Avery Johnson was 14-of-21 for 153 yards and two touchdowns as No. 18 Kansas State defeated Tennessee-Martin 41-6 Saturday night in Manhattan, Kan., in the season opener for both teams.
DJ Giddens ran for 124 yards on 13 carries for Kansas State, which outrushed UT-Martin 283-36 and held the Skyhawks to fewer than 1 yard per carry. The Wildcats outgained the visitors 265-51 in the second half after managing just 184 yards in the first half while punting twice and throwing an interception.
Trailing 17-3, UT-Martin recovered a fumble at the Kansas State 33-yard line on the opening kickoff of the second half, but the Skyhawks only managed to get a Jaren Van Winkle 31-yard field goal.
Chris Tennant responded with a 45-yard kick to stretch the Wildcats’ lead to 20-6.
On Kansas State’s next possession, Johnson’s 44-yard pass to Jayce Brown set the Wildcats up at the 1-yard line. Sophomore running back Dylan Edwards scored his first collegiate touchdown on the next play to make it 27-6 with 59 seconds left in the third quarter.
After Kansas State forced a three-and-out, Johnson found Edwards on a 15-yard touchdown for a 34-6 lead early in the fourth quarter. La’James White’s 12-yard touchdown closed the scoring at the 8:19 mark of the fourth quarter.
Johnson’s first touchdown of the season came on play-action when he found Brayden Loftin for a 23-yard score down the left sideline at the 6:30 mark in the first quarter. After forcing another UT-Martin three-and-out, Ty Bowman blocked a punt that Colby McCalister returned for a 1-yard touchdown.
The Wildcats have been the nation’s best in scoring non-offensive touchdowns for a quarter-century. Heading into the 2024 season, Kansas State has scored 131 non-offensive touchdowns since 1999, six more than Alabama, the next closest team.
Johnson, a sophomore, threw his first career interception early in the second quarter with the Wildcats threatening to take a three-touchdown lead. The Skyhawks converted a third-and-19 on the drive before Van Winkle made a 34-yard field goal to pull the visitors within 14-3.
Tenant’s 43-yard field goal with 21 seconds left in the first half gave Kansas State a 17-3 halftime advantage.
