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Avery Johnson demonstrated his skills as a passing quarterback, and DJ Giddens, despite facing a focused defense, found the end zone twice on the ground as Kansas State rolled past West Virginia 45-18 at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown. The win marked the Wildcats' third straight over the Mountaineers, securing bowl eligibility and keeping K-State (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) firmly in the Big 12 title race.
A slow night on the ground
DJ Giddens has certainly made his mark in the Big 12, leading the conference in rushing yards heading into the weekend and coming off consecutive 182+ yard performances. West Virginia took notice, stacking the box to prevent Giddens from dominating the game.
Giddens finished with 57 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, though most of his yardage came in the second half, after the game had already been decided.
A quieter performance might have been expected against West Virginia's tough run defense, especially with K-State coming off an emotional road win the week before. Factor in the lack of perimeter threat from Johnson, who was slowed by an injury from the previous week, and it became clear the Wildcats needed to adjust their game plan, just as any elite quarterback would.
Air-Raid Avery taking over?
It was a rough night for the “Avery Johnson can’t throw/glorified RB” crowd.
In fact, he didn’t even try to scramble for yards when the pocket was collapsing around him. Johnson took advantage of a good matchup against the Big 12’s worst pass defense by completing 19 of 27 passes for a career-high 298 yards and three touchdowns.
Some have questioned Johnson’s ability to throw the ball downfield, but he excelled in this game. The sophomore from Maize hit Jadon Jackson for a 60-yard touchdown strike in the first quarter and also connected with DJ Giddens for 53 yards in the third quarter.
He also found Garrett Oakley and Will Anciaux for scores, and completed a crucial fourth down throw to Ty Bowman when West Virginia brought the full house and Johnson escaped the pressure.
It was far and away his best game as a passer.
“Avery’s progress as a passer has been phenomenal,” Klieman said. “Today he was so poised. Guys made plays for him and he threw a couple of strikes. It was fun to see us have to throw the football to be successful and be able to do that.”
Defense finally travels
After allowing an average of 268.2 passing yards per game this season, the Wildcats clamped down on West Virginia, holding them to just 143 yards through the air.
K-State’s defense was in command, forcing two interceptions and turning them into 10 points. The highlight of the game came when safety Marques Sigle delivered a 43-yard pick-six.
West Virginia quarterbacks Garrett Greene and Nicco Marchiol combined for a completion rate of under 50%, freeing up the Wildcats' defense to focus on stopping the run.
“We brought good pressure, called out the play, and knew what was coming,” Sigle said. “I read the QB’s eyes, saw the ball, and made sure No. 4 didn’t catch me.”
Sigle was a constant disruptor, finishing with nine tackles, including two for a loss, trailing only linebacker Austin Romaine, who led the team with 12 tackles.
The Wildcats control their destiny
Kansas State has just emerged from arguably the toughest stretch of their season, winning three out of four games on the road in hostile environments. Now sitting at 3-1 during that run, the Wildcats are in prime position to close out the 2024 campaign on a high note.
Up next, K-State will play three of their next four games at home in Bill Snyder Family Stadium, where they’re likely to be favored against Kansas, Houston, Arizona State, and Cincinnati.
With Texas Tech suffering a blowout loss at home to Baylor and Arizona State falling to Cincinnati, the Wildcats now find themselves among a shortened list of Big 12 championship contenders. In fact, K-State is one of the few teams still meeting preseason expectations while Utah and Oklahoma State have faded from the race.
If things unfold as expected (which, in the unpredictable Big 12, is always risky to assume), the final game of the regular season, Farmageddon against Iowa State, could carry Big 12 title and College Football Playoff implications. That weekend could turn out to be massive.
But for now, it’s all about focusing on the next game. It’s homecoming week, and the Wildcats are set to face off against rival Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown. Expect K-State to come out firing in front of 50,000+ fans this Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 on Wildcat 91.9 FM.
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