Kansas State didn’t need late-game heroics or a frantic finish to handle Tulane on Saturday. This one was settled much earlier.
The Wildcats rolled to a 31-20 win at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, snapping the string of nail-biters between the programs and instead leaning on a steady, physical performance to move to 3-0 under new head coach Collin Klein. Tulane, which opened the scoring and led 7-0 after the first quarter, dropped to 1-2.
Avery Johnson was the center of everything. The K-State quarterback threw for 227 yards, but his real damage came with his legs. Johnson piled up a career-high 152 rushing yards and scored twice on 12 carries, giving the Wildcats the kind of explosive quarterback run game that can tilt a matchup in a hurry.
His biggest burst came on a 66-yard keeper up the right side, a play that took him all the way to the 9 before he stepped out of bounds. Klein called timeout afterward, let his quarterback catch his breath, then came right back to him on the next call for a score. Johnson later added another touchdown when he slipped past three Tulane defenders as if they were standing still.
That was a welcome jolt for K-State fans, even if Johnson has flashed as a runner before. His 152 yards were a career best, and he had topped 100 rushing yards only once before, back when he was a sophomore. Johnson has said he wants to be more aggressive on the ground this season, and against Tulane, that intent showed up in a big way.
K-State’s defense also had to answer its first real challenge of the season. The Wildcats had not given up an offensive touchdown before Tulane marched 90 yards in seven plays for the game’s opening score. That made it the first offensive touchdown allowed by K-State all year; the only other touchdown against the Wildcats had come on an interception return with the offense on the field.
Even with that blemish, the defense mostly held up. K-State limited Tulane to 260 yards and 20 points, while the Green Wave also got long field goals from Cooper Helmke, who drilled kicks from 53 and 58 yards. Tulane added another touchdown late, but it never turned into a real threat.
The Wildcats still finished with 12 tackles for loss, and the pass rush caused plenty of problems. Jayden Bryant and Darien Whitaker both recorded multiple sacks.
Another encouraging sign for K-State came at the goal line, where Jay Harris started to look like a natural fit. The Wildcats used a creative setup on two short rushing touchdowns, lining up Joe Jackson, Will Anciaux and Harris behind Johnson in what looked like a T formation.
Harris, the Oregon transfer listed at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, powered in twice on two carries for 2 yards and two scores. That kind of body type makes him a logical option in tight spaces, and Saturday suggested he may have found a clear role in the offense.
There was one area Klein will want cleaned up fast: penalties. K-State was flagged five times for 54 yards, including two pass interference calls on defense, a late hit out of bounds, and a pair of false starts on offense. That stood out because the Wildcats had been nearly spotless in their first two games, drawing only three penalties total against Nicholls and Washington State.
The passing game also had a different look this time around. After Josh Manning was the main target last week, Jaron Tibbs stepped into the spotlight against Tulane.
Johnson found Tibbs nine times for 114 yards, with a long gain of 33. Tibbs repeatedly found soft spots in the defense and kept the chains moving.
Manning didn’t catch a pass after his big game a week earlier, but that only underscored one of the more useful traits in this K-State offense: the ball can go to plenty of different places. On Saturday, it went to Johnson’s legs, to Harris near the stripe, and to Tibbs through the air.
In Other News...
Kansas State Win Revealed More Than Fans Will Like Before Big 12 Play
Kansas State closed non-conference play with a 31-20 win over Tulane, moving to 3-0 and giving the Wildcats a clean runway into Big 12 action. Avery Johnson was the headliner, piling up a career-high 152 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while the defense again showed it can lean on depth up front to keep the team in games.
Still, the win also offered a few reminders of what will matter once the league schedule starts. The offensive line had stretches that looked vulnerable, and the Wildcats had to finish without safety Logan Bartley after he left early because of injury, while defensive lineman Jordan Allen did not play. The record looks good, but the next phase will tell Kansas State a lot more about how complete this team really is. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Klein Sounds Off On One Kansas State Problem After Win
Collin Klein came away from Kansas States 31-20 win over Tulane with plenty to like, and he made sure to credit the back-and-forth nature of the game. He praised both teams for the adjustments they made as the night wore on, pointed to the defenses ability to bend without breaking on long Tulane drives, and noted that the offense found a better rhythm with Avery helping steady things.
Even with the victory in hand, Klein kept coming back to the same issue: the penalties. He said the Wildcats have to be more disciplined moving forward, even after a game in which special teams also did its part by limiting Tulanes return game. For Kansas State, it was the kind of win that showed progress in a few areas while leaving at least one familiar problem sitting in plain view. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State May Have Found The Linebacker It Needed Most
Kansas State has been searching for answers in the middle of its defense since Austin Romaine transferred to Texas Tech, and Gabe Powers is beginning to look like a player who can help steady that spot. The fifth-year senior, who arrived from Ohio State, has already started to settle in with the Wildcats and showed his value in a recent victory against Washington State, where he finished with four tackles.
Powers is expected to keep playing a major role as the schedule moves forward, and that matters for a defense still adjusting to life without Romaine. The fit has been encouraging enough that Kansas State may have found a linebacker who can give it the kind of reliability it needed most, even if the full picture is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]