Kansas
Grading Arizona football’s performance in loss at Kansas State
Arizona suffered its first loss in the Brent Brennan era, falling 31-7 at Kansas State on Friday night. There were glimpses of strong play in every phase, but overall it was not enough to take on a very physical Kansas State team.
Check out how we graded each part of the Wildcats:
Offense: D-
The offense got out to a real strong start, marching 73 yards with Quali Conley finishing it off with a 1-yard touchdown run. It was his fourth on the season, and the drive also featured two third down conversions and a fourth down conversion.
From there the offense would struggle. They would go three and out on their next drive and after marching down the field again, Noah Fifita would throw a costly interception as the Wildcats were just outside of the red-zone.
Arizona would not find the end zone again as their drives went as follows: Punt, punt, punt, turnover on downs, turnover on downs, turnover on downs.
Fifita would finish 26 of 42 for 268 yards going along with the interception. Tetairoa McMillan finished as the leading receiver with 11 catches for 138 yards. Conley finished with 14 carries and 48 yards on the ground.
The offense also had six penalties for 45 yards.
Defense: C-
With a little bit of help from some Kansas State mistakes, the defense did keep Arizona within reach for most of the game. Some issues that still plague the defense are containment and tackling.
QB Avery Johnson ran for 110 yards on 17 carries, which made him the leading rusher for Kansas State. Missing tackles led to a lot of long plays for Kansas State, especially in the third quarter. Technique and being able to wrap up is something that is going to need to be fixed during the bye week.
Marquis Groves-Killebrew led the team in tackles with eight. Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, Taye Brown, and Owen Goss all recorded sacks tonight.
Overall, the defense allowed 391 total yards and 21 first downs.
Special teams: D+
With Arizona not having Michael Salgado-Medina and Jordan Forbes able to go tonight, kicker Tyler Loop took on the punting duties. He punted four times with a long of 53 yards.
The big mistake given up on special teams was a 71-yard punt return from Dylan Edwards. It was a low kick from Loop, which allowed Edwards to turn the corner and use his speed to run away from the punt coverage.
Coaching: D
Brennan was introduced to Big 12 play tonight, and there is a lot to learn from this game moving forward.
Overall, it seemed like the team was motivated for the matchup and showed a lot of grit in the first half. When the game could’ve gotten away from them early, they stuck it to Kansas State to show that the Wildcats from Tucson were there to compete.
As the game progressed, the team seemed to lose confidence. A lot of frustration showed on the faces on both sides of the ball. However, no one was pointing fingers and they stuck with each other which is credit to the way Brennan has instilled that mindset into his team.
For the defense, there should have been some adjustment made to the quarterback runs and being able to keep containment. Defensive coordinator Duane Akina is going to have to address the issue of wrapping up and finishing tackles.
Many of Kansas State’s plays finished with their players earning extra yards, and falling forward. Kansas State only had three possessions where they did not score, with one being a missed field goal.
Offensive coordinator Dino Babers had the first drive of the game called to near perfection and it looked like Arizona had found its offense after the NAU game. However, as the game went on, the offense would sputter and it would struggle to stay ahead of the chains.
The only thing that seemed to be consistent was the Fifita to McMillan connection. Outside of that, the offense struggled to make plays and find a way to move the ball. It was also a full game of having a healthy offensive line, and it struggled to keep the quarterback protected.
The bye week comes at a good point for the Wildcats. Arizona needs the week to get healthy, figure out the offensive struggles, and find a way to sure up the tackling.
Stormont Vail Healthcare is in a legal battle with the state government, alleging the Medicaid program was wrong to refuse payment for the hospitalization of a pregnant patient with complications.
At issue is a disagreement between the Topeka hospital and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment over whether inpatient health care services were medically necessary for the Medicaid patient’s last two weeks of pregnancy.
The Kansas Court of Appeals did not resolve that dispute, but it did side with Stormont Vail in a May 8 decision. The unanimous three-judge panel reversed a decision by Shawnee County District Court Judge Thomas Luedke and vacated an order from KDHE’s State Appeals Committee. The matter now goes back to the appeals committee for reconsideration.
The appellate panel was comprised of Judges Jacy Hurst, Thomas Malone and Stephen Hill, which heard oral arguments on Aug. 5. Hurst wrote the court’s opinion.
The lawsuit stems from a 2018 case of a pregnant patient, who is not named in appellate court documents. She was 28 years old at the time and had an intellectual disability among other complications, including rapid weight loss caused by hyperemesis gravidarum.
The woman was originally admitted at Newman Regional Health in Emporia before she was transferred to Stormont Vail. Part of the hospitalization during her third trimester was covered.
But the final two weeks were not because Sunflower Health Plan, one of the managed care organizations in the state’s privatized Medicaid program known as KanCare, refused to reimburse for the patient’s continued hospitalization through the day the child was born via cesarean section.
“We are here because the Kansas Medicaid program has wrongfully refused to pay for some of an inpatient hospitalization while a Medicaid beneficiary was at Stormont Vail,” said Amanda Wilwert, an attorney for the hospital, during oral arguments. “Stormont believes the inpatient care was medically necessary as defined by the Kansas Medicaid regulations.”
Court records and oral arguments show the state expected Stormont Vail to look into having a home health agency care for the patient in Emporia instead of continued hospitalization — even though home health generally does not take care of pregnant patients and her doctors believed the expectant mother was not stable enough to discharge.
“The way it’s supposed to work,” said Darren Sharp, an attorney representing KDHE, “is the managed care organization, in this case Sunflower Health, on behalf of KDHE reviews the medical records, asks about the appropriate level of care and whether there’s any other interventions that would be more cost effective or appropriate depending on the level of or depending on the patient’s records and the patient’s status.”
Sharp argued medical records showed the patients was getting better because of total parenteral nutrition, or TPN.
“This is when a tube, a PICC, is inserted and your minerals and your electrolytes and all of your nutrition is then intravenously provided,” Sharp said.
He said the treatment “was eliminating her vomiting, her diarrhea, she had no fever, her glucose levels were stabilized.”
In their ruling, the judges indicated the KDHE appeals committee primarily cared about the cost saving of using home health versus hospitalization while disregarding the treating physician for insufficient reasons and ignoring evidence on potential benefits or harms to the patient.
But the judges declined to resolve the dispute. Rather, unless the decision is appealed to the Kansas Supreme Court, the matter goes back to the KDHE administrative process.
There, the agency’s appeals committee must reconsider the case consistent with the Court of Appeal’s ruling. The published decision sets new precedent interpreting state laws and regulations on the Medicaid program.
“While this court provides no opinion on whether the disputed inpatient healthcare services met the definition of medical necessity,” Hurst wrote, “the record shows that some of the (appeals committee’s) factual findings were not supported by the record as a whole and that the (appeals committee) inaccurately applied the law when it failed to consider (the patient’s) individual characteristics and assess the harms and benefits of the healthcare intervention.
“In making a medical necessity determination, the reviewing agency must make an individualized determination based on the record as a whole.”
Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.
The Kansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
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Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
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All Kansas Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at select Kansas Lottery offices.
By mail, send a winner claim form and your signed lottery ticket to:
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(785) 296-5700
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Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Kansas Lottery.
When are the Kansas Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
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This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Kansas editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas, becomes sister city to Concepción, Argentina, ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026
KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
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Kansas City, Kansas, is now a sister city to Concepción, in the Tucumán province of Argentina.
The connection that carries deep personal meaning for members of the Kansas City area’s Argentinian community, with less than six weeks until Lionel Messi and their national team play at Kansas City Stadium (GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium).
Kansas City, Kansas, becomes sister city to Concepción, Argentina, ahead of World Cup
The official Sister Cities Agreement was signed Wednesday at Sporting Park, in a ceremony that also served as the kickoff of a broader cultural and economic initiative connecting Argentina and Kansas.
Federico Carmona has lived in the United States for more than two decades. He spent Wednesday afternoon cheering and smiling.
“This is my dream,” Carmona said.
For Carmona, the moment was personal — a merging of the two places he calls home.
KSHB/ Brian Luton
“This is a blessing,” Carmona said.
He continued, “Argentina is my heart. I was born in Argentina. I have so much passion for soccer. I used to play, my kids play. We never thought that Argentina was going to be in Kansas City. So that was a big, big surprise for us.”
Claudia Luna West, chair of the Sister Cities Association and a native of Concepción, Tucumán, was one of the driving forces behind the partnership.
“It means the world to me,” Luna West said.
KSHB/ Brian Luton
She described the pairing of the two cities as a natural collaboration — like the ingredients of a perfect recipe coming together.
“Everything collaborates to be this great thing,” Luna West said.
That recipe metaphor extended to food. The event featured the announcement of a partnership between Kansas BBQ Empanadas and Jack Stack BBQ — a culinary symbol of the two cultures meeting.
“Now, empanadas aren’t going to be just an ethnic food. They’re going to be a landmark of Kansas,” Luna West said.
Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK, Christal Watson, said the designation reflects the city’s diversity and its ability to connect with the world.
KSHB
“I think it’s important that we set a global stage on how diverse we are and how beautifully, wonderfully made we are with all the different cultures,” Watson said.
Watson said shared experiences — including food — are what bring communities together.
KSHB
“Food is a common link. Those are the things that get us engaged… those are the things that help us grow and be a better community overall,” Watson said. “We already have a flavor going on.”
Jake Reid, president and CEO of Sporting Kansas City, said the timing of the sister city announcement — with the FIFA World Cup 2026 approaching — felt right.
KSHB/ Brian Luton
“We’ve been planning this for so long. I think to have it on the doorstep now and be probably a month out is becoming very real and exciting,” Reid said. “They’re meant to be from… kind of everything we’ve got going on right now, for sure.”
For Carmona, the day was a long time coming.
“We can’t wait for all this to happen,” Carmona said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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