Avery Johnson’s afternoon against Washington State came with plenty to admire and a few moments he’d probably rather erase.
Kansas State rolled to a 34-7 win Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, and Johnson was right in the middle of it all. He finished 22 of 34 for 192 yards and three touchdowns through the air, then added 78 rushing yards on eight carries.
That’s the kind of line that usually leaves a quarterback feeling pretty good. But Johnson’s tape will come with a couple of sharp reminders, too: two interceptions, including a pick six, plus a missed fourth-down chance.
K-State coach Collin Klein didn’t hide from the mixed bag.
“I thought Avery did an unbelievable job,” Klein said, “minus a couple plays.”
The biggest bright spots came when Johnson got the ball to Josh Manning. The Missouri transfer was Johnson’s favorite target and made it count, catching 10 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. He might have had even more, too, except one of his grabs was taken away after video review showed he was just out of bounds.
Johnson also looked dangerous as a runner, and not just because the numbers were there. He ran with edge, lowering his shoulder to finish one play through contact and later shaking free with a sharp juke on a 26-yard burst.
That was no accident, Johnson said.
“I know how much of a threat I can be,” Johnson said. “I put on some weight in the offseason, so I can really make defenders tackle me in space.
I’m not always just getting out of bounds or getting down. If there’s nothing there for the play to be extended, I’m going to be smart and be safe and maybe dive out of danger and get out of bounds.
But if it’s a scenario where I feel like we’re right at the first-down marker, and I can put my shoulder down and get us a new set of downs, I’m going to do that. If I’m in open space and somebody’s trying to make a tackle, I’m going to do my best to try to make them miss.”
But the rough patches were impossible to ignore. Johnson’s first interception came on a throw to the perimeter that Washington State defensive back Jaylen Thomas read cleanly. The second was even costlier: another perimeter throw, another Thomas takeaway, and this time he returned it for a touchdown on the final play of the first half.
Then came the weather delay, which stretched halftime by nearly an hour and left Johnson sitting with that pick six for a long time.
“It’s probably the worst scenario ever,” he said.
Johnson said the first interception was on him because of poor ball placement. The second left him more frustrated than anything else, though he tried not to let it linger too long with the game already in hand.
“That is just something that, as a veteran, I shouldn’t be doing at this point,” Johnson said. “They are good things to learn from. It didn’t cost us today, but it could cost us in the future.”
In Other News...
Kansas State Just Got A Huge Quarterback Recruiting Opportunity
The recruiting spotlight was already going to be bright for Kansas States matchup with Washington State, but it got a little more interesting with Titus Huard in the building. The four-star quarterback from the 2028 class, and the son of former NFL player Brock Huard, was among the visitors taking in the game, giving the Wildcats a chance to make an early impression on one of the countrys more talked-about young passers.
Huard was not the only recruit on hand, either, as Grant Nehls and Brady Lawhon also attended. For Kansas State, nights like this matter because they are as much about relationships and first impressions as they are about what happens on the field, and getting several prospects to show up for the same game suggests the staff had a real opportunity to showcase the program in a meaningful way. [Read more 🡒]
Former K-State Transfers Are Already Creating One Uncomfortable Debate
Week 2 offered a little reminder of just how many former Kansas State players are scattered across the country, and a few of them wasted no time making an impression. Austin Romaine was everywhere for Texas Tech, piling up nine tackles while playing every snap, and DeVon Rice gave Hawaii a real spark by finding the end zone twice. Elsewhere, the numbers were quieter, with Jayce Brown at LSU and Dylan Edwards at Kansas leaving more of a trace through usage than box-score fireworks.
For K-State fans, the awkward part is that these outings were not hard to notice. When transfer movement is this visible this early in the season, it naturally invites a familiar question about who got away, who found a better fit, and whether the Wildcats are watching some of their best depth pieces blossom somewhere else. The full answer will take more than one September weekend, but the first batch of evidence is already enough to make the conversation uncomfortable. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Won Big But Avery Johnson Still Left A Real Concern
An hour-long rain delay did not slow Kansas State down much in a 34-7 win over Washington State, and the Wildcats had plenty of help from a defense that kept the game comfortably in hand. Wendell Gregory was a noticeable force up front, giving the Cougars problems and helping Kansas State control the tone of the afternoon even as the weather made everything feel a little uneven.
Still, Avery Johnson left the game with a reminder that big wins can carry a lingering concern. The quarterback had two interceptions, and while the Wildcats never lost command of the scoreboard, the turnovers were the kind of mistake that can linger when the competition gets tougher. Afterward, Collin Klein and Johnson pointed to preparation and the need to keep sharpening the details, which is exactly the sort of thing Kansas State will want cleaned up before it becomes more costly. [Read more 🡒]