5 takeaways from the Arizona Wildcats’ 23-17 victory over Kansas State | Michael Lev

First came the drones

Then came the groans.

In less than five minutes of game time in the third quarter, Arizona’s 14-point halftime lead evaporated. Then a trick play went awry, resulting in an interception. A full-blown collapse felt imminent.

But this UA team just might be different. Arizona didn’t buckle; it bounced back.

Behind a stellar defense and the explosive running of Ismail Mahdi, Arizona held on to defeat Kansas State 23-17 Friday night at Arizona Stadium.

It was the second signature win of the Brent Brennan era, matching last year’s upset victory at then-No. 10 Utah. In some ways, it might have been the most impressive.

“I loved the response,” a fired-up Brennan said afterward. “That’s what good teams do.”

Arizona is off to 3-0 start for the first time since 2015. A visit to No. 14 Iowa State looms in two weeks after a bye.

Here are my top five takeaways from Friday night:

1. Danny G’s Plan B

Although hard-to-please coordinator Danny Gonzales would disagree, you could make the case that Arizona’s defense has had one bad play in three games — Jayce Brown’s 75-yard run on the first play of the second half.

You could also make the case that no assistant coach in America has done a better job so far this season than Gonzales.

Before that Brown run, Arizona had gone 10 consecutive quarters without giving up a touchdown. K-State’s other two scores came on short fields after UA miscues. KSU gained 3 net yards on those two possessions.

If you take away the 75-yard run — which you can’t do, obviously, but bear with me here — KSU gained 118 yards. That’s just 8 more than Avery Johnson had by himself as a rusher in last year’s meeting.

This time around? Arizona throttled him. He finished with minus-16 yards on the ground. He couldn’t get to the perimeter against a defense that played fast and hard.

Arizona did it without its best defensive lineman, end Tre Smith, who dressed during warmups but couldn’t go. Riley Wilson was out, too. Treydan Stukes made his 2025 debut but was limited to a handful of series.

Not to worry. Gonzales had a plan. He came up with a 2-4-5 scheme that placed four mobile linebackers on the field at the same time: Taye Brown, Max Harris, Chase Kennedy and Jabari Mann.

With those four crashing into the backfield or dropping into coverage, Johnson looked flummoxed for much of the night.

“Just getting our best guys out there,” UA safety Genesis Smith said.

Smith is unquestionably one of them.

2. ‘Straight-up baller’

Before the season, Gonzales laid out a best-case scenario for Smith: Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and off to the NFL.

If he keeps playing this way, both could happen.

Smith had twice as many tackles (eight) as any of his teammates, along with a career-high three pass breakups. The last one was the play of the game.

K-State faced fourth-and-7 from its 43-yard line with just over a minute to play. Johnson fired a pass over the middle for Jayce Brown. Smith undercut it and knocked it down.

Earlier in the drive, Smith was upset with himself for not intercepting a deep ball. Two plays before the clincher, he corralled KSU wideout Jemyri Davis after a reception, limiting him to a 3-yard gain.

Those plays — plus a critical QB pressure on third-and-12 after the bungled trick play — were redemptive moments for Smith. He had a bead on Brown on his “Wildcat” run but missed the tackle.

“Missed a play. Missed a tackle. Gotta respond,” Smith said. “I felt like I responded well.”

That’s an understatement.

“Genesis Smith is a straight-up baller,” Brennan said. “He’s an awesome football player.”

3. Mahdi magic

A few days before the game, a friend asked me a seemingly simple question: “Who is Arizona’s best running back?”

At first I thought about Quincy Craig, who had a great offseason and rushed for 125 yards on seven carries in the opener.

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I also considered Kedrick Reescano, who averaged 4.3 yards per carry after contact in Week 1 before missing the past two games because of injury.

Ismail Mahdi made his case Friday night.

With Reescano out and Craig limited, Mahdi put the offense on his back. He rushed for 189 yards on 22 carries. Whenever Arizona needed a big play, Mahdi made it.

None was bigger than his 27-yard reception in the fourth quarter. Arizona faced third-and-15 at its 43. After chipping a pass rusher, Mahdi caught Noah Fifita’s checkdown pass at the line of scrimmage. Madhi then turned and darted through the KSU secondary, gaining the first down and then some.

I talked to Mahdi during Arizona’s media day before the season. He recalled being a zero-star recruit who had only two offers coming out of Plano East High School in Texas: Houston Christian and Texas A&M-Commerce. He began his college journey at Houston Christian.

“Maybe God just wanted me to take the longer route,” Mahdi said that day. “I think my journey made me work a lot harder.”

After staff changes at Houston Christian, Mahdi transferred to Texas State. When he arrived in San Marcos, he had to prove himself again. He became a star in the Sun Belt.

Mahdi still wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to play at a power-conference school. He landed at Arizona.

As Mahdi put it, he has bet on himself multiple times.

I wouldn’t bet against him.

4. Fifita’s fleet feet

Arizona’s second-most effective runner was Fifita.

If you take out sacks, Fifita rushed for 65 yards on 13 attempts.

Before the season, offensive coordinator Seth Doege talked about using Fifita’s legs more. We’re seeing proof of how valuable that can be.

Fifita scored both of Arizona’s touchdowns, and each required creativity and determination.

The first came on a fake pitch to the right. Fifita ran to the left, but KSU’s Chiddi Obiazor was in the backfield. Fifita bounded around him and maneuvered through the defense for a 15-yard score.

Later in the first half, Fifita appeared to be stopped short of the end zone on a run up the middle from the 2. KSU linebacker Desmond Purnell, among others, had him wrapped up. But Fifita cleverly reached the ball out, and it crossed the goal line. After a replay review, the play was ruled a touchdown.

Fifita will never be a Khalil Tate-level threat with his legs. But Fifita can be enough of a threat to keep defenses honest — to at least give them something else to think about and game-plan for.

Fifita’s rushing helped offset an off night throwing the ball — just 16 of 33 — although his receivers didn’t do him many favors. I counted four dropped passes.

Fifita has yet to throw an interception this season after throwing 12 a year ago, tied for the most in the Big 12.

Of course, he’s a player who couldn’t care less about his personal statistics. He’s all about doing whatever it takes to win, whether that’s throwing, running or protecting the football.

5. Exceeding expectations

Although I picked Kansas State, figuring KSU would play with desperation and abandon to avoid a 1-3 start, I wasn’t surprised that Arizona won.

I didn’t expect the UA to dominate at the line of scrimmage the way that it did.

Arizona was, for the most part, the better team up front. Despite an offense line that’s still figuring things out and a defensive front that was missing some key pieces, Arizona controlled the trenches.

That’s an encouraging sign headed into Big 12 play. Iowa State is stout along the lines. So is BYU, among others.

With any luck, Arizona will get some of its guys back by the time it heads to Ames. That Arizona hasn’t had its full roster for any of the first three games makes its 3-0 start that much more impressive.

Even though Arizona is halfway to a bowl berth, nothing is guaranteed. Last year’s team, if you’ll recall, was 3-1 after beating Utah.

But there were troublesome signs. The offense was a mess. Injuries mounted on defense, and Arizona didn’t have the depth to overcome it.

This roster is indisputably deeper. And nothing that’s gone wrong so far feels unfixable.

Brennan was giddy after the game. His “Redline” mantra — 100 miles per hour 100% of the time — has permeated the locker room. Arizona is playing hard — and, for the most part, well.

I thought 6-6 was within reach for this UA squad. I might have underestimated it.

Photos: Arizona notches a 23-17 win over Kansas State, NCAA football