Avery Johnson, Dylan Edwards lead Kansas State comeback win at Rate Bowl: 5 takeaways

The Kansas State football team ended its season with one of the most exciting bowl wins in school history.

Avery Johnson and Dylan Edwards led the Wildcats to a thrilling 44-41 victory over Rutgers at the Rate Bowl on Thursday inside Chase Field.

It was an impressive come-from-behind victory for K-State, which trailed 34-17 at the 4:22 mark of the third quarter. For much of the afternoon, it appeared as though the Wildcats were heading toward an ugly loss. But they turned things around and hoisted a bowl trophy thanks to some highlight scores from their biggest playmakers.

Dylan Edwards shined brightest of all, as the sophomore running back rushed for a career-high 196 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers were in addition to two catches for 27 yards and a touchdown as a wide receiver. He did it all on his way to Offensive MVP honors.

Avery Johnson also showed moxie by making several clutch throws on his way to 195 yards and three touchdowns.

K-State pulled ahead 44-41 with 4:15 remaining on a touchdown run from Edwards. Then the Wildcats defense forced Rutgers to turn the ball over on downs before running out the clock with Johnson.

With the win, K-State finished the year 9-4 and will head into the 2025 season with momentum.

Here are some takeaways from the bowl:

K-State’s backfield in good hands with Dylan Edwards

No DJ Giddens, no problem.

K-State did not miss its starting running back at the Rate Bowl. This was an opportunity for sophomore speedster Dylan Edwards to show what he was capable of, and he took advantage.

The Derby product had by far his best game in a K-State uniform as he reeled off one big play after the next against Rutgers. Edwards did a little bit of everything in his first bowl game. He rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. He also caught two passes for 27 yards and a score.

He was so good that Rutgers fans were probably surprised to learn that he only touched the ball 73 times during the regular season.

Edwards was at his best as a home-run hitter, so it was fitting this game was played inside a baseball stadium.

K-State’s running back of the future broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run that left a pair of Rutgers players inadvertently tackling each other as they tried to catch up to him near the end zone. He also caught a pass in the flats and took it 26 yards for a touchdown.

For good measure, he put the Wildcats ahead in the fourth quarter with a 36-yard touchdown run.

Add on a 43-yard run in the first quarter and his day was truly filled with explosive plays. Rutgers could not slow him down, let alone stop him.

Giddens was one of the best running backs in school history. It will be interesting to see what he can accomplish in the NFL. But K-State has another runner ready to take his place in Edwards.

Avery Johnson entered the K-State record books

You will now find Avery Johnson’s name above Ell Roberson, Will Howard and every other K-State quarterback in one statistical category.

Johnson entered the K-State record books by throwing for three touchdowns against Rutgers.

That gave him 25 touchdown passes on the season, the highest number in program history. Roberson and Howard previously held the record together with 24 touchdown passes in a season.

It was an up-and-down season for Johnson as he took command of the offense as K-State’s starting quarterback. He led the Wildcats to some feel-good moments against Colorado, Kansas and Tulane. But he also threw multiple interceptions in losses to Arizona State and Houston.

Then he threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns at the Rate Bowl. He ended the year with a bang and made some high-level throws in the fourth quarter of this game.

The jury is still out on just how good of a quarterback he will end up being for the Wildcats. But it’s worth remembering that he is only a sophomore.

If he matures and develops his game over the next two years, he can set even more records in a purple uniform.

The Wildcats were miserable on defense in the first half

Touchdowns came far too easily for Rutgers early on in this game.

The Scarlet Knights churned out yards and reached the end zone at a dizzying pace in the first half, which came as a surprise considering that all of their big plays came against a K-State defense that was nearly at full strength.

Jacob Parrish “opted out” of the Rate Bowl, which left the Wildcats without their best cornerback. But the rest of their unit was intact. On paper, it looked like K-State’s defense could have success against a Rutgers offense that was missing its starting running back.

But things didn’t play out that way in the early going.

Rutgers gained 319 yards and scored on five of its first six drives to take a 27-17 lead at halftime. Things got even better for the Scarlet Knights when they drove 64 yards for another touchdown at the beginning of the third quarter to pull ahead 34-17. The Wildcats had no answers.

Joe Klanderman’s unit eventually adjusted and made things hard on Rutgers. The Wildcats turned the Scarlet Knights away every time they had to in the fourth quarter. They were so good in the second half that they limited Rutgers to just 82 yards.

Give K-State’s defense credit for coming through in the clutch and for playing its part in the comeback, but Rutgers created problems for it early on.

Chris Klieman went for 2 at an odd time

The Wildcats declined to kick an extra point after two of their touchdowns in the second half and elected to go for two instead.

Both were curious decisions by Klieman.

K-State trailed 34-23 with 5 minutes, 34 seconds remaining in the third quarter when it first tried (and failed) a two-point conversion. A successful play would have cut the lead down to nine, but there is no tangible advantage to trailing by nine instead of 10. Either way, it’s a two-score game.

Later, K-State went for two again when it pulled within 34-29 at the 3:39 mark of the third quarter. It made sense to be aggressive in that situation to get within a field goal. But the Wildcats once again missed the conversion and trailed by five. Had they settled for an extra point after both touchdowns they would have trailed by three.

Furthermore, they would have trailed by one even with a pair of successful conversions.

There wasn’t much upside to be found in those decisions.

In the grand scheme of things, it didn’t end up mattering. Johnson connected with Garrett Oakley on a 2-point conversion to give K-State a 44-41 lead after its final touchdown. But none of the attempts were necessary.

Kansas State’s uniform curse is dead

Superstitious fans can breath easy.

The Wildcats have finally won a game in alternate uniforms.

K-State is now 1-5 under Klieman when it switches to an alternate uniform scheme.

Some thought the Wildcats were cursed when they wore white helmets. Perhaps they can be convinced otherwise after K-State traded in its traditional gray helmets and pants for white helmets and pants in this bowl game.

How much did white helmets affect the game?

Not at all, probably. The score likely would have been the same had K-State worn yellow. But it’s still worth noting that K-State is capable of winning in alternate gear.