No. 17 Kansas State rides QB Avery Johnson's arm in rout of West Virginia

Field Level Media|published: Sat 19th October, 23:37 2024

Oct 19, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson (2) throws a pass during the first quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Avery Johnson threw for career highs in yards (298) and touchdowns (three) in his eighth career start as No. 17 Kansas State dominated host West Virginia 45-18 on Saturday night.

On a night K-State (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) struggled to get any traction on the ground, Johnson found three different receivers for touchdowns. The Wildcats entered the game second in the conference with 241 rushing yards per game but was held to a season-low 114.

Quarterback Garrett Greene was 9-of-19 for 85 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions, for the Mountaineers (3-4, 2-2 Big 12). He did not play in the second half due to an upper-body injury.

Kansas State scored on its first two possessions of the second half to open a 31-10 lead, with two key plays helping the Wildcats. On the first drive, they converted a fourth-and-5 when Johnson escaped a near sack to hit tight end Ty Bowman for a first down. Three plays later, Johnson found Garrett Oakley for a 16-yard touchdown.

On the next drive, Johnson hit DJ Giddens on a screen pass and Giddens took it 53 yards to the West Virginia 1-yard line. Johnson found tight end Will Anciaux for a 1-yard touchdown.

After Giddens scored from a yard out to give K-State a 38-10 lead, West Virginia backup quarterback Nicco Marchiol hit Traylon Ray for a 12-yard touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion.

But Giddens' second TD stretched the lead to 45-18.

After the teams traded field goals, Johnson hit Jadon Jackson on a 60-yard scoring strike with 21 seconds left in the first quarter to give K-State a 10-3 lead.

On West Virginia's next possession, Marques Sigle picked off a Greene pass and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown and a two-score lead.

West Virginia responded with a 13-play, 70-yard drive. Greene found Hudson Clement on a 7-yard touchdown on third and goal to cap the drive. West Virginia then had the ball at the K-State 3-yard line with a fourth-and-1 in the half's final minute, but Greene's pass was incomplete.

--Field Level Media