Kansas State’s quarterback situation got murkier Friday night, with Avery Johnson landing on the Wildcats’ availability report as doubtful for Saturday’s matchup at Arizona State.
Johnson had opened the week as questionable on Wednesday’s initial report, but the latest update shifted him closer to out. The Wildcats face the Sun Devils at 2:45 p.m. CT in Tempe, Arizona.
Johnson’s status has been under watch since last week’s win over Kansas, when he missed one play early in the first quarter after going to the turf at the end of a long run. He came right back in on the next drive and finished the game without any obvious signs of injury.
That return matters, because the play itself looked awkward. After a 59-yard run in the first quarter, Johnson fell hard, was slow to rise and had to be pulled up by both arms before heading to the sideline. He smiled and joked with teammates there, then rejoined the huddle after sitting out just one snap.
He still put together a strong day, going 14-for-24 for 209 yards and a touchdown while adding 132 yards on the ground.
"I just got the wind knocked out of me," Johnson said Oct. 17 when he was asked if he was injured on the play. "I don't know if I can answer that or not, so I'm just going to say no."
Johnson later mentioned shoulder soreness in his postgame interview, though he made it sound as if that came from moving around the stadium and high-fiving fans after the game.
Kansas State has not offered much publicly beyond the injury reports. Collin Klein did not raise the issue during his normal Monday press conference, and he also didn’t address it on his weekly radio show Wednesday before the initial report came out. Reporters were even routed through different doors before Monday’s availability, which kept them away from the Bill Snyder Family Stadium concourse and out of sight of whatever was happening on the field.
If Johnson can’t go, the Wildcats may turn to Jacob Knuth. He handled the lone play Johnson missed last week, taking a handoff before Rodney Fields punched in a 4-yard touchdown.
Knuth is a fifth-year player who had appeared in four games over three seasons in Manhattan before this year. So far in 2024, he has taken snaps against Nicholls, Washington State and Kansas, completing one pass for seven yards while also rushing three times for 25 yards and a score.
Kansas State’s quarterback room has already taken hits this season. Blake Barnett has been on crutches since the Wildcats’ Week 1 win over Nicholls, and sophomore Dillon Duff has been on the injury report every week since the Sept. 26 loss at Cincinnati until this week. Duff still could have limited mobility.
More updates on Johnson are expected Saturday, starting with pregame warmups and Kansas State’s radio pregame show, and then with the final availability report due at 1:15 p.m. CT.
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K-State Suddenly Has A Bigger Question Than Arizona State
Avery Johnsons status has become the biggest storyline for Kansas State heading into its matchup with Arizona State, and the latest injury report did little to clear things up. The Wildcats quarterback is still listed as doubtful after briefly leaving the previous game with an injury before returning to finish it, leaving the staff to keep one eye on preparation and another on the final availability report still to come.
If Johnson cant go, Jacob Knuth would be in line to start, which changes the shape of the game plan well before kickoff. For a Kansas State team trying to stay on schedule in a key conference test, the uncertainty at quarterback now looms larger than the opponent across the field. [Read more 🡒]
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The matchup should draw plenty of attention simply because so much has changed in Manhattan, and exhibition games often tell at least a little about where a team is headed. Fans who cannot make it inside Bramlage will still have multiple ways to follow along, with the game set for ESPN+ and the K-State Sports Network, plus live stats and social media coverage throughout the night. [Read more 🡒]