Avery Johnson spent the preseason chasing a number, and Kansas State is already seeing why it mattered.
The Wildcats’ quarterback wanted to get to 210 pounds before the season started, and he went about it the hard way: more protein, more time in the weight room, more work on his upper body. Johnson believed that if he could add the bulk, it would pay off for him and for K-State.
That belief looks pretty sound right now. Johnson said he put on 10 pounds of muscle to hit his target, and he’s felt the benefits through the first month of the season. He even sounded almost reluctant about the team’s lone bye week because, physically, he’s in a better place than he’s been this late in a season.
“This is the best my body has ever felt this far into the season,” Johnson said this week.
The numbers back up the feeling. Through K-State’s first four games, Johnson has thrown for 910 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 291 rushing yards and three more scores on the ground. The Wildcats are 3-1 and coming off a loss in their Big 12 opener against Cincinnati, but Johnson’s individual start is a clear step forward from a year ago.
He said he got near 200 pounds last season, but holding that weight was a problem - especially after Ireland. Lingering injuries made it tougher to eat the way he wanted, and he said he spent most of the year in the 180s.
“I got to around 200 pounds last year, but it was hard for me to hold it, especially after Ireland,” Johnson said. “I was dealing with some lingering injuries throughout the whole year. So I didn’t eat as well throughout the season, and I was playing in the 180s for the majority of the year.”
This season, Johnson said his weight can still dip to 205 at times, but that’s enough to let him play the way he wants as a dual-threat quarterback. He believes the added strength is helping him run harder and absorb contact better.
“That allows me to maintain more contact, take more hits and not feel as bad the next day,” Johnson said. “I’m excited.”
The change isn’t just showing up on Saturdays. Johnson said the biggest difference has been in the middle of the week, where he’s focused more on maintenance than recovery.
In previous seasons, he was working with trainers to get his body back near full health between games. Now, he’s trying to stay there.
Johnson wants that trend to continue when K-State returns at 2:30 p.m. Saturday against Houston.
“Hopefully the trajectory of it can keep trending up,” Johnson said. “I know we’ll probably have a bump and bruise here and there as the season goes on.
I will need to iron out those kinks. But it’s more maintenance and just keeping my body feeling 100%, because I have felt really good every week so far this year.”
In Other News...
Kansas State Faces A Familiar Return As Injuries Start To Mount
Saturday brings a little extra storyline to a Kansas State game that already carries some intrigue, as Michael Bishop returns to face the Wildcats in a new role with Houston. The former Kansas State quarterback is now an offensive assistant for the Cougars, and first-year Wildcats coach Collin Klein, another familiar name from the programs quarterback lineage, said he has nothing but respect for Bishop. It adds a bit of old-home flavor to a matchup that already feels personal on both sidelines.
The bigger concern for Kansas State, though, is the health of the roster as game week unfolds. With injuries beginning to pile up, the Wildcats are working through availability questions while trying to stay sharp for a Saturday test that now comes with an added layer of familiarity. For Klein and his staff, the challenge is less about nostalgia and more about getting enough bodies ready to handle a Houston team led in part by someone who knows exactly what it means to wear purple. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Just Got A Big 12 Reality Check
Week 5 has a way of sorting out which Big 12 teams are really built for the long haul, and Kansas State is now feeling some of that pressure in the leagues latest pecking order. The conference picture has tightened quickly, with BYU, Texas Tech, Utah and Baylor all making their cases through recent results and key playmakers, while the Wildcats have been pushed into a more uncomfortable spot as the seasons early optimism meets a tougher reality.
For Kansas State, the bigger concern is not just where it sits right now, but how narrow the margin has become in a league that seems to be changing by the week. The updated rankings reflect a conference with several programs trending up and very few easy wins left to claim, which leaves the Wildcats needing a sharper response if they want to stay in the mix rather than simply watching the race take shape around them. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Suddenly Needs Linkon Cure To Deliver Right Now
Will Anciuaxs season-ending lower leg injury against Cincinnati has turned a little more attention toward a Kansas State tight end room that was already in line for change. His absence leaves the Wildcats thinner at the position and creates a clearer path for Linkon Cure, the highly recruited freshman who arrived with as much buzz as any player in program history.
Collin Klein confirmed Anciuax will miss the rest of the season while also turning the page toward Houston, where Kansas State will have to sort out how much more it can lean on Cure right away. For a team trying to keep its offense on track, the question is no longer whether the five-star talent will matter eventually, but how quickly he can become a real factor now. [Read more 🡒]