Arizona Football drops Big 12 opener to No. 14 Iowa State for first loss of season | News

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – Arizona Football kicked off the season with a promising 3-0 start – it’s first since 2015. 

The Wildcats stepped up the competition Saturday against 14th ranked Iowa State: first road game, first ranked opponent, first official Big 12 game. 

“Tonight was a harsh, harsh measuring stick,” Head Coach Brent Brennan said.

The Cyclones stormed past the Cats 39-14, handing Arizona its first loss of the season.

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht completed 14 of 23 passes for 243 yards and an interception. Plus, he rushed for three touchdowns. Running back Carson Hansen added two more rushing touchdowns. While most of its scoring came on the ground, Iowa State’s offense was most efficient through the air. The Cyclones averaged a whopping 19.2 yards per catch, with four receivers making catches over 20 yards. 

Arizona’s special teams woes were on full display in the first quarter. The Cats nearly avoided disaster on the opening kickoff. Running back Ismail Mahdi lost the football on his return. It was initially ruled a fumble with Iowa State recovering. However, after review Mahdi’s elbow was ruled down. The Wildcats turned that into a 10-play, 50-yard drive. However, they came up empty. Kicker Michael Salgado-Medina missed a 46-yard field goal on a bad snap.

Iowa State scored on its first drive. Becht connected with Chase Sowell on a 44-yard pass to the one-yard line. Becht snuck in for a touchdown on the next play. Cyclones took an 8-0 lead after a two-point conversion.

The Wildcats didn’t score in the first quarter for the first time all season. It’s only the second time they were held scoreless in a quarter. 

Iowa State extended its lead to 15-0 in the second quarter on a one-yard touchdown run from running back Carson Hansen. 

Quarterback Noah Fifita threw his first interception of the season with under five minutes to play in the second quarter. Cyclones capitalized off Hansen’s second touchdown of the night to make it 22-0.

The U of A finally got on the board with 22 seconds left to play in the first half. Receiver Kris Hutson made an impressive catch in the back of the end zone to make it 22-7. It was his first TD as a Wildcat.

Iowa State marched right down the field to open the second half. Becht scored his third TD of the night to make it 29-7. He added another rushing touchdown to extend the Cyclones lead to 36-7.

Arizona stopped the bleeding with Tre Spivey one-yard touchdown with 2:46 to go in the third to make it 36-14.

Defensive back Treydan Stukes picked off Becht midway through the fourth quarter for his first interception since the New Mexico game in 2024. Arizona looked to capitalize but Fifita threw his second interception of the night inside the red zone. 

Fifita finished 32-48 for 253 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Iowa State tacked on a 34-yard field goal with :43 seconds left.

Arizona looks to get back on track against Oklahoma State October 4 at Arizona Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon.