Avery Johnson’s first game back with Collin Klein at the controls looked a lot like the version of Kansas State football fans have been waiting for.
In Saturday’s season opener at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, the Wildcats rolled to 71 points in a win over Nicholls, and Johnson was right in the middle of it. The senior quarterback completed 15 of 21 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns, then added 23 rushing yards and another score on the ground. Afterward, Johnson said the whole thing carried a familiar feel.
“It felt like I was back where I was my freshman year,” Johnson said.
That kind of line will land well in Manhattan. Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior from Wichita, has already piled up big numbers and plenty of highlight plays in his Kansas State career.
Still, there’s been a sense that his best version has not always been the one showing up every week. He was at his most dynamic as a freshman, when Klein was his offensive coordinator and Johnson was using his dual-threat ability as a backup behind Will Howard.
Since then, the passing totals have stayed strong - 2,712 yards with Conor Riley as his offensive coordinator and 2,385 yards with Matt Wells calling the offense - but his yards-per-rush average has dropped each year. For some fans, the feeling has been that Johnson has been close to his ceiling without quite getting there.
Now Klein is back, this time as head coach, and Johnson says the relationship is already making a difference.
“His ability to trust me and my process leading up to the game (is great),” Johnson said. “He has trust in me and I have trust in him to be able to know when he calls something I know what he’s thinking and what we’re trying to do offensively.
It’s a really good relationship there. It definitely takes a lot of pressure and weight off my shoulders.”
The numbers backed up the comfort level. Johnson posted an ESPN QB rating of 89.8, the best mark by any Big 12 passer in Week 1.
Utah quarterback Devon Dampier was the only other league quarterback above 76. Johnson is also sitting at No. 17 nationally in QBR.
Klein liked what he saw, especially in the moments where Johnson had to sort things out on the fly.
“His pocket presence was really good,” Klein said. “So was his decision-making on third down and distributing the football.
I thought he was accurate. He was able to be decisive in his decision-making.
There were a couple of times they covered us and had us, but he was decisive and pulled the ball down and kept us in second-and-2. I thought he made really, really good decisions.”
There was one more wrinkle in this reunion. Unlike when Klein was Kansas State’s offensive coordinator, he was calling plays from the field this time around. That took a little adjustment for both of them, but it also made communication easier during the game and let them celebrate together the moment it ended.
If Saturday was any indication, Kansas State may have found a version of Avery Johnson that looks a lot like the one people remember from his freshman year.
In Other News...
Kansas State Just Sent An Early Big 12 Warning
The first glimpse of the Big 12s new Monster Energy Drink branding on fields and jerseys drew plenty of eye rolls from fans, and Kansas State supporters were hardly alone in wondering how the conference would look with a sponsor splashed across the action. But once the 2026 season got underway, the complaints mostly gave way to something more familiar: a conference race quickly taking shape, with Week 1 offering an early read on who looked ready to contend and who still had work to do.
For Kansas State, the opening weekend mattered as much for perception as for the standings. The Wildcats were part of a Big 12 slate that produced immediate reactions and a fresh set of power rankings, and their place in that early pecking order sent a message about how the conference is being viewed right now. It is still September, but the Big 12 already has enough results on the board to start separating the teams that look built for the grind from the ones still trying to find their footing. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon White Is Giving Kansas State A New Spark Fans Needed
Brandon White wasted little time giving Kansas State something it had been missing. In his first game with the Wildcats against Nicholls, the transfer turned a punt into a 65-yard touchdown, an instant jolt for a team looking for more life on special teams and more ways to create momentum.
Collin Klein said Whites quickness and natural feel for returning punts stood out enough to win him the job during training camp, and the Wildcats are expecting more than just return work from him. After stops at Kentucky and Hawaii, White has arrived in Manhattan with a chance to help as a wide receiver too, giving Kansas State another versatile piece to work into the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Faces A Defensive Test As One Injury Looms This Week
Kansas State is gearing up for another early-season test, and Collin Klein is already setting the tone by talking about what stands out on the other sideline. Ahead of the matchup with Washington State, Klein pointed to quarterback Caden Pinnick as a tough, talented player who can make life difficult for a defense, a reminder that the Wildcats may need to be sharp from the opening series.
The bigger concern for Kansas State, though, is its own health on defense. Klein also offered an update on linebacker Mekhi Mason, whose lower body injury looked troubling at first glance but may not be as serious as it seemed, with a return potentially coming soon. For a Wildcats defense that will need its depth and communication in a game like this, Masons status is one of the more important storylines to watch this week. [Read more 🡒]