The Arizona football team will play its toughest game of the season so far against 14th ranked Kansas State University on Friday, Sept. 13 at 5 p.m. First year head coach Brent Brennan will try to secure Arizona’s first ever Big 12 conference win on the road in Manhattan, Kansas. 

Kansas State so far

Kansas State is 2-0 on the season and finds themselves ranked 14th in the week three AP Poll rankings. This will be Kansas State’s toughest matchup so far this season as well. Kansas State opened regular season play against the University of Tennessee at Martin, beating them 41-6. They continued their success in week two, beating an underrated Tulane University team on the road 34-27.

Kansas State’s formula for success this season is centered around their ability to run the ball. Quarterback Avery Johnson’s ability to run combined with their talented running back room led by DJ Giddens has allowed them to average 249 rushing yards through their first two games. 

Arizona so far

Like Kansas State, Arizona is 2-0 on the season and their wins have come against weaker opponents. However, Arizona has not played as well as they had hoped to in those games. 

In their season opener against New Mexico, the Wildcats struggled defensively, allowing the Lobos to score 39 points. In week 2, Arizona struggled on both sides of the ball. After being down 4 points at halftime against NAU, Arizona managed to come back and win unimpressively 22-10. 

Arizona has been inconsistent on both offense and defense, which has led them to having a lower average time of possession compared to their opponents. Although their offense has been inconsistent, quarterback Noah Fifita and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan have still proven that they can take over games, which will be needed as they start Big 12 conference play. 

Keys to the game

This game will be decided based on how Arizona manages their time of possession. If Arizona is able to control time of possession, they give their defense a better chance to manage Kansas State’s downhill running attack. 

If Arizona can produce long, productive offensive drives, ideally early in the game, they give their defense more chance to rest. Additionally, scoring early will force Kansas State to throw the ball more.

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