Arizona O-Line Earns Big 12 Honors for Strong Performance
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The Arizona Wildcats offense looked sharp in its commanding 23 - 17 win over Kansas State, pushing the team to an undefeated 3 - 0 record for the first time in a decade and avenging its 31 - 7 loss in Manhattan last year.
Although the score may not reflect the dominance that Arizona had over its opponent last Friday, the statistics certainly speak for themselves, as 412 yards of total offense were gained over four quarters of football played.
Ismail Mahdi alone had 221 total yards, 189 of those coming from a stellar rushing performance that saw him get awarded the Big 12 Player of the Week.
It starts in the trenches
It all couldn't have been done without the help of an aggressive squad of offensive linemen that controlled the line of scrimmage and opened wide lanes for the versatile running back to burst through and torment the second level.
- "I'm so proud of that kid, what an awesome human being he is," Head coach Brent Brennan said. "Just his energy, the smile on his face, the way he makes you feel when you're around him, he's really special... He doesn't make those plays without that offensive front blocking the way they have to against a team that's normally hard to block."
Arizona was recognized with the Big 12's weekly 'Beef of the Week' Award on September 15 for the outstanding job it had done against K-State.
In control in the trenches 😤#Big12FB | @OldTrapper pic.twitter.com/idSGw042d3
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 15, 2025
Arizona's offensive line consisted of Ty Buchanan at left tackle, Chubba Ma'ae at left guard, Ka'ena Decambra at center, Alexander Doost playing right guard and Rhino Tapa'atoutai starting at right tackle.
Michael Wooten, who started at left guard for the first two games, also saw snaps and Tristan Bounds got more of a workload at right tackle than Tapa'atoutai, as he is still coming back from a knee injury that ended his 2024 season.
New starters on the line
Ma'ae made his first start of the season at the left guard position and did not let the opportunity slip away from him, logging in 65 snaps on the night with Wooten getting 18.
- "Chubba is one of those young men that I think if you spend any time with him, you're blown away by just charisma, his intelligence," Brennan said. "He just is one of those really, really special young people. He's a leader of our football team. I'm just so proud of him, so happy for him. He stepped away, he played for us last year, got hurt, just he's one of those guys that everything is right about college football, and I'm glad she was on and so is everybody else."
He was a force on the interior and played a big part in protecting Fifita when the offense wanted to pass. Ma'ae played a big part in some of the big run plays as well.
During Mahdi's 60-yard run in the first quarter, Ma'ae pushed his assigned block completely out of the way, which opened up the hole wide enough for the talented running back to burst through and get past the second level.
The play would have been a touchdown if not for a shoelace tackle by K-State's Gunner Maldonado, who transferred from Arizona in the offseason.
Another game, another explosive run for Arizona 💥
— Arizona Wildcats On SI (@ArizonaOnSI) September 13, 2025
This 60-yard scamper by Ismail Mahdi helped set up a UA touchdown. pic.twitter.com/9EQp5g5uuq
He did the same against tackle Uso Seumalo during Fifita's 15-yard running touchdown, washing him completely over to the right side.
Dual-threat Fifita! 🏃
— Arizona Wildcats On SI (@ArizonaOnSI) September 13, 2025
Only three games into the season and Noah Fifita has already set a career high for rushing touchdowns (2)‼️pic.twitter.com/BxCm20vR1L
Tapa'atoutai got the start at right tackle and appeared to still be getting back into form as he logged 22 snaps with Bounds getting the bulk with 61.
- "Rhino's still coming back from his thing, from his injury," Brennan said. "We're being smart about that. We'll listen to the medical staff and do whatever they think we should with those reps. And I thought Tristan did a good job at coming in there and playing. I think in terms of the offensive line, I know we have some work to do, but I'm excited about the progress."
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Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.