Five takeaways from Kansas State’s 38-21 road victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders
A star may have been born for the Kansas State football team during a 38-21 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium.
The Wildcats handed the keys to their offense over to freshman quarterback Avery Johnson, and he responded with a record-setting performance that may have put K-State’s season back on track after a pair of two early losses.
K-State (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) pulled away from Texas Tech (3-4, 2-2 Big 12) in the second half for a comfortable road victory that will once again have fans thinking positively about the future with home games against TCU and Houston up next on the schedule.
Here are five takeaways from the action:
Avery Johnson gave K-State a huge spark as a running QB
Freshman quarterback Avery Johnson played more than just about anyone expected.
Unlike previous games, when he was used specifically in running situations or in garbage time with the outcome already decided, he saw meaningful snaps against Texas Tech. Lots of them.
He led the K-State offense on multiple drives in the first half and then returned to the huddle in the second half with the Wildcats trailing on the scoreboard and he led a come back. Head coach Chris Klieman decided to use him more than starting quarterback Will Howard in an important conference road game.
That was an interesting decision, to say the least.
The move was made in an attempt to take pressure off of Howard’s shoulders after he threw seven interceptions in K-State’s first five games of the season. When Howard struggled to move the offense early on against Texas Tech, the Wildcats didn’t hesitate to insert Johnson into the game.
He took advantage of the opportunity ... big time.
Johnson completed 8 of 9 passes for 77 yards, but that didn’t really matter because he was a battering ram as a runner. Johnson rushed for 90 yards and five touchdowns on 13 carries.
It was a record-setting performance.
No freshman in K-State history has scored more touchdowns in a game. Only two other players have scored five in a single game — Collin Klein and Jonathan Beasley.
Johnson’s name is already in the K-State record books, and he has only been on campus for a few months.
The most impressive part of his night was his efficiency. The Wildcats averaged 2.3 points every time he ran with the ball — 30 points on 13 carries.
Hype was already high for Johnson. It will sky rocket even more after this.
It’s hard to say what comes next for Will Howard
Will K-State go back to Howard as its starting quarterback next week?
That is a difficult question to answer at the moment.
Klieman was non committal about his QB hierarchy immediately following the game, saying that K-State coaches will discuss their options every week. But it’s fair to say the job is no longer unquestioned.
“I know this,” Klieman said. “Both kids, Avery and Will, are really good football players. We need both.”
Howard completed 6 of 9 passes for 86 yards on Saturday but did little on the ground, which is where Johnson dominated.
K-State could go in with either quarterback, or both, next week against TCU.
On one hand, it would make sense for the Wildcats to stick with Howard. This is his fourth year at K-State and he has much more experience than any other QB on the roster. He is also usually a superior passer than Johnson, which allows him to bring more of a balanced skill set to the offense. It would come as a surprise to some if Klieman pivoted completely to a young signal-caller at this stage of the season.
But Johnson opened the door for anything with his monster game.
Maybe he is ready to lead the offense permanently. Or maybe K-State will try and juggle two quarterbacks for the rest of the season. Who knows?
Every possibility seems like it is now on the table. That will be an interesting situation to monitor.
Big night from the K-State secondary
The Wildcats entered Saturday with the worst passing defense in the Big 12 in terms of yards allowed, but they were able to flex their muscles in the secondary against against the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech managed to throw for 298 yards, but the Wildcats made them pay for attempting 49 passes by grabbing three interceptions.
Kobe Savage grabbed a pair of picks and VJ Payne had the other one.
That was a welcome change for the K-State defense, which Klieman criticized just last week for not creating enough turnovers.
The Wildcats did benefit from facing a third-string quarterback in the second half. Jake Strong took over for an injured Behren Morton and proceeded to look over matched while throwing three interceptions.
K-State had him confused on some of his bad throws. On others, defenders were in the right place at the right time. Savage nearly pulled down another interception at midfield, but he couldn’t quite corral the pass. In any case, it’s easy to win when your defense forces three turnovers. That was a big reason why K-State pulled away after halftime.
Momentum shifted on a targeting call against K-State
A penalty drastically changed the trajectory of this game.
It happened late in the first half, when K-State linebacker Jake Clifton was disqualified for targeting after he made helmet-to-helmet contact with Cam’Ron Veldez while making a tackle at the Texas Tech 20. Clifton hit Veldez so hard that he forced a fumble and the Wildcats were able to recover the loose ball in prime scoring position.
For a moment, it appeared that K-State would be able to add to a 17-7 lead with just about 1 minute remaining in the second quarter. But then a flag was thrown and everything changed.
The penalty wiped away the fumble and instead gave Texas Tech a first down. The Red Raiders took advantage by quickly driving upfield and scoring on a touchdown run from Tahj Brooks.
Just like that, it was “game on” for the second half, especially after the Red Raiders scored first in the third quarter to take a 21-17 lead.
And K-State lost one of its best linebackers for the remainder of the game.
It turned out not to matter, because the Wildcats were dominant from that point on. But it’s hard to imagine penalties making much more of an impact than that.
Seth Porter was an unsung hero on special teams
His name won’t be prominently featured on the stat sheet, but Seth Porter made a huge impact on special teams.
The senior receiver made a pair of tackles near the Texas Tech goal line and also downed a punt at the 1. It seemed like every time the Wildcats needed a big play on special teams he was there to make one.
Call him Special Teams Player of the Week for K-State.
This story was originally published October 14, 2023 at 9:31 PM with the headline "Five takeaways from Kansas State’s 38-21 road victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders."