Arizona stuns Kansas St 23-17 in a prime time thriller in the desert

[WILD]

Arizona Stuns Kansas State 23-17 in Thriller at Home

Arizona Stuns Kansas State 23-17 in In a gritty battle under the lights of Arizona Stadium, the Arizona Wildcats (3-0) delivered a hard-fought 23-17 victory over the struggling Kansas State Wildcats (1-2) on Friday night, solidifying their early-season dominance and avenging last year's road loss in Manhattan. Running back Ismail Mahdi powered through for a game-high 189 rushing yards, while quarterback Noah Fifita added flair with two touchdown runs, helping Arizona build a 14-point halftime lead despite entering as slight 1.5-point underdogs. The win, witnessed by a raucous crowd on Retro Night, marks the Wildcats' first significant test of the year after blowout victories over Hawaii and Weber State, totaling 88-9.

The first half belonged to Arizona, as Mahdi's explosive runs set the tone, capping a methodical opening drive with a score that silenced Kansas State's early momentum. Fifita's dual-threat prowess shone through with scrambling scores, and kicker Salgado-Medina nailed field goals from 31 and 41 yards to extend the advantage. Kansas State, quarterbacked by Avery Johnson, mounted a comeback in the third quarter, capitalizing on Arizona's shaky start with a touchdown to close the gap to six. However, the Wildcat defense clamped down late, forcing turnovers and stuffing a crucial fourth-down stop inside the red zone. Despite a missed 46-yard field goal in the final minutes, Arizona held firm as Kansas State turned the ball over on downs, sealing the victory.

This triumph propels Arizona into Big 12 play with momentum, next facing Iowa State on Sept. 27, while Kansas State heads into an open week searching for answers after a disappointing stretch that includes just one win against an FCS opponent. Coach Brent Brennan praised his team's resilience: "We bent but didn't break—that's the mark of a contender." With Mahdi's breakout performance and Fifita's poise, the Wildcats could be a real contender in the BIG12.

[arxpert]

Not too stunning. KSU played pretty much their best game. We are just better at the moment. The impressive thing to look at is how Arizona's Defense contained Avery Johnson tonight and held him to maybe the worst ESPN QBR I have seen (11.7).

Noah didn't impress me much, but at the end of the day, he managed the game and that is what this team needs. No foolish hero ball. Just keep running the ball and distributing to the open man. Find some lanes to take what the defense gives and once in a while act like you're going to run, then stop, plant feet, and find the open target who's defender comes off them to step up to try to stop the QB Run. This is the way we must do business.

Good teams will identify all of this. When you are a Run-Based team like I described, the opponents are going to show more discipline week by week. It is all up to this Defense to continue to play inspired and Noah to not get rattled and make mistakes that put the Defense in a bad spot more often than naturally.

[KansasCityCats]

If it weren't for Brown, K-Statewpuld have been shut out.

[arxpert]

If it weren't for Brown, K-Statewpuld have been shut out.

There is always going to be some "fight back" against us in some capacity. We are just not that all-smothering type of team that will ever get a de facto shutout vs a Power School. We are definitely not Desert Swarm either, but the best thing we can strive for is to be competitive and make teams earn points, while not giving any easy points away via Offensive mistakes. I doubt we go undefeated so at some point we will get what is coming to us, but if we can continue to win now while we are playing inspired ball, then maybe we can sneak into some bigger conversations later in the season.

[WILD]

https://x.com/ArizonaFBall/status/1966734152465600613?t=fj6J4v_eEGA_AlM0irpoXg&s=19

[arxpert]

https://x.com/ArizonaFBall/status/1966734152465600613?t=fj6J4v_eEGA_AlM0irpoXg&s=19

It is always good to "ride the wave" and lean into it. The worst thing that can happen to a team rolling the way we have been is extended time off. The Iowa State game is highly suspect, though I think they are also on a "Bye" Week too. They have time to regroup. We have too much time to sit around.

Last year I discussed this. I remember it. We really came out flat. Not that we had anything going for us, but it was deflating. We must fight through this.

I have officially upgraded this situation to "Mission Critical". If we can survive the indignity of a Bye Week this early in the season, then I will actually go out on a limb and say we will be in the Conference Championship Discussion going into the Final 3 Weeks of the Season.

As you all know, if I am saying this... then there is substance to it as I am a person of very few words of course!