MANHATTAN, Kan. — He was the last player off the field, the price of growing popularity and performance. Avery Johnson had just led No. 14 Kansas State to an emphatic 31-7 win over No. 20 Arizona, a game that was competitive for about three quarters.
As teammates walked to the locker room, Johnson finished a television interview. He embraced athletic director Gene Taylor and greeted fans standing in the first rows beyond the end zone.
This college football season is still sorting itself out. Outside of a handful of teams, rankings hold little significance. Key players have yet to emerge. Yet on Friday night at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Kansas State played like a strong Big 12 contender, and a long-haired sophomore from Wichita led the way.
Chris Klieman acknowledged as much. The Kansas State coach opened his postgame news conference with four key points. The revved-up crowd, 51,290 strong, was electric, he said. Second, Kansas State, which beat Tulane last weekend in steamy New Orleans, had a solid bounce-back plan during a short week. Third, Klieman took responsibility for a clock-management mistake that cost Kansas State points before halftime. “One hundred percent on me,” he said.
And finally: “Our quarterback’s a pretty good player.”
WIDE OPEN!!!@KStateFB with another TD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2daTzqa0Vn
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 14, 2024
This had been foreshadowed. Johnson last season was so good in relief and in Kansas State’s bowl game that many did not sweat the loss of previous quarterback Will Howard, who transferred and is doing well at Ohio State. Howard had been a four-year starter. He had led the Wildcats to the 2022 Big 12 title. And, yet, Johnson was intriguing.
The dual-threat QB played in eight games last season. He was MVP of the Pop-Tarts Bowl for leading Kansas State over North Carolina State, a game in which he accounted for three touchdowns, two passing, one rushing. But this was the next step. Replacing Howard. Developing as a dynamic player. Leading Kansas State through an expanded Big 12.
Leading up to Friday’s game, Klieman had pointed out three plays from Kansas State’s recent win over Tulane. In each, the 6-2 Johnson had used his legs not to escape, but to buy time, a decision that led to bigger opportunities. No longer was Johnson running at the first sign of pressure. He was learning the position.
“Man, it’s an evolution,” Klieman said. “And he’s evolving. … I thought he got better and better, and I think he’s getting more and more comfortable as a quarterback playing every down. I’m excited.”
Although Arizona (2-1) and Kansas State (3-0) are first-time Big 12 partners, Friday night’s clash fell on the non-conference schedule because the home-and-home series had been set up in 2016, when Arizona still was a Pac-12 member. Even so, this game still felt big, if for no other reason than to provide a first-month conference pecking order. And, also, the quarterbacks.
Arizona’s Noah Fifita had entered with more pub. Some saw him as the Big 12’s top quarterback, accurate and elusive, with perhaps America’s top receiver, Tetairoa McMillan, as a favorite target. Johnson, however, was better Friday night. Aside from the mental lapse at the end of the first half — scrambling, Johnson had let the clock bleed dry with Kansas State in field-goal range — he avoided big mistakes, showing uncommon maturity and poise for someone making his fourth college start.
“He played really good football and was really calm,” Klieman said.
After Arizona scored on its first possession, Kansas State ran off 31 unanswered points. Johnson operated the zone read masterfully, noticing that Arizona focused too much on running backs DJ Giddens (86 rushing yards) and Dylan Edwards (41). Whenever Arizona made Kansas State uncomfortable — which wasn’t often — Johnson almost always found a way to escape. Klieman said he often finds himself wondering if Johnson picked up a first down, only to realize he did so by 6 or 7 yards.
“Very, very fast,” Edwards said of the quarterback’s speed. “It definitely sneaks up on people when he drops back and just starts running. You can hear the players on the field, say, ‘Oh, snap.’”
Johnson had rushes of 19, 13, 17, 13 and 26 yards. Overall, he rushed 17 times for 110 yards, posting the first 100-yard rushing game of his college career. He also completed 14 of 23 passes for 156 yards, throwing touchdown passes to tight ends Brayden Loftin and Will Swanson.
“Well, I don’t think we’re the first team to have an issue with an athletic quarterback, but this guy is something different,” said Arizona coach Brent Brennan, noting Johnson’s explosive speed. “He’s unique, and in those moments where we’re trying to keep him in the pocket, his ability to get outside of one person and create a big play was obviously damaging to what we were trying to get done.”
The win set up Kansas State for a difficult stretch. The Wildcats visit BYU next week, before hosting No. 13 Oklahoma State. Three of their next four are on the road. Klieman said Friday’s win showed the country that Kansas State can be a complete team. That the Wildcats are getting better. And they have more to give.
As does their young quarterback.
“I’m really starting to settle in and get a lot more confident in our offense,” Johnson said. “The best type of reps are live reps. (Offensive coordinator Conor Riley) says all the time that Rome wasn’t built overnight. I really wish I could be playing my top, best football right now, but it’s going to take some time. All Coach asks of me is for me to get 1 percent better each week, and I feel like I continue to grow as the weeks have gone on.”
(Photo of Avery Johnson during Friday night’s game: Ric Tapia / Getty Images)
