MANHATTAN – Kansas State football rallied from a 17-point deficit with a dominant second-half performance to secure a 44-41 Rate Bowl victory over Rutgers on Thursday at Chase Field in Phoenix.

The Wildcats (9-4) trailed 27-17 at halftime, and Rutgers scored early in the second half to take its largest lead. But K-State chipped in, taking the lead with 4:15 left on Dylan Edwards’ 36-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion pass from Avery Johnson to Garrett Oakley.

The Wildcat defense then stopped Rutgers on downs and ran out the clock. Here’s how the Wildcats performed in their final game of the season against Rutgers:

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Attack: Dylan Edwards has a memorable day

When leading rusher DJ Giddens withdrew from the game to enter the NFL Draft, the Wildcats turned to Dylan Edwards and Joe Jackson, and they did not disappoint. The duo combined with quarterback Avery Johnson for 348 yards on the ground. Johnson was also solid except for one interception, leading a K-State offense that finished with 543 yards.

Degree: A

Defense: A game changer for the ages

K-State’s defense looked clueless in the first half, allowing 319 yards, but flipped the switch and held Rutgers to 82 yards after halftime with a heavy dose of blitzing. Rutgers had just a sustained attack to start the second half and little else as it progressed.

Degree: B+

Special Teams: Not much to see here

Unfortunately, the punt coverage team gave up a big return to set up Rutgers’ final touchdown, but other than that there wasn’t much to see. Chris Tennant didn’t miss a kick and Simon McClannan was good on punts and kickoffs.

Degree: C

Coaching: Talk about changing your grade

The way the first half went, especially in defense, was a clear testament to the coaching team. But if that’s the case, you have to give them credit for rallying the troops and making the necessary adjustments in an epic comeback.

Degree: b

Overall grade: B+

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett Network. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.

This article originally appeared in the Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football report card, grades vs. Rutgers in Rate Bowl