A Focused Mindset for a Friday Night

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Seven points separates Kansas State, which began the season ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25, from a perfect record. But K-State, 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12 Conference, already finds itself with two losses and it needed a fourth-quarter comeback to secure its lone victory against FCS member North Dakota.

Frustrating? For sure. Particularly after battling ultra-physical Army in a 24-21 loss last Saturday, leaving the Wildcats limited time to nurse their bumps and bruises before an important game at Arizona, 2-0, on Friday night.

"(Guys are) frustrated, obviously not a great mental state when you have three one-score games and don't find a way to win two of them," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. "I think they realize – and we all do – when you look at the three games, how close we are, but close doesn't count, and it's a handful of plays in all three phases that if we can flip it, we really can turn this."

In its first road test of the season, K-State visits Arizona in a non-conference game between two Big 12 foes at 8:00 p.m. Friday at 50,800-capacity Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona. The game will be televised nationally on FOX. The matchup marks the second half of a home-and-home series that was originally scheduled in January 2016 when Arizona was a member of the Pac-12 Conference.

"Every week we're trying to prove we're a good football team," second-year Arizona head coach Brent Brennan said. "It doesn't matter who we're playing. It's against K-State, a good opponent, a conference opponent, and an opponent that historically has been very good, and they have a good team this year.

"Every time you play these guys, you know you're in for a four-quarter fight."

Although K-State beat Arizona, 31-7, in their Friday-night meeting last season in Manhattan, it's Arizona that carries all the momentum into this clash coming off a 40-6 victory over Hawai'i and a 48-3 win over FCS member Weber State. It's the first time in 15 years that Arizona has kept back-to-back opponents out of the end zone.

Meanwhile, Arizona redshirt junior quarterback Noah Fifita has a 210.35 passing efficiency rating in completing 30-of-45 passes for 534 yards and six touchdowns and no interceptions. Fifita, who ranks fifth in school history with 6,489 passing yards and fourth with 50 touchdown passes in 29 games, comes off a 373-yard, 5-touchdown performance against Weber State.

"He's been dialed-in all week in practice," Brennan said. "He continues to find his edge in the extra and the unrequired. When you do that consistently, you give yourself a chance for good performances."

In all, three Arizona quarterbacks combined for 406 passing yards and completed passes to 12 different pass catchers while seven different rushers combined for 150 yards against Weber State. It marked the second time since 1996 that Arizona had 400 passing yards and 150 rushing yards in the same game.

Wide receiver Javin Whatley leads a dangerous corps of pass catchers with eight catches for 206 yards (25.75 yards per catch) and two touchdowns in two games. Running back Quincy Craig leads a battalion of running backs with 15 carries for 156 yards (10.4 yards per attempt) and one touchdown.

"When you blow people out the first two weeks, you gain confidence," Klieman said, "and you can tell they're playing with a lot of confidence on both sides of the ball."

Meanwhile, K-State tight end Brayden Loftin believes that he knows one possible antidote to cure K-State's stumbles.

"We need to start playing with a little bit of swagger," Loftin said. "We're playing not to lose right now, and we need to play to win. That's the mentality this week."

K-State's shortened week featured a few words from Klieman. Loftin took the message to heart.

"Staying tight knit is a big thing," Loftin said. "We have two losses, and it's no secret that can really tear a team apart, especially when we haven't even gotten into conference play yet. Coach Klieman's message was to stay together, to have each other's back, and the coaches will have our back."

K-State entered the season picked by many college football experts as one of the Big 12 teams most likely to reach the College Football Playoff. K-State is one of just five Power 4 teams to win at least nine games in each of the last three seasons while also capturing a conference title during that span. The Wildcats capped last season's 9-4 record with a 44-41 comeback win over Rutgers in the Rate Bowl — a season and time buried beneath this season's shortcomings and various issues that have plagued the Wildcats through the first three games of the 2025 campaign.

Loftin is quick to point to another time when things didn't seem to be going K-State's way — and the end result.

"In 2022, we lost to Tulane in the second game of the season, and that jumpstarted us into a Big 12 Championship run," Loftin said. "This team is talented enough to play for a Big 12 Championship. We haven't even shown close to our potential yet."

K-State has posted at least 375 total yards in 34 games since 2022, which is tied for seventh among Power 4 teams, but it comes off a season-low 246 total yards against Army while running just 43 plays, its fewest in a game since running 41 against Navy in the 2019 Liberty Bowl.

However, K-State junior quarterback Avery Johnson always has everyone's attention. Johnson, in his 17^th career start, completed 15-of-25 passes for 172 yards and one touchdown against Army. His 36-career touchdown passes tie Michael Bishop for sixth most in K-State history. Johnson also has 18 carries for 78 yards and one touchdown in three games.

"He's obviously a dynamic dual-threat guy who throws it well and has a lot of speed," Brennan said. "He's a dangerous runner. Anytime you play somebody like that it really, really challenges your defense in all aspects. We have to do a good job of tackling and have a population at the football. He's a really, really good player. He's such an effective runner.

"I know our coaches are coaching the hell out of that."

K-State is expected to receive a lift at Arizona, as 6-foot-5, 245-pound true freshman tight end Linkon Cure, the No. 1-rated tight end in the Class of 2025 and the highest-rated signee in K-State history, should make his collegiate debut. Cure suffered an injury in the early portion of preseason camp that prevented him from seeing the field in the first three games.

"He'll be available to play," Klieman said. "I don't know how much he'll play, but he is in the plans a little bit. We'll see him in his first action this week."

Meanwhile, Klieman said that K-State will be without 6-foot-6 wide receiver Jerand Bradley for 4-to-6 weeks with an apparent hand or wrist injury that he suffered against Army.

Klieman also said that standout running back Dylan Edwards is "still 50/50." The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Edwards appeared to injure his left ankle early in the season opener against Iowa State without taking a single repetition at running back. He did not play against North Dakota or Army.

"If he can play, he's going to play," Klieman said. "Our conference season is still upon us, and we need that kid. Everyone realizes when you don't have Dylan Edwards you lose an explosive player, and maybe the most explosive kid in the Big 12."

One by one, K-State players stepped forward earlier in the week and told a tale of hope — despite any injuries or bumps and bruises or necessary steps needed to make collective improvement.

"It's not the end of the world," wide receiver Jaron Tibbs said. "We still have nine games left to show everybody what we can do."

Added defensive end Tobi Osunsanmi: "This game is going to mean a lot going forward in the season. This game is a statement game to change the way our game is being played."

The Wildcats certainly would like to change the outcome.

That can start on Friday night.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Jerand Bradley

Linkon Cure

Dylan Edwards

Avery Johnson

Brayden Loftin

Tobi Osunsanmi

Jaron Tibbs

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