryce Noernberg had 143 return yards and a touchdown. Luis Rodgriguez also connected on both of his field goals.
Coaching: F. The Wildcats could very easily be winless right now. They would be 0-3 if not for a last-minute touchdown drive from Avery Johnson against North Dakota. On the season, K-State has been outscored 83-80. That is not good when you consider that two of those games were played at home against sizeable underdogs. Matt Campbell and Jeff Monken have both run circles around Klieman early on this season.
Next up: Arizona
Not long ago, a road trip to Arizona looked like it may be one of the least challenging games on Kansas State’s football schedule.
Now, it looks like a coin-toss game ... at best.
A tricky early schedule will continue for K-State when it heads to Tucson on a short week for a road game against Arizona at 8 p.m. Friday that will be televised on FOX.
K-State is off to its worst start since 2009. Meanwhile, Arizona has opened the season with a pair of blowout wins over Hawaii and Weber State. Quarterback Noah Fifita threw for 373 yards and five touchdowns on Saturday. The Arizona defense has only allowed nine points all season.
This game, which won’t count in the Big 12 standings because it was scheduled before Arizona joined the conference, will be a step up in class for second-year coach Brent Brennan. K-State beat Arizona 31-7 last season. Things may be more challenging this time around.
This story was originally published September 7, 2025 at 10:48 AM with the headline "The craziest stats from Kansas State’s loss to Army and a look ahead to Arizona."