Arizona football's first highly-anticipated game in the new-look Big 12 didn't go according to plan, as Brent Brennan and the 20th-ranked Wildcats got destroyed by No. 14 Kansas State 31-7 in Manhattan.
Arizona started the game off with an excellent 14-play, 73-yard touchdown drive that cut nearly seven-and-a-half minutes off the clock and gave Arizona a 7-0 lead. However, it was all downhill from there, as Brennan's group couldn't keep quarterback Avery Johnson in check or stop the bruising Kansas State running game. Offensively, Arizona got nothing going on the ground themselves, and really couldn't move the ball at all save for some explosive plays to star wideout Tetairoa McMillan, who finished with 11 receptions for 138 yards.
After the game, Brennan put the brunt of the loss on his shoulders.
“At the end of the day, I need to coach this team better,” Brennan said. “It all starts with me. The good news is, we have a bye, which gives us a chance to hopefully get some guys healthy and we can get to work on fixing the things that weren't right tonight.”
There's no easy games in the new Big 12 for Arizona, as they'll head to Salt Lake City after the bye week to take on 12th-ranekd Utah in an old Pac-12 matchup.
Is it time to hit the panic button on Arizona football?
Arizona has not looked very impressive through three games. They battled through two home games that were much closer than expected against New Mexico and Northern Arizona, and then got steamrolled in their first Big 12 game in Manhattan against Kansas State.
Despite undergoing a major coaching change this offseason, Arizona still had high expectations in 2024 after quarterback Noah Fifita and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, one of the top duos in college football last season, both opted to return to Tucson.
The run defense has been a major concern so far for Brennan's group. The Wildcats gave up 210 yards on the ground against New Mexico, and then Kansas State ran all over them for 235 yards on Friday night. Teams have been able to methodically drive the ball down the field against Arizona, keeping their explosive offense on the sidelines.
Well, the offense has been explosive in theory. After erupting for 61 points in the win over the Lobos, Arizona has been held to just 29 points combined over the last two games. The Wildcats definitely should've been able to score on Northern Arizona, and Kansas State has a talented defense but also was struggling to stop Tulane at times last week.
The third down efficiency is the most troubling part of their failures in the last two weeks. Arizona is just 5-for-24 on third down in those two games, a figure that desperately needs to improve if they're going to be competitive in the Big 12.
It's not time to hit the panic button just yet, but with Utah on the horizon and plenty of difficult games coming up after that, Brennan needs to get things turned around fast.
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