US: The Wildcats are leaving town completely embarrassed, know the reason

US: Arizona was really optimistic going into the game on Friday. They believed their offense could score scores based on their body of work, and their defense seemed to have worked out some kinks despite coming off an upset victory against Northern Arizona that was too close for comfort.

There was some belief that Arizona may pull off an upset in this away game because of their potent offense exploiting a purportedly porous defense, especially because Kansas State was coming off a game against Tulane that they very easily could have lost.

Rather, the Wildcats are departing the town, having suffered severe humiliation.

Arizona was defeated, 31–7, in a game that didn’t seem very close.

Their defense was trounced, allowing 391 yards overall and 235 on the ground, which was a big worry heading into this game.

However, the true tale lies in how awful Arizona’s offensive was.

Quali Conley’s touchdown dash to top off the Wildcats’ 7:28, 14-play, 73-yard opening drive gave the impression that they had worked out a few offensive-related issues.

During that planned drive, quarterback Noah Fifita demonstrated his ability to mix the pass and run by finding their top playmaker Tetairoa McMillan and other weapons.

Sadly, Arizona didn’t score any more points over the remainder of the game.

Avoid being fooled by the final box score. This offense was awful, going 6 for 18 on third and 4 down and unable to sustain drives as a result of their nine penalties.

The Wildcats had trailed 14–7 after going three-and-out the previous series when Fifita made a horrendous interception on their third possession of the game. The redshirt sophomore floated a pass that was picked off in the middle of the field with the ball on Kansas State’s 30-yard line.

For the remainder of the competition, it was their last danger.

They punted three times in a row in their next six drives before turning the ball over on downs three times in a row, indicating that their offensive woes against Northern Arizona could have been more indicative of their situation than the spectacular display against New Mexico.

Fifita completed the game 26-of-42 for 268 yards, one interception, and no touchdowns, but much of that production was wasted since they were unable to generate any momentum in crucial situations.

The only two players that really stood out in the passing game were Tetairoa McMillan, who caught 11 passes for 138 yards, and Montana Lemonious-Craig, who was considerably more engaged with six receptions for 75 yards.

Conley was shut down entirely after Arizona’s first drive, gaining only 48 yards on 14 tries after gaining 27 on the first drive.

As this squad approaches their bye week, there are many questions to be answered.