The Grade Wildcats' RB Room Deserves Following Kansas State Victory

Head coach Brent Brennan was ecstatic about his team's 23-17 win over Kansas State, going 3-0 for the first time since 2015 at home.

"I think every football game when you're playing against a program that's as good as you say, there's going to be back and forth, back and forth," Brennan said. "Those guys have won a lot of football games for a really long time. They're extremely well coached. They have good players. And so there's going to be back and forth.

Brennan was more than happy with the way his team battled in a physical back-and-forth matchup that went down to the very end.

By the final whistle, Arizona dominated K-State on the ground, rushing for 234 yards compared to their 105.

By the end of the game, Mahdi had 189 yards on 22 carries and 32 yards on two receptions. Overall, Arizona had 415 yards of total offense compared to K-State's 193. It was a messy game that was filled with errors and missed opportunities, but at the end of the day, Arizona got the job done.

"I'm so proud of that kid. Like, what an awesome human being he is. Like, I don't know much, I don't know much time you guys have spent with him, but just his energy, the smile on his face, the way he makes you feel when you're around him, he's really special... Ish just kept showing up and kept ripping off big runs with physicality and finish and receivers walking downfield, there's a lot of good there."

It was not just Mahdi who carried the ball and gained all the hard-earned yards that the team needed to wear down the K-State defense.

Noah Fifita also used his legs to move the ball up and down the field to put his team in the best position possible to score, something he had been working on since the offseason.

Sep 12, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Kansas State Wildcats defensive end Chiddi Obiazor (8) tackles Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) during the third quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

By the end of the game, Fifita carried the ball 15 times for 48 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, the Arizona running game was operating at max efficiency.

Grade: A

The Arizona running backs received an A for their performance against a tough K-State defense on Friday, playing at an unrelenting pace and showing that they have greatly improved over the offseason.

Quincy Craig left the game early, leaving Mahdi to take most of the carries. He never showed any signs of fatigue and continued to display the dynamic mix of downhill running and sideline-to-sideline agility that had made Arizona so interested in the first place.

Aug 30, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats running back Quincy Craig (24) holds up his finger after scoring a touchdown against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during the second quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

The depth of the running back room is on another level than it was last year, as it could be any of the three running backs that will have an amazing game. Against Hawaii, it was all three. Against Weber State, it was Craig. This time, it was Mahdi who got to display his talent.

The one thing that holds the room back is health. Kedrick Reescano missed his second game with a foot injury and Craig saw limited carries due to a bad shoulder.

If that room is at full health, it will be a dangerous group to deal with, given the explosiveness and depth that have been added.

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