Kansas State proves they are the team to beat with dominant win over No. 20 Arizona

The Kansas State Wildcats have started 3-0 on the season for the first time since 2021. This win thought could be their biggest so far.

No. 14 Kansas State took down No. 20 Arizona 31-7 in one of the biggest games in Week 3. Not only did Kansas State walk away with this win, but they did so in a dominant fashion.

After coming out and scoring on their first drive, Arizona wasn't able to put any more points on the board, giving Kansas State a much-needed boost on defense. After a rough weekend defensively against Tulane in Week 2 where the Wildcats gave up 27 points and 491 total yards, it was refreshing to see the defense go out and get the job done.

Against Arizona, which has a high-flying offense as well, the defense gave up just 324 total yards and just seven points. K-State could have probably held Arizona off the scoreboard if they had gotten a stop on one of many third downs on the first Arizona offensive drive.

K-State did it in all three phases of the game tonight, however, with the offense going off for 31 points the defense doing its job, and special teams looking great, which included a punt return for a touchdown by Colorado transfer Dylan Edwards.

In the first half, Kansas State did start off a bit slow after the first drive, which resulted in a touchdown pass from quarterback Avery Johnson to tight end Will Swanson. The only other touchdown K-State was able to score in the first half was the punt return by Edwards.

After a three-and-out coming out of halftime, Kansas State went to work on defense to get the ball back to the offense. The defense did its job so the offense gave them a reward with a six-play 86-yard touchdown drive that ended with a Johnson pass to tight end Brayden Loftin, his second of the season.

Johnson finished the game 14-for-23 with 156 passing yards and touchdowns and head coach Chris Klieman let Johnson loose on the ground as he also led the rushing game with 110 yards on 17 carries. The stat line doesn't necessarily show truly how great Johnson played in this game. Of course, there were some missed passes that showed Johnson's youth, but the 19-year-old also made some great passes that even the most veteran gunslingers couldn't make.

The defense was truly the star of this game however as they were unrelenting on the Arizona Wildcats. Senior cornerback Keenan Garber made just his second career interception off a Noah Fifita pass in the second quarter that stole a touchdown away from the Wildcats.

Then in the second half, the K-State defense forced three turnovers on downs against the Arizona offense, and each time, the K-State offense was able to put points on the board.

this was truly a complete team win for Kansas State and a big one over a ranked opponent. Kansas State showed that they are the team to beat in the Big 12, and no one should forget it.