Four Observations from Kansas State's 23-17 Loss at Arizona
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Kansas State dropped to 1-3 on the year after Friday's 23-17 loss at Arizona. Here are four observations for the game.
Offensive Struggles
K-State was held to under 200 yards on the night. That's well below 320.8 per game the team has averaged now through a third of the season.
On the ground, KSU had 105 yards, but 75 of those came on a single run from Jayce Brown. Running backs Antonio Martin, JB Price, and Dylan Edwards all got at least four carries, but not one of them eclipsed 17 yards rushing.
Avery Johnson struggled mightily. The third-year QB had one rushing touchdown but finished with -16 yards. Through the air, he completed just 13-of-29 passes for 88 yards and no touchdowns. This was easily his worst game passing since taking over as the full-time starter in the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Halftime adjustments
Trailing 17-3 at halftime, Chris Klieman told the TV broadcast that he wanted his team faster in the second half.
The answer was immediate, with Brown's 75-yard touchdown run coming on the first play of the third quarter. An Arizona three-and-out later, Kansas State blocked the punt to take over with just 13 yards to go. Five plays later, the game was tied.
Kansas State ended up with 121 yards of offense in the third quarter. The other three quarters combined for just 72.
Third and Fourth Downs
Keeping Kansas State off the field was the inability to keep drives moving.
While both teams were in more third downs than they'd like to be, Arizona converted at a higher rate. The home team converted 8-of-18 third downs and 1-of-2 fourth downs.
Compare that to the visitors, who managed to go just 3-of-13 on third downs and 0-for-4 on fourth downs. Three of those failed fourth downs came in the final 16 minutes of the game.
Non-conference games vs. league opponents
Yes, this was scheduled before Arizona joined the Big 12 in the great Pac-12 exodus. Still, there weren't any other teams available for a game? These types of affairs are silly, no matter the outcome. The two teams could meet in the conference championship game—looking wildly less likely for Kansas State with each performance—which would end up being dumber than when teams meet for an actual conference game before facing off again for the league title.
Up Next
Kansas State returns home for the conference home opener against UCF. The Knights, back under the leadership of Scott Frost, are 2-0 after wins over North Carolina A&T (68-7) and Jacksonville State (17-10). UCF host Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday.
Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
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