AMES, Iowa — Arizona stumbled in its Big 12 debut Saturday night, falling 39-14 to No. 14 Iowa State at Jack Trice Stadium.

The Wildcats (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) managed 360 yards of offense but were unable to capitalize on chances in the red zone. Quarterback Noah Fifita completed 32 of 48 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions, his first two interceptions of the season.

Arizona trailed 22-7 at halftime after Iowa State punched in three short rushing touchdowns, two from Carson Hansen and another from quarterback Rocco Becht. The Wildcats briefly steadied the momentum before halftime when Fifita connected with Kris Hutson on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds left in the second quarter.

Iowa State (5-0, 2-0) seized control in the third. Becht added two more 1-yard scoring runs to cap drives of 75 and 44 yards, extending the lead to 36-7. Fifita responded by orchestrating a 12-play, 74-yard march, finishing with a 1-yard scoring strike to Tre Spivey that cut the deficit to 36-14. But that was as close as Arizona would get.

The Wildcats' offense showed balance at times, with Ismail Mahdi providing a spark on the ground. The junior rushed 13 times for 85 yards, averaging 6.5 yards per carry, and added 82 yards on kickoff returns. Hutson led the receiving corps with six catches for 67 yards, while Chris Hunter contributed 59 yards on five receptions.

Arizona moved the ball effectively — recording 20 first downs to Iowa State's 19. The Wildcats converted just 4 of 13 third downs and 1 of 3 fourth downs. A missed 46-yard field goal in the first quarter and an interception return deep into Arizona territory in the second quarter both turned into Cyclone touchdowns.

Defensively, the Wildcats limited Iowa State to just 111 rushing yards on 47 attempts, but they struggled inside the 5-yard line. Becht scored three touchdowns from the 1-yard line, and Hansen added two more short runs. Becht also threw for 243 yards, and tight end Chase Sowell finished with four catches for 146 yards, including a 52-yard reception that set up another score.

Linebacker Dalton Johnson paced the Arizona defense with 10 tackles, while Treydan Stukes added nine stops and an interception. Redshirt senior linebacker Riley Wilson recorded two sacks, highlighting a pass rush that sacked Becht twice. 

Arizona will look to regroup quickly. The Wildcats return to Tucson next week to take on Oklahoma State (12:00pm MST; TNT) for their Big 12 home opener. Tickets are available online at ArizonaWildcats.com.