Grades from Kansas State’s come-from-behind victory over Rutgers at the Rate Bowl
By Kellis Robinett – The Wichita Eagle (TNS)
Dec. 28—Phoenix
Bowl games have lost some luster in recent years, but it didn’t feel that way after Kansas State pulled off an improbable 44-41 comeback victory over Rutgers on Thursday night at Chase Field.
The Wildcats won the Rate Bowl and ended their season with a bang.
Then they celebrated accordingly.
Along the way, Avery Johnson broke the K-State record for touchdown passes in a single-season and Dylan Edwards proved himself as the team’s running back of the future with an electric performance against the Scarlet Knights.
This was the type of feel-good victory that will help ease the pain of a 1-3 finish to the regular season.
A day after the Rate Bowl victory, it is time to look back on the action and hand out a few awards and grades.
Play of the game
Dylan Edwards burst through a hole and then outran everyone on the field to the end zone for a 65-yard touchdown scamper midway through the third quarter.
The Wildcats needed that kind of highlight play in the worst possible way. They were trailing 34-17 at the time and appeared on their way to an ugly loss, unless they could score quickly and get momentum shifted in their favor.
That is exactly what happened, thanks to Edwards. He sparked a come-from-behind victory for the Wildcats.
Player of the game
Sorry Avery Johnson.
The quarterback on the winning team is almost always selected as the MVP of a bowl game. And Johnson put up worthy numbers against Rutgers as he threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns. But Edwards was the more deserving player.
Edwards, a sophomore running back, made one big play after the next for K-State. He finished with 196 yards and two touchdowns as a runner. And he added on 27 yards and a touchdown as a receiver. He amassed more than 220 yards on just 20 touches. It is exciting to think about what he may be able to do next season as the team’s lead runner.
Stat of the game & quote to note
K-State allowed Rutgers to gain a whopping 319 yards in the first half and still won the yardage battle 542 to 401 by the end of the fourth quarter. The Wildcats flipped a switch midway through the third quarter and played some excellent football. As for the quote …
“When you’re down 34-17 in a bowl game, it’s really easy to throw in the towel. Not this group.” — Chris Klieman
K-State football grades
Offense: A. The Wildcats surprisingly played one of their best games of the entire season without usual starters DJ Giddens (running back), Carver Willis (right tackle) and Keagan Johnson (wide receiver). Coordinator Conor Riley had no choice but to feed the ball to his best playmakers. Jayce Brown, Johnson and Edwards rewarded him for that strategy. It was interesting that the Wildcats played their best when trailing. Perhaps this group could benefit from a more up-tempo approach in the future.
Defense: B. This was a Jekyll & Hyde game for this unit. Rutgers ran circles around K-State in the first half and raced to a 34-17 lead early in the third quarter. Then the Wildcats clamped down and held the Scarlet Knights to 21 yards the rest of the way. Daniel Cobbs came up with a huge interception and five different players had tackles for loss. Once again, coordinator Joe Klanderman won in the fourth quarter thanks to blitz packages.
Special Teams: C. This was a year to forget for K-State on special teams. Nothing extraordinary happened for the Wildcats in the bowl game, either.
Coaching: B. Klieman is now 3-2 in bowl games. His latest victory came against a coach, Greg Schiano, who values the college football postseason more than your typical person and entered this game with a 6-2 bowl record. The K-State coaching staff deserves credit for keeping the Wildcats in this game and pulling out a thrilling victory. Klieman decided to go for two-point conversions instead of extra points in odd situations, but that ended up being a small footnote in this game. He made an excellent choice to go for it on fourth-and-three early in the fourth quarter. Overall, K-State made excellent adjustments in this game.
This story was originally published December 27, 2024, 10:25 AM.
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