Michael Lev: 5 takeaways from No. 20 Arizona’s 31-7 loss at No. 14 Kansas State

Before Friday night, Arizona hadn’t lost a football game since Oct. 7, 2023.

When you look at it that way, things don’t seem so bad.

But we all saw how the UA Wildcats looked against their Kansas State counterparts. It was a mismatch.

After an efficient opening drive, No. 20 Arizona got outplayed in every facet. No. 14 KSU won 31-7. Arizona did not resemble a Top 25 team or a legitimate Big 12 contender.

Where did it all go wrong in the Little Apple? Can the UA’s issues be fixed?

Here are my top five takeaways from Arizona’s final nonconference game of 2024:

1. RP-oh-no

The UA defense did not do a good job against New Mexico dual-threat quarterback Devon Dampier in the opener. Dampier rushed for 130 yards, although 85 came on scrambles — as opposed to designed runs — per Pro Football Focus.

Containing big, fast Kansas State QB Avery Johnson was the primary defensive objective entering Friday. The Wildcats did not achieve that goal.

Like Dampier, Johnson was his team’s leading rusher, finishing with 110 yards on 17 attempts. He did most of his damage on RPO plays — run-pass options — although I’m not sure passing was really an option on any of them.

Similar to the New Mexico game, Arizona did not have adequate edge containment. When Johnson pulled the ball out and ran to the outside, the UA’s defensive ends were caught inside far too often.

I was surprised Arizona didn’t put more players at or near the line of scrimmage — basically daring Johnson to beat the defense over the top with his arm. He has plenty of arm talent but isn’t a fully formed quarterback who can scan the field and find second and third reads; Friday marked the true sophomore’s fifth career start.

KSU’s offense is difficult to defend because it also features two excellent running backs in DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards. If you overplay Johnson, either one of them can hurt you. They finished with a combined 127 yards as KSU outrushed Arizona 235-56.

Was that a one-off? Maybe not. In its previous two games against power conference opponents (ASU and Oklahoma), the UA got outrushed 425-121.

2. Fifita’s ‘struggles’

UA quarterback Noah Fifita did not play poorly Friday night. But he didn’t play up to the standard he set last season. And it was that way against NAU, too.

You could blame the NAU performance mostly on the offensive line, which was missing some key pieces and struggled in pass protection. Arizona also didn’t fully open its playbook against the Lumberjacks.

The UA used more formations, more motion and different personnel against Kansas State. It still didn’t work.

Fifita didn’t look comfortable in the pocket. He didn’t see the field clearly. He held the ball too long too often.

It’s impossible to see exactly what’s happening downfield when watching on TV. Are receivers failing to get open? Is Fifita not finding them? Is he locking in on Tetairoa McMillan too much? (We’ll address the latter in the next item.)

Whatever it is, Fifita hasn’t been able to find a consistent rhythm in the Dino Babers/Brent Brennan offense. The scheme that’s been installed isn’t going to change. But it can be tweaked. I would expect Fifita to huddle with the offensive staff during next week’s bye to figure out what’s working, what isn’t and what needs to be altered. It’s the perfect time to dig into that work.

3. Not-so-spread offense

In Week 1, McMillan gobbled up 50% of the pass targets. On Friday night, he had a team-high 14 — twice as many as his next-most-targeted teammate, Montana Lemonious-Craig. Chris Hunter had five, including four after the game had been decided (and McMillan’s night was done). No one else had more than two.

It’s something of a no-win situation for the UA offensive brain trust. If McMillan doesn’t get the ball enough, it’s a problem. If he gets it too much ... it’s also a problem.

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McMillan’s game has grown since last season. He might be the best receiver in the country. He caught 11 of those 14 targets for 138 yards — and came within centimeters of putting up a 12-159 stat line. (That circus catch he made along the right sideline in the fourth quarter — cradled with one arm against two defenders — was one of the most incredible incomplete passes I’ve ever seen.)

But as McMillan has gotten better, his supporting cast has gotten worse. That’s not intended as a knock on any current player. It’s just hard to replace two NFL draft picks in Jacob Cowing and Tanner McLachlan.

Junior college transfer Jeremiah Patterson looked like a Cowing clone during training camp — even wearing the same No. 2 jersey — and flashed big-time talent the first two weeks. But for whatever reason, he got only one target against KSU — a 3-yard loss on a terribly blocked bubble screen.

Tight end Keyan Burnett was perhaps the most impressive player on either side of the ball in camp and had a promising start. He got shut out against KSU and was rarely targeted.

Lemonious-Craig had the most productive game of his UA career with six catches for 75 yards. But he’s more of a possession receiver than a downfield threat.

As of now, McMillan is the only UA pass catcher who keeps defensive coordinators up at night.

4. Penalty problem

Arizona hurt itself repeatedly against Kansas State. The UA was flagged nine times for 74 yards compared to KSU’s 3-20. In the first half — when Arizona’s offense stalled after that encouraging initial possession — the UA got flagged seven times for 59 yards. KSU? Just once for 5 yards.

It’s problematic when it becomes a pattern. Arizona has been penalized at least nine times in each of the first three games.

In Week 1, much of it was extracurricular — personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct. On Friday, six of the seven first-half penalties were against the offense — including one absurd sequence in the second quarter.

Arizona committed five penalties on its fourth possession (although the last was an apparently intentional delay of game before punting from midfield). The UA faced a first-and-15 (false start), a first-and-20 (illegal formation), another first-and-20 (holding) and a first-and-30 (holding).

Were the officials calling it both ways? Maybe not. But it doesn’t matter. Despite entering Friday with the nation’s longest active winning streak (nine games), Arizona isn’t going to out-talent most of the teams it faces. It has to win on the margins. That means winning the turnover battle, winning special teams and making fewer mistakes. The UA failed on all three fronts Friday.

“The truth is, I gotta coach this team better,” Brennan said in a postgame interview on 1290-AM. “We gotta get back to work and get back to practicing and just drill down on the details and clean up the stuff that is stalling out drives.”

5. Time to panic?

If social media and message boards are any indication, UA fans did not take Friday’s defeat well. I don’t blame you: It was ugly.

But it’s far too early to give up on this year or this coaching staff.

When I predicted the outcome of every UA game before the season, I had this one penciled in as a loss. Likewise Utah after the bye. Those are the two toughest games on the schedule, and I had Arizona finishing 9-3 by winning seven of its last eight.

The fact that Arizona lost at KSU isn’t worrisome; it’s how it happened and how one-sided it ended up being.

If Arizona gets blown out again at Utah on Sept. 28 — with or without Cam Rising — panic will be a justifiable reaction. If it’s a close loss, it could be a momentum-builder. If it’s an upset win, it’s a turning point.

Arizona has a lot to work on between now and then. I’m confident Brennan will have a plan. He isn’t some novice leading a program for the first time. Just last year, he guided San Jose State back from the brink; the Spartans won six of their final seven games after starting 1-5.

And maybe losing a game like this isn’t the worst thing in the world. Maybe Arizona needed to get punched in the mouth.

Pundits sung the UA’s praises throughout the offseason. Now there’s doubt. That could be the fuel Arizona needs.

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Arizona Aftermath: Stats, storylines and quotes from the Wildcats' loss to Kansas State

Pertinent storylines, statistics, quotes and more from No. 20 Arizona's blowout loss to 14th-ranked Kansas State in Manhattan. 

Photos: No. 14 Kansas State runs over No. 20 Arizona 31-7, college football