10 Observations From K-State's Tough Loss to Arizona State

K-State entered the matchup on Saturday against Arizona State in a difficult situation as star quarterback Avery Johnson was forced to miss the game. Senior Jacob Knuth started the first game of his career, and he gave the Wildcats a chance in this game.

The Wildcats battled throughout the game, but ran out of gas and lost the game, 28-17.

Not having Avery Johnson definitely hurt the Wildcats, but there were many reasons why K-State is coming back to Manhattan 4-3.

Here are 10 observations from Saturday afternoon in Manhattan.

1. Jacob Knuth did a good job of giving his team a chance to win

As a backup quarterback, your job is to give your team a chance to win the game. Knuth did just that, going 26-of-41 for 194 yards and one touchdown. It wasn't like he went and put up crazy numbers on the day, but he didn't turn the ball over and limited mistakes.

The Wildcats had a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter, and as a backup, that is often all you can ask for.

2. Defense had no answers for Cardae Mack

The Wildcats' run defense had no answer for Arizona State freshman Cardae Mack, who finished the game with 26 carries for 159 yards and four touchdowns. For the second time in three games, the Wildcats allowed an opposing player to score four touchdowns.

Mack entered the game with 242 yards and two touchdowns, but he was unstoppable on Saturday.

3. Offensive line didn't show up

Yes, Avery Johnson being out hurt the Wildcats. However, K-State had the opportunity to dominate the line of scrimmage against an Arizona State team that really struggled to run the ball.

Instead, the offensive line couldn't get any push, as the Wildcats rushed the ball 32 times for only 84 yards. Rodney Fields Jr. led the way with 10 carries for 36 yards, while Joe Jackson had only nine carries for 19 yards before leaving with an injury.

Arizona State was able to get three sacks in the game and finished with 10 TFLs. Knuth needed his offensive line to deliver in a big way, and they weren't able to do that.

4. Receivers helped their quarterback in a big way

This receiving core has been inconsistent throughout this season, but these guys showed up on Saturday. Knuth threw a lot of 50/50 passes into tight windows, and the receivers made some big catches throughout the game.

Jaron Tibbs (nine catches, 57 yards, one touchdown), Derrick Salley Jr. (6 for 63), and Josh Manning (7 for 57) all helped their quarterback out in a big way.

5. Field position was a huge difference throughout the game

With both teams down to backup quarterbacks, field position took on even more importance in this game. Throughout the game, both teams were able to pin their opponents deep in their own territory, and that would lead to points after the stop.

Luis Rodriguez continued his impressive 2026 season, remaining perfect on kicks. Sterling Lockett had a big punt return that put the Wildcats in great field positon.

6. Game changed when Arizona State brought in third-string quarterback Jake Fette

Mikey Keene got the start for the Sun Devils but left the game late in the first half with an injury. In came Cutter Boley, and the Sun Devils fans booed him before he even took a snap.

With the Sun Devils trailing 17-14, Kenny Dillingham decided to bring in big time freshman Jake Fette, and the entire energy changed.

He was only 3-of-6 for 45 yards, but the entire dynamic in the stadium changed in favor of the Sun Devils. Fette is regarded as the quarterback of the future in Tempe, and if Keene is out for an extended period, the future might start next week.

7. Collin Klein was very aggressive on fourth downs

One area where Johnson was missed the most was in third downs. The Wildcats entered the game second in the country, converting 59.3% of their attempts. However, on Saturday, they converted only 4-of-15.

Klein was very aggressive on fourth down as well, finishing 0-for-4 on fourth-down attempts. With a 17-14 lead and 2:52 remaining in the third, Klein went for a 4th-and-12 from the Arizona State 37, instead of pinning the Sun Devils deep. Knuth got only eight yards. The Sun Devils took the ensuing possession seven plays the other way, ending with a Mack touchdown to take the lead.

8. Jordan Allen had a huge game for K-State

While the defense had many struggles throughout the game, one guy who had a big game was Jordan Allen. He finished with eight tackles and two sacks, consistently putting pressure on the Arizona State quarterbacks.

The Wildcats got a ton of pressure all day, finishing with four sacks.

9. K-State still can't figure out Tempe

The Wildcats are now 1-7 all-time against Arizona State, including a 0-6 record in Tempe. This was the first game they had played since 1989, which the Sun Devils won 31-0 in Bill Snyder's first game.

With the team conference opponents, that is something the Wildcats are going to have to figure out moving forward in the future.

10. How long are Avery Johnson and Joe Jackson out?

The bottom line for K-State is that the Wildcats need Johnson and Jackson on the field for them to win games.

Johnson was putting together his best stretch of football at K-State, and there is a big question on when he will be able to come back.

While Jackson wasn't having as big a game as last week against KU, with Johnson out, he is the biggest home-run threat this offense has. There are a lot of questions for K-State to answer heading to Boulder next week, but the Wildcats offense without these two will struggle to score enough to win games.

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