MANHATTAN, Kansas — He was the last player to leave the field, the price of growing popularity and performance. Avery Johnson had just led No. 14 Kansas State to a convincing 31-7 victory over No. 20 Arizona, a game that was contested for about three quarters.

As his teammates headed to the locker room, Johnson finished a television interview, hugged athletic director Gene Taylor and greeted fans in the front rows behind the end zone.

This college football season is still getting organized. Outside of a handful of teams, rankings mean little. Key players have not yet emerged. But on Friday night, Kansas State played like a strong Big 12 contender at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, and a long-haired sophomore from Wichita led the charge.

Chris Klieman confirmed this. The Kansas State coach opened his postgame press conference with four key points. The 51,290 spectators were excited and electrified, he said. Second, Kansas State, which beat Tulane in muggy New Orleans last weekend, had a solid plan to bounce back on a short week. Third, Klieman took responsibility for a time management error that cost Kansas State points before halftime. “One hundred percent my fault,” he said.

And finally: “Our quarterback is a pretty good player.”

WIDE OPEN!!!@KStateFB with another TD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2daTzqa0Vn

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) 14 September 2024

This had already been hinted at. Johnson was so good last season as a backup and in Kansas State’s bowl game that many weren’t worried about the loss of previous quarterback Will Howard, who transferred and is performing well at Ohio State. Howard had been a four-year starter. He had led the Wildcats to the 2022 Big 12 title. And yet Johnson was intriguing.

The dual-threat QB played in eight games last season. He was named MVP of the Pop-Tarts Bowl for leading Kansas State to a win over North Carolina State, a game in which he threw three touchdowns, two passes and one run. But that was the next step. Replacing Howard. Developing into a dynamic player. Leading Kansas State through an expanded Big 12.

Leading up to Friday’s game, Klieman highlighted three plays from Kansas State’s recent win over Tulane. In each, the 6-foot-2 Johnson used his legs not to escape but to buy time, a decision that led to bigger opportunities. Johnson no longer ran at the first sign of pressure. He learned the position.

“Man, this is a development,” Klieman said. “And he’s continuing to develop. … I think he’s getting better and better, and I think he’s getting more and more comfortable as a quarterback on every down. I’m excited.”

Although Arizona (2-1) and Kansas State (3-0) are Big 12 partners for the first time, Friday night’s matchup fell on the non-conference schedule, as the home and away games were scheduled back in 2016 when Arizona was still a member of the Pac-12. Still, this game felt great, if only to show the pecking order for the first month in the conference. And also because of the quarterbacks.

Arizona’s Noah Fifita had come into the game with more publicity. Some saw him as the best quarterback in the Big 12, accurate and elusive, with perhaps America’s best receiver, Tetairoa McMillan, a popular target. Johnson, however, was better Friday night. Aside from the mental lapse at the end of the first half – Johnson had run out the clock in a frenzy when Kansas State was within field goal range – he avoided big mistakes and showed unusual maturity and composure for someone making his fourth college start.

“He played really good football and was very calm,” said Klieman.

After Arizona scored on its first possession, Kansas State managed 31 unanswered points. Johnson mastered the zone read and noticed Arizona focusing too much on running backs DJ Giddens (86 rushing yards) and Dylan Edwards (41). Whenever Arizona put Kansas State under pressure — which wasn’t often — Johnson almost always found a way to break free. Klieman said he often wondered if Johnson had scored a first down, only to find he had done so by 6 or 7 yards.

“Very, very fast,” Edwards said of the quarterback’s speed. “He definitely surprises people when he drops back and just starts running. You can hear the players on the field saying, ‘Oh, snap.'”

Johnson had runs of 19, 13, 17, 13 and 26 yards. In total, he had 17 runs for 110 yards, recording the first 100-yard rushing game of his college career. He also completed 14 of 23 passes for 156 yards and threw touchdown passes to tight ends Brayden Loftin and Will Swanson.

“I don’t think we’re the first team to have a problem with an athletic quarterback, but this guy is very special,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said, noting Johnson’s explosive speed. “He’s one of a kind and in the moments where we try to keep him in the pocket, his ability to break out of a person and create a big play was obviously detrimental to what we were trying to accomplish.”

The win set up a difficult stretch for Kansas State. The Wildcats visit BYU next week before hosting No. 13 Oklahoma State. Three of their next four games are away games. Klieman said Friday’s win showed the country that Kansas State can be a complete team. That the Wildcats will get better. And that they have more to offer.

Just like their young quarterback.

“I’m really starting to settle in and have a lot more confidence in our offense,” Johnson said. “The best reps are live reps. (Offensive coordinator Conor Riley) always says Rome wasn’t built overnight. I really wish I could play my best football right now, but that’s going to take time. All coach is asking me to do is get 1 percent better every week, and I feel like I’m continuing to grow every week.”

GO DEEPER

K-State’s speedy Avery Johnson wants to prove he can beat you with his arm too

(Photo of Avery Johnson during Friday night’s game: Ric Tapia / Getty Images)