Venue & Broadcast
Location: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Arizona
Kickoff: 8:00 PM MT / 10:00 PM ET
Surface: Natural grass
Capacity: ~50,782
Broadcast: FOX (national)
Weather Outlook (early-week forecast)
Temperature at kickoff: ~88°F (31°C)
Conditions: Clear skies, light southwest wind (4–7 mph)
Precipitation chance: <5%
Impact: Warm desert evening; minimal weather-related impact on passing or kicking.
Injury & Availability Report
(Per team updates — monitor late-week reports)
Kansas State: No confirmed starters ruled out; QB Avery Johnson healthy (763 pass yds, 6 TD, 1 INT through three games). RB Joe Jackson (136 rush yds) and WR Jayce Brown (216 yds, 2 TD) available. Defense may be dealing with fatigue after short-week turnaround from Army game.
Arizona: No major injuries reported; QB Noah Fifita (534 pass yds, 6 TD, 0 INT) and WR Jayin Whatley (206 yds, 2 TD) in form. RB Quincy Craig (156 yds, 1 TD) healthy.
Recent Form
Kansas State Wildcats:
L 24–21 vs. Army — struggled to stop triple-option; limited offensive possessions.
W 38–35 vs. North Dakota — late game-winning drive from Johnson.
L (Week 0) vs. Power 5 opponent in Ireland — offense inconsistent.
Strength: Passing efficiency (254.3 ypg, 47th in FBS).
Concern: Run defense (156.3 ypg allowed, 94th in FBS) and time of possession (127th nationally at 24:49).
Arizona Wildcats:
W 48–3 vs. Weber State — Fifita 373 yds, 5 TD, 0 INT.
W vs. Hawaii — dominant on both sides; defense yet to allow a touchdown in 2025.
Strength: Balanced offense (283.5 pass ypg, 166.5 rush ypg) and elite turnover margin (+7, 1st in FBS).
Concern: Penalties (105th nationally, 67.0 penalty yds/game).
Series History
All-time: Kansas State leads 6–5.
Last Meeting: Sept. 13, 2024 — Kansas State won 31–28 in Manhattan.
Trend: Home team has won the last three meetings.
Key Player Matchups
QB Duel:
K-State — Avery Johnson: Dual-threat with 65.3% completion rate; dangerous outside the pocket.
Arizona — Noah Fifita: 77.3% completion vs. Weber State; quick release and deep-ball accuracy.
Skill Players:
K-State WR Jayce Brown vs. Arizona CB Treydan Stukes — speed vs. coverage discipline.
Arizona WR Jayin Whatley vs. K-State secondary — Whatley averaging 25.8 yds/catch.
Trench Battle:
Arizona’s OL (91.5 rush ypg allowed on defense) vs. K-State’s front seven — Wildcats must win early downs to slow Fifita.
Betting Trends
Kansas State is 0-3 ATS in 2025.
Arizona is 2-0 ATS this season.
Arizona has not allowed a touchdown through two games.
K-State is 5-2 ATS in last 7 road games vs. Pac-12/Big 12 crossover opponents.
Last year’s meeting went Over the total.
Game Odds
Kansas State Wildcats 54.5
Arizona Wildcats – 1.5
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odd Direct as of Thursday, September 11, 2025
