Grades and analysis from Kansas State’s victory at Colorado, plus a look ahead to WVU

Things are looking up for the Kansas State football team.

The Wildcats have bounced back nicely since they suffered a frustrating loss at BYU with a pair of statement victories against Oklahoma State and Colorado. At 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12, they are very much back in the mix for a conference championship.

K-State will also enter the second half of its season riding a positive wave of momentum.

Coaches and players were giddy after they pulled off a 31-28 victory against the Buffaloes on Saturday at Folsom Field. It’s not easy to beat Deion Sanders and his talented roster in front of their home fans, but the Wildcats did exactly that thanks to a stellar game from running back DJ Giddens and a clutch performance from Avery Johnson.

A day later, it is now time to look back on the action and hand out a few awards and grades. We also look ahead to K-State’s next game at West Virginia.

Play of the game

This one is a no-brainer.

Avery Johnson connected with Jayce Brown for a 50-yard touchdown strike that gave Kansas State the lead for good with 2 minutes, 14 seconds remaining.

Johnson spotted man coverage against Brown and then lofted a pass to his favorite wideout. Brown made an excellent play on the ball and sauntered into the end zone despite the officials calling defensive pass interference on the touchdown grab.

The Wildcats haven’t produced all that many explosive plays with their passing game this season. But that was a big one.

Player of the game

Let’s go with an unconventional pick this week.

Yes, Avery Johnson led a game-winning drive. Sure, DJ Giddens amassed more than 200 yards of total offense.

But neither of them sacked Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders twice the way K-State defensive end Brendan Mott did. He led a furious pass rush against Sanders and helped produce six sacks and three hurries against one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Those negative plays were critical, because they were the only defense that K-State had against Colorado.

Sanders completed 85% of his passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns. The only time he wasn’t carving up the K-State secondary was when he was tackled in the backfield.

Stat of the game & quote to note

Colorado rushed for negative yardage on Saturday night, losing 29 yards on the ground because of all the previously mentioned sacks against Sanders.

As for the quote...

“It’s fun to play in hostile environments and just silence the crowd in big-time games. We just wanted to show tonight that we’re a great team and that we can win close games on the road.” — Avery Johnson.

K-State football grades

Offense: A. DJ Giddens ran for 182 yards against an improving Colorado rush defense and Avery Johnson threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns. The Wildcats had a balanced attack in this game and made clutch plays when they needed them.

Defense: C. Credit the K-State defensive line for getting to Sanders for six sacks, but that was the only thing the Wildcats had going for them on that side of the ball. This secondary has struggled against the pass all season.

Special Teams: B. Chris Tennant connected on his lone field goal attempt and the Wildcats benefited from some nice returns on kickoffs and punts.

Coaching: B+. K-State fans weren’t happy with Klieman when the Wildcats were hyper-aggressive late in the fourth quarter and Avery Johnson threw an interception that allowed Colorado to take a 28-24 lead with 3 minutes, 12 seconds remaining. But it was the right strategy. Kicking a field goal or punting would have given Colorado the same opportunity to win. And the miscue gave Johnson more than enough time to mount a game-winning drive of his own. Klieman was coaching to win the game.

Next up: West Virginia

The Wildcats will play another road game next week when they head to West Virginia for an evening kickoff at Milan Puskar Stadium.

West Virginia is coming off a 28-16 home loss against Iowa State in which Mountaineers quarterback Garrett Greene threw a pair of costly interceptions.

Despite the loss, and a 3-3 record, West Virginia has looked like a solid team this season. It has simply played a difficult schedule. Its losses have come against three undefeated teams — Penn State, Pittsburgh and Iowa State.

The Mountaineers own notable wins against Kansas and Oklahoma State.

This will be a much different matchup for the Wildcats. Colorado likes to throw the ball on almost every play. West Virginia prefers to do the opposite and win with its running game. That could be good news for K-State, as its defense has performed much better against the run than the pass.

But Greene and West Virginia’s running backs will pose a challenge.