How to Watch: Arizona vs. No. 14 Iowa State

Arizona (3-0) is close to kicking off its fourth game of the season against No. 14 Iowa State in the first official Big 12 game of the season. This game marks the first time the two teams have played since the 1968 season where the Wildcats went into Ames and won 21-12 over the Cyclones.

Arizona wanted to get back on the right track after an underwhelming first season under Brent Brennan where the team finished 4-8 and missed a bowl game despite preseason high expectations.

Sep 12, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats running back Ismail Mahdi (21) runs the ball while Kansas State Wildcats safety Daniel Cobbs (4) defends during the fourth quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Well, after changes were made to the coaching staff and the roster, Brennan seems to have the Wildcats moving in the right direction with the team starting the year with 3-straight impressive wins over Hawaii, Weber State and Kansas State.

On the offensive side of the ball, Brennan brought in coordinator Seth Doege to fix the issues from a season ago where the team averaged 21.8 PPG . However, if you take a deeper dive into the offense, the unit struggled to crack 20-plus points if you take out the New Mexico game where the WIldcats dropped 61 points on the Lobos.

When you take that game out of the equation, Arizona averaged 18.2 PPG putting the unit near the bottom of the conference.

So far in three games, Arizona is averaging 37 PPG which places the Wildcats at No. 37 nationally.

Sep 12, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) looks to pass the ball during the first quarter of the game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Meanwhile on the defensive side of the ball, Brennan promoted Danny Gonzales to defensive coordinator where he has mixed up the scheme and has brought a new aggression to his unit.

In three games, the Wildcats have held opponents to 8.7 PPG, which places them at No. 10 nationally. Arizona has only allowed two touchdowns all season with both coming against Kansas State in the last game.

Game Info

Game: Arizona (3-0) at Kansas State (4-0, 1-0 Big 12)

Time: 4 p.m. (MST)

Location: Jack Trice Stadium | Ames, Iowa

TV: ESPN

Radio: 1290AM | Sirius XM: 83, 380

Odds: ISU (-4.5) | O/U: 48.5

As we get closer to kickoff, the first availability report of the Big 12 season for Arizona and Iowa State has been released. Going into the bye-week the Wildcats had several players that had been banged up through the first week and saw some time missed on the field.

Aug 30, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Tre Smith (3) tackles Hawaii Rainbow Warriors quarterback Micah Alejado (12) during the third quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Some guys that had been going through injury issues were defensive end Tre Smith, running back Kedrick Reescano, receivers Kris Hutson and Chris Hunter, defensive back Tredyan Stukes and linebacker Riley Wilson.

Of all of those players that have been going through issues, only Reescano was listed and the rest seem good to go after the first availability report of the season. This means, the Wildcats are the healthiest they’ve been all year as the team heads into Ames to take on the Cyclones.

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