Avery Johnson's Stats Tonight: Kansas State QB's stats, pivotal moments and more
The No. 14 Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson had an interesting matchup against the No. 20 Arizona Wildcats on Friday. Only a touchdown was supposed to be the difference in the game; however, Johnson's dual threat on offense was too much for Arizona's defense in the end. The Kansas State won the game 31-7.
Johnson rushed for 110 yards on 17 carries against the Wildcats. On the passing front, he completed 14-of-23 attempts for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
Avery Johnson came into Friday's game following an impressive performance that helped the Kansas State Wildcats emerge victorious against the Tulane Green Wave. He threw for 181 yards and two touchdowns on 15-of-23 pass attempts. He also rushed for 40 yards on eight carries, highlighting his dual-threat ability.
Avery Johnson's pivotal moments tonight
In his opening drive, Avery Johnson completed 75 yards off 15 plays, which culminated in a three-yard touchdown to Will Swanson, which helped tie the game 7-7 with 1:01 left in the first quarter.
At the start of the third quarter, Johnson threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brayden Loftin, extending Kansas State's lead to 21-7. By now, Johnson was putting screws to kill the game as another nice offensive drive saw DJ Giddens score his first rushing touchdown of the season.
Avery Johnson has big aims this season
Registering a win against a ranked opponent is what will help Johnson take Kansas State to this season's revised 12-team playoffs. Ahead of Friday's game, Johnson mentioned having high aspirations with the program in his second year (via ESPN.com):
"Our goals are obviously make the Big 12 championship, win the Big 12 and get into that College Football Playoff spot," Johnson said. "But let's go make a run for it [because] we're not just here because we won the Big 12. We want to go out there and compete and show that we can compete at the highest level."
In 2023, Avery Johnson appeared in eight games but started only one. He completed 23-of-35 pass attempts for 301 yards and three touchdowns.
After former quarterback Will Howard transferred to Ohio State, Johnson was handed the reigns of the program. And so far he hasn't disappointed.