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The Topeka Capital Journal
Ranking the ugliest moments from Kansas State football's loss at Arizona
- Story byThe Topeka Capital Journal
- Ranking the ugliest moments from Kansas State football's loss at Arizona
Kansas State football put a pitiful performance together , knowing the game was sort of a make-or-break for the season after three disappointing weeks to start the year.
K-State's 23-17 loss to Arizona on Friday, Sept. 12, in Tucson, Arizona, confirmed to us that KSU isn't very good and had no business being considered a Big 12 contender heading into the season.
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There were moments throughout an otherwise ugly performance that K-State still had a chance to win, only to fall flat in the end. But the bad far outweighed the good, dropping the Wildcats to 1-3 heading into an open week.
Here were the moments that had us scratching our heads after the loss, from the absolute worst to the still pretty bad.
Ismail Mahdi couldn't be stopped
Arizona running back Ismail Mahdi broke away for a 60-yard gain on the team's second drive, leading to a touchdown run from QB Noah Fifita . That was the beginning of a productive day as he finished with 189 of Arizona's 234 rushing yards.
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Arizona's season high in rushing yards was 116 last week against FCS Weber State . Under second-year coach Brent Brennan, Arizona's previous high in rushing was 205 yards last year against New Mexico .
Kansas State 's first two plays of the second quarter were... something
Facing third-and-10 from the Arizona 39, K-State ran a sweep to J.B. Price, hoping to get a few yards with the intention of going for it on fourth. Price was stuffed for no gain.
Rather than waving the white flag, the Wildcats went for it on fourth-and-long. Avery Johnson went scrambling, running about 15 yards backward before deciding to throw the ball away. Arizona used the short field to score a field goal.
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Anytime Kansas State runs the ball
K-State's ground game is what it is at this point: nonexistent.
When you take out wide receiver Jayce Brown 's 75-yard touchdown run, the Wildcats had 23 other carries for a grand total of 30 yards.
That comes on the heels of their struggles throughout the first three weeks of the season. It's hard to see it getting better at any point.
Arizona picked up two 3rd and longs
Midway through the second quarter, Fifita found Chris Hunter over the middle of the field for 18 yards on a third-and-16, extending a drive that resulted in a touchdown.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Fifita couldn't find anyone open down the field, so he checked it down to Ismail Mahdi, who found a lane, broke at least one tackle, and gained 27, extending a drive that resulted in a field goal.
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Kansas State goes backwards after recovering a muffed punt
After a three-and-out on K-State's opening series, it was given a gift when an Arizona blocker ran into the returner before the ball bounced off one of their legs. K-State recovered at the Arizona 23.
Rather than taking advantage, the Wildcats went backward, with Johnson getting sacked for an eight-yard loss on third down. Luis Rodriguez made a 51-yard field goal on a negative-10-yard scoring drive.
Noah Fifita rushed for his career high in the first quarter
Fifita isn't known for his rushing abilities. Entering the game, his career high in rushing yards was two games in which he gained 24 yards.
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He had 33 yards by the end of the first quarter, rushing for 15 on two different runs, including one of his two touchdowns. He finished the game with 48 rushing yards.
Kansas State's fourth-down throw falls short of the sticks
Late in the third quarter, Kansas State went for it from the Arizona 40. A Johnson throw to Brown was low on a route that didn't clear the line to gain. The pass was incomplete, but even if Brown caught it, it would've been a turnover on downs.
Kansas State's attempts at stealing the game fell flat
K-State had three different drives when it had the opportunity to steal a game it had no business winning. It went three-and-out, four-and-out, and then turned the ball over on downs at its own 43. Across the three drives, the Wildcats gained 28 fourth-quarter yards.
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The Wildcats were 3-13 on third down and averaged 2.2 yards per play when removing Brown's 75-yard touchdown run to begin the second half. Six of K-State's 12 drives resulted in three-and-outs or a turnover on downs without gaining a first down earlier in the drive.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_ , contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football loss to Arizona: Ranking the ugliest moments
