MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Avery Johnson threw two touchdown passes and Kansas State got contributions from all three phases of the game to lead the No. 18 Wildcats to a season-opening 41-6 win over UT Martin on Saturday night.
The Wildcats’ defense dominated early and often, allowing the Wildcats’ offense to find its footing in the first half. Kansas State limited the Skyhawks to 134 total yards (2.4 yards per play).
“Whenever it was a punt, kickoff or touchdown or whatever, they did their job,” Johnson said. “And it just allows me to go out there to kind of relax and be able to settle in the game.”
K-State also befuddled UT Martin’s passing attack by sacking Kinkead Dent three times. The Wildcats finished with four sacks, led by sophomore defensive end Tobi Osunsanmi’s 1 1/2.
“Defense, I thought, was really good all night,” K-State coach Chris Kleiman said. “Gave up one play that they probably want back. … You’re going to make a lot of mistakes in the first game and we’ve got to clean those things up because we’ve got to put this one behind us quickly. We got a tough road game next week.”
Meanwhile, the Wildcats’ offense had its moments behind Johnson, a sophomore who became K-State’s second-youngest quarterback to start a season opener.
He made his mark in the first quarter when he connected with tight end Brayden Loftin for a 23-yard touchdown to cap a seven-play, 80-yard drive that gave K-State an early 7-0 lead.
Johnson finished 14 of 21 for 153 yards and two TDs with an interception. He also ran for 37 yards on three carries.
But the offense’s slow start, which saw the Wildcats hold a 17-3 first-half lead, didn’t impress Kleiman.
“I was not particularly pleased with the first half, offensively,” Kleiman said. “Just didn’t get into a rhythm. I didn’t think we had a lot of energy and juice. I challenged the guys at halftime because I thought we were better than that, and then we responded and played really well in the second half.”
Young agreed with his coach.
“I feel like our second half looked a lot better than our first half did,” Young said. “Just offensively, I felt like we were more collective, more together and had a little bit more energy. … I definitely feel like we found our groove in the second half.”
The running game helped settle down the Wildcats’ offense.
DJ Giddens led the way in the second half, gouging UT Martin’s defense with a team-high 124 yards on 13 carries, averaging 9.5 yards per attempt. As a team, the Wildcats totaled 283 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries.
K-State’s special teams took center stage in the first half when the Skyhawks were forced to punt deep in their own territory. Ty Bowman burst through the right side of the line of scrimmage at the snap and blocked UT Martin’s Jaren Van Winkle’s punt. Colby McCalister scooped the loose ball at the 2-yard line and took it into the end zone to give the Wildcats a 14-0 lead.