Kansas State University Athletics
Friday, September 12
Tucson, Ariz.
8 p.m. (CT)
Kansas State University
1-3 , 0-1
17
at
23
Arizona
3-0 , 0-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Kansas State
3
0
14
0
17
Arizona
7
10
3
3
23
K-State Falls to Arizona, 23-17
Sep 12, 2025 | Football
TUCSON, Ariz. – Kansas State never found its groove, Arizona put together a powerful running attack, and K-State suffered a 23-17 loss in its first true road game of the season.
Playing at Arizona Stadium, the site of K-State's first-ever bowl victory in the 1993 Copper Bowl, K-State incurred a rash of troubles in the final game before its first bye week.
K-State, 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12, experienced difficulties from the start while Arizona, 3-0, moved the ball. Arizona outgained K-State 412 to 193 and went 8-of-18 on third down behind a solid performance from quarterback Noah Fifita, who completed 16-of-33 passes for 178 yards and rushed 15 times for 48 yards and two touchdowns. Ismail Mahdi had 22 carries for 189 yards on the ground.
Avery Johnson completed 13-of-29 passes for 88 yards and had seven carries for minus-16 yards and one touchdown.
K-State's leading rusher was wide receiver Jayce Brown, whose 75-yard touchdown run out of the Wildcat formation down the right side on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter gave K-State hope and drew the Wildcats to within 17-10. Brown had one carry for 75 yards and also led K-State with six catches for 68 yards.
Even after its troubles, K-State had a chance to win the game. K-State had fourth-and-7 from its 43-yard line, but Johnson saw his pass across the middle to Brown fall incomplete with 1:00 to go, effectively ending the game and extending the Wildcats' woes.
"We had a chance with 2 minutes left to go down and score and win," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. "Maybe we didn't deserve to be in that position, but because we have kids with resolve, tough kids, and kids that are all in, we had that chance."
Six points separated K-State from an unbeaten record entering Friday with a loss to Iowa State (24-21) in the season opener in Ireland and another loss to Army (24-21) last Saturday in Manhattan. K-State used a fourth-quarter comeback for a 38-35 win over FCS member North Dakota on August 30.
Klieman, who has taken the Wildcats to three straight seasons with at least nine wins, has plans for the bye week after another tough defeat.
"We need to reset," Klieman said. "We need to make some adjustments offensively and defensively to give our kids a chance to be successful. We have to get together as a staff. Right now, I don't know what our identity is. I thought I knew after the first game, but that has not been sustained with our identity. That's not an excuse, that's the reality, that I don't know what our identity is.
"We're going to figure that out in this open week."
Arizona led 17-3 at halftime while outgaining K-State 257 to 44 in the first two quarters. K-State's lone score in the first half was a career-long 51-yard field goal by Luis Rodriguez with 7:42 left in the first quarter, which marked the first score by either team.
But Fifita scored touchdowns on runs of 15 and 2 yards, and Michael Salgado-Medina hit a 31-yard field goal, as Arizona had its way in the first two quarters. About the only thing that didn't go right for Arizona came when Salgado-Medina missed a 62-yard field goal to end the first half.
K-State had its star power intact for the first time this season — on a limited basis — as Johnson, running back Dylan Edwards, Brown and tight end Linkon Cure were on the field. Cure, the top-rated tight end in the Class of 2025, played for the first time this season after suffering an injury in July. Edwards carried the football for the first time this season after rushing for 196 yards in the 2024 Rate Bowl.
Edwards had four carries for 13 yards in limited action in the first half, and Cure recorded no receptions while taking only a handful of snaps.
Faced with a halftime deficit, Brown and K-State seemingly sprang to life in the third quarter. On the first play from scrimmage, Brown took the football out of the Wildcat formation and dashed 75 yards down the right side for a touchdown to draw K-State to 17-10 just 13 seconds into the second half.
"It was great blocking," Klieman said, "and you get him in the open field, and he usually can make a big difference."
After K-State held Arizona to a three-and-out for the first time in the game, the K-State special teams came alive. Punter Salgado-Medina dropped a snap, and K-State's Garrett Harstad blocked a punt as K-State took over at the Arizona 13-yard line. It was the eighth-straight season the Wildcats have blocked a punt, the longest streak in the nation.
Johnson threaded the ball down the middle to Brown to the 1, and two plays later Johnson punched the ball into the end zone for a 17-17 tie.
"I really thought our kids would respond to a poor first half, and they did," Klieman said. "We had the big touchdown run and had a quick three-and-out, and we're setting up a return and their kid fumbles it and drops it, and Garrett did his job, and we set up a short field. It was a big-time throw from Avery to Jayce, and low and behold it's 17-17."
Then Qua Moss leaped in front of Keyan Burnett to intercept a halfback pass from Javin Whatley, and K-State had a chance to take the lead. It marked the first K-State defensive interception this season and the first interception by the Arizona offense this season.
However, K-State went three-and-out and Arizona started its possession at the K-State 46 and drove for a Salgado-Medina 31-yard field goal and a 20-17 lead with 2:40 left in the third quarter.
On Arizona's next drive, Fifita methodically took Arizona down the field on a 7:30 drive before Damian Ilalio and Travis Bates sacked him and forced another Salgado-Medina 41-yard field goal. That gave Arizona a 23-17 lead with 4:25 to go.
"We couldn't get off the field really well on defense," Klieman said. "We couldn't sustain drives. We wore down on defense because we couldn't sustain drives."
K-State was unable to answer. Facing fourth-and-3 at the K-State 32-yard line, with 2:31 left, Johnson saw his pass fly off Brown's hands on a slant route, giving the ball back to Arizona.
"We were trying to get stops and get something going," Klieman said. "We knew we had to throw the ball to be successful because they were stunting and blitzing and doing a good job to not allow us to gain traction running the ball. We had to throw it, and they pinned their ears back."
Moments later, Salgado-Medina missed a 46-yard field goal with 1:55 left, giving K-State one last chance to win the game with a touchdown.
Now K-State looks to regroup.
"We're going to give our kids some rest," Klieman said. "It's been a gauntlet here in this four-game stretch with the travel and stuff, but that's what we signed up for. It's not an excuse, so we have to find some ways to recalibrate and get the guys rested and come back. We have the meat of our schedule ahead of us."
Playing at Arizona Stadium, the site of K-State's first-ever bowl victory in the 1993 Copper Bowl, K-State incurred a rash of troubles in the final game before its first bye week.
K-State, 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12, experienced difficulties from the start while Arizona, 3-0, moved the ball. Arizona outgained K-State 412 to 193 and went 8-of-18 on third down behind a solid performance from quarterback Noah Fifita, who completed 16-of-33 passes for 178 yards and rushed 15 times for 48 yards and two touchdowns. Ismail Mahdi had 22 carries for 189 yards on the ground.
Avery Johnson completed 13-of-29 passes for 88 yards and had seven carries for minus-16 yards and one touchdown.
K-State's leading rusher was wide receiver Jayce Brown, whose 75-yard touchdown run out of the Wildcat formation down the right side on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter gave K-State hope and drew the Wildcats to within 17-10. Brown had one carry for 75 yards and also led K-State with six catches for 68 yards.
Even after its troubles, K-State had a chance to win the game. K-State had fourth-and-7 from its 43-yard line, but Johnson saw his pass across the middle to Brown fall incomplete with 1:00 to go, effectively ending the game and extending the Wildcats' woes.
"We had a chance with 2 minutes left to go down and score and win," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. "Maybe we didn't deserve to be in that position, but because we have kids with resolve, tough kids, and kids that are all in, we had that chance."
Six points separated K-State from an unbeaten record entering Friday with a loss to Iowa State (24-21) in the season opener in Ireland and another loss to Army (24-21) last Saturday in Manhattan. K-State used a fourth-quarter comeback for a 38-35 win over FCS member North Dakota on August 30.
Klieman, who has taken the Wildcats to three straight seasons with at least nine wins, has plans for the bye week after another tough defeat.
"We need to reset," Klieman said. "We need to make some adjustments offensively and defensively to give our kids a chance to be successful. We have to get together as a staff. Right now, I don't know what our identity is. I thought I knew after the first game, but that has not been sustained with our identity. That's not an excuse, that's the reality, that I don't know what our identity is.
"We're going to figure that out in this open week."
Arizona led 17-3 at halftime while outgaining K-State 257 to 44 in the first two quarters. K-State's lone score in the first half was a career-long 51-yard field goal by Luis Rodriguez with 7:42 left in the first quarter, which marked the first score by either team.
But Fifita scored touchdowns on runs of 15 and 2 yards, and Michael Salgado-Medina hit a 31-yard field goal, as Arizona had its way in the first two quarters. About the only thing that didn't go right for Arizona came when Salgado-Medina missed a 62-yard field goal to end the first half.
K-State had its star power intact for the first time this season — on a limited basis — as Johnson, running back Dylan Edwards, Brown and tight end Linkon Cure were on the field. Cure, the top-rated tight end in the Class of 2025, played for the first time this season after suffering an injury in July. Edwards carried the football for the first time this season after rushing for 196 yards in the 2024 Rate Bowl.
Edwards had four carries for 13 yards in limited action in the first half, and Cure recorded no receptions while taking only a handful of snaps.
Faced with a halftime deficit, Brown and K-State seemingly sprang to life in the third quarter. On the first play from scrimmage, Brown took the football out of the Wildcat formation and dashed 75 yards down the right side for a touchdown to draw K-State to 17-10 just 13 seconds into the second half.
"It was great blocking," Klieman said, "and you get him in the open field, and he usually can make a big difference."
After K-State held Arizona to a three-and-out for the first time in the game, the K-State special teams came alive. Punter Salgado-Medina dropped a snap, and K-State's Garrett Harstad blocked a punt as K-State took over at the Arizona 13-yard line. It was the eighth-straight season the Wildcats have blocked a punt, the longest streak in the nation.
Johnson threaded the ball down the middle to Brown to the 1, and two plays later Johnson punched the ball into the end zone for a 17-17 tie.
"I really thought our kids would respond to a poor first half, and they did," Klieman said. "We had the big touchdown run and had a quick three-and-out, and we're setting up a return and their kid fumbles it and drops it, and Garrett did his job, and we set up a short field. It was a big-time throw from Avery to Jayce, and low and behold it's 17-17."
Then Qua Moss leaped in front of Keyan Burnett to intercept a halfback pass from Javin Whatley, and K-State had a chance to take the lead. It marked the first K-State defensive interception this season and the first interception by the Arizona offense this season.
However, K-State went three-and-out and Arizona started its possession at the K-State 46 and drove for a Salgado-Medina 31-yard field goal and a 20-17 lead with 2:40 left in the third quarter.
On Arizona's next drive, Fifita methodically took Arizona down the field on a 7:30 drive before Damian Ilalio and Travis Bates sacked him and forced another Salgado-Medina 41-yard field goal. That gave Arizona a 23-17 lead with 4:25 to go.
"We couldn't get off the field really well on defense," Klieman said. "We couldn't sustain drives. We wore down on defense because we couldn't sustain drives."
K-State was unable to answer. Facing fourth-and-3 at the K-State 32-yard line, with 2:31 left, Johnson saw his pass fly off Brown's hands on a slant route, giving the ball back to Arizona.
"We were trying to get stops and get something going," Klieman said. "We knew we had to throw the ball to be successful because they were stunting and blitzing and doing a good job to not allow us to gain traction running the ball. We had to throw it, and they pinned their ears back."
Moments later, Salgado-Medina missed a 46-yard field goal with 1:55 left, giving K-State one last chance to win the game with a touchdown.
Now K-State looks to regroup.
"We're going to give our kids some rest," Klieman said. "It's been a gauntlet here in this four-game stretch with the travel and stuff, but that's what we signed up for. It's not an excuse, so we have to find some ways to recalibrate and get the guys rested and come back. We have the meat of our schedule ahead of us."
Team Stats
KSU
ARI
Total Yards
193
412
Pass Yards
88
178
Rushing Yards
105
234
Penalty Yards
30
56
1st Downs
8
21
3rd Downs
3
8
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
23:05
36:55
1st Quarter
KSU 3, ARI 0
KSU - Rodriguez,Luis 51 yd field goal 4 plays, -10 yards, TOP 01:27
KSU 3, ARI 7
ARI - Fifita,Noah 15 yd run (Salgado-Medina,Michael kick), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:41
2nd Quarter
KSU 3, ARI 10
ARI - Salgado-Medina,Michael 31 yd field goal 9 plays, 49 yards, TOP 03:46
KSU 3, ARI 17
ARI - Fifita,Noah 2 yd run (Salgado-Medina,Michael kick), 10 plays, 72 yards, TOP 05:15
3rd Quarter
KSU 10, ARI 17
KSU - Brown,Jayce 75 yd run (Rodriguez,Luis kick), 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:13
KSU 17, ARI 17
KSU - Johnson,Avery 1 yd run (Rodriguez,Luis kick), 5 plays, 13 yards, TOP 02:35
KSU 17, ARI 20
ARI - Salgado-Medina,Michael 31 yd field goal 11 plays, 33 yards, TOP 05:21
4th Quarter
KSU 17, ARI 23
ARI - Salgado-Medina,Michael 41 yd field goal 14 plays, 58 yards, TOP 07:30
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
13
TD
0
YDS
88
INT
0
Players Mentioned
DE
/ Football
WR
/ Football
TE
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DT
/ FootballQB
/ Football
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