Through the first two games of the 2026 season, pretty much everything has gone right for Arizona. The Wildcats have blown out a pair of overmatched opponents, reaching the 40-point mark in consecutive games while not allowing a touchdown.
But those were expected wins, with the UA heavy favorites in each. Now comes the first real test, the first opportunity to prove that the 2025 team is a major improvement from the 2024 squad that went 4-8.
Arizona (2-0) hosts Big 12 foe Kansas State (1-2) in a nonconference game on Friday night, the first of 10 consecutive games over the next 12 weeks against power conference opponents. Last year the UA went 2-8 against P4 teams, including a 31-7 loss at K-State in Week 3.
“This is a big opportunity for us, obviously,” UA coach Brent Brennan said Monday. “This is a big game.”
Just don’t call it a “prove it” contest, Brennan said, since that’s been each game so far.
“Every week we’re trying to prove it,” he said. “Every week we’re trying to prove that we’re a good football team. Doesn’t matter who we’re playing. And so this is the most important game of the year, because it’s only one we get to play this week.”
It will be Retro Night at Arizona Stadium for the 6 p.m. PT kickoff on Fox, and the UA will be wearing some throwback helmets with the old Block A logo. Here’s what to watch for when Arizona pushes for its first 3-0 start since 2015:
UA defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales considers Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson a “triple threat” because of his ability to throw, run and turn broken plays into big games. He did all of that against Arizona last year, throwing for 156 yards and two TDs and rushing for 110 yards, and finished 2025 with 605 rushing yards and seven scores,.
This season, though, Johnson has run for only 78 yards and a TD while throwing for 763 yards and six TDs. New K-State offensive coordinator Matt Wells appears to be trying to turn his mobile QB into more of a pocket passer, but Arizona is still preparing for Johnson to attempt to get loose.
In his breakdown of the 48-3 win over Weber State, Gonzales was quick to point out his defense allowed four runs of 10 or more yards including a 16-yard keeper by quarterback Jackson Gilkey on Weber’s first offensive play.
“We talked about all week, he’s gonna run on you and he runs over you,” Gonzales said. “That 16-yard run on the first play the game by Gilkey, Avery Johnson will do the same thing it’ll be 60.”
Arizona’s defensive line is likely to be without its most experienced player, as senior Tre Smith was hurt in the first half last week and didn’t return. He has started all 14 games since transferring from San Jose State, and if he can’t go the UA may bring someone like linebacker Chase Kennedy or Riley Wilson up to the line.
Wilson, an FCS All-American from Montana, made his debut for the UA in the second half last week and managed six tackles in only 15 snaps.
“When he gets on that field, on the defense, he just kind of lights up,” safety Dalton Johnson said of Wilson. “It’s just another hungry dog out there. You can tell how bad he really wants to play.”
Johnson missed the K-State game last season, and his absence was noticeable. He finished 2024 as one of Arizona’s highest-graded run defenders, along with fellow safety Genesis Smith.
“It’s hard and fun to play running quarterback, because they can do so much, and you really just gotta stay in your defense and do more and step it up,” Johnson said. “His running ability is a threat. Our goal is to take that away and make them throw the ball.”
Another way Arizona can minimize Johnson’s impact for K-State is to keep him on the field and keep his team’s defense on it. And that’s a beaten down defensive unit, one that played almost 90 percent of the second half in last week’s home loss to Army.
Army ran 82 plays to 43 for K-State, winning the time of possession battle by more than 2 to 1.
Arizona lost TOP in the 40-6 win over Hawaii, mostly because it was so efficient when on offense particularly in the run game. Against Weber State the UA controlled the clock more.
The UA will be a little bit in the dark as to how Kansas State plans to defend it. Offensive coordinator said the tape from the Army game is basically useless because of Army’s unique option scheme, while Iowa State and North Dakota also used a lot more heavy packages than Arizona would.
“You’re not getting a great idea what they’re going to do to you, so you gotta use a little bit of imagination,” Doege said.
Not surprisingly, attendance at Arizona’s first two games hasn’t been good. Despite announced crowds of more than 40,000 for each the actual number that showed up was closer to half of that. The 2-hour lightning delay last week certainly didn’t help.
Now comes a Friday night game, one that will require fans driving down from Phoenix or elsewhere to adjust their weekday schedules to make it. The earlier kickoff time could actually work against the attendance numbers in that regard.
Not counting Territorial Cups, which are played during a holiday weekend, this will be the seventh time Arizona has hosted a Friday night game in the past 13 seasons. The 2013 and 2014 season openers were on Fridays and both drew over 50,000 fans, but the in-season Friday games have drawn much smaller crowds.
Last year’s November win over Houston, snapping a 5-game losing streak, had an announced attendance of 38,538 while in 2021 only 30,880 showed up for a loss to Washington that was amid the UA’s school-record 20-game skid. The best non-opener Friday crowd at Arizona Stadium is 43,080 for a 2018 win over Colorado.
