Dylan Edwards set a K-State Bowl record and a Rate Bowl record with 196 yards on the ground, and the Cats survived a disastrous second quarter before storming back as the Kansas State Wildcats cruised to a 44-41 victory over The Rutgers Scarlet Knights were booked in the Rate Bowl at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Wildcats trailed by 17 yards in the third quarter, but outscored Rutgers 27-7 after that point as both coordinators found the adjustment buttons and were able to stop a Scarlet Knight offense that had run for 149 yards in the first half, putting them on limited to just 15 yards in the second and just 82 total yards in the half. Avery Johnson became only the second K-State quarterback ever to lead the team to consecutive bowl victories, following in the footsteps of Jonathan Beasley.

K-State won the throw, moved it and forced a three-and-out on Rutgers’ first drive. The Wildcats showed off their running ability from the start as Dylan Edwards gained 10 yards on two runs early. Then a 43-yard sprint from Edwards got the Cats into the red zone, but then K-State decided to pass the ball three straight times, all incomplete. Chris Tennant came into the game and hit a 29-yarder to at least get on the board.

Rutgers responded with a patented K-State drive that spun down the field and ate up the clock. During the drive, Athan Kaliakmanis pulled off a fake so convincing that it fooled the cameraman and Austin Moore visibly had to stop and not tackle the running back when he realized he didn’t have the ball. The drive ended with Antwan Raymond’s two-yard strike into the end zone, giving Rutgers a 7-3 lead.

The Cats were once again effective in space, with some big connections between Avery Johnson and Jayce Brown and a 17-yard pickup from Johnson on the ground. But things stalled again in the red zone just before Johnson scored on a 2-yard run.

Kaliakmanis found Jae Strong for a 60-yard gain, but Rutgers had to settle for a 31-yard throw from Jai Patel to tie the game at 10-10. The Cats then went three-and-out and a 65-yarder from Raymond brought the Scarlet Knights back into the red zone. Two plays later, Ja’shon Benjamin scored from three yards out to give Rutgers a 17-10 lead.

K-State fought back; A 34-yard run with a jet sweep from Brown was followed by a 26-yard touchdown pass to Edwards to tie the score again. But six plays later – two incompletions and four plays of at least 14 yards – Raymond scored on a 24-yard run to give Rutgers the lead back.

Just before halftime, Johnson threw a pick to center field, a perfect hit for Robert Longerbeam. That led to a 48-yarder by Patel that extended the Scarlet Knights’ lead to 27-17 with a minute left in the half, where things ended as time expired.

A hold call and no offense forced a three-and-out for the Cats after halftime, and then Rutgers simply plowed offside and scored on a 7-yard pass to Benjamin, increasing the lead to 34-17. After both teams traded punts, Edwards broke free for a 65-yard rushing touchdown, after which K-State missed the two-point conversion.

Two plays later, Daniel Cobbs hit Kaliakmanis; A flag on the return pushed K-State back but didn’t negate the turnover. Johnson scored 27 points on a tied game on third down, got back into the red zone and then threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Oakley to get back within five, where they remained after another missed 2-pointer, when Dante Cephas bobbled the ball ball.

On the third straight drive, Rutgers failed to reach the sticks and had to punt again, but K-State also went three-and-out and miraculously avoided another interception by Johnson on third down. Christian Dremel returned the punt 67 yards to 18 yards, and even the commentators saw several blocks from behind on the return. A few plays later, Raymond scored from one yard out to increase the score to 41-29.

On a 4th-and-3 play near midfield, Johnson threw a pass to Cephas for 35 yards. After a hold setup on 1st and 20, Joe Jackson rushed forward for the 16th yard. Ty Bowman caught a first down rushing, then Johnson hit Joe Jackson for a 9-yard touchdown pass.

A sack by Chiddi Obiazor forced another Rutgers score to make it 3-0. Johnson found Jackson for 25, then Edwards ran 36 yards to put the Cats on top; Johnson hit Oakley with a two-pointer to make K-State 44-41.

After two minutes, K-State forced a 4th-and-7 and held. On 3rd and 6, Johnson kept it and dove for the finish line; The officials decided to bring out the sticks for a measurement. Johnson was a foot over the finish line with 1:32 left and no Rutgers timeouts, sealing the deal.

statistics

K-State outscored the Scarlet Knights 542-401 after trailing 319-258 at halftime. Johnson finished the game 15-30 for 195 yards with three touchdowns and one interception; He gained 57 yards on the ground on 11 carries.

Edwards had 223 yards of offense as he converted two catches for 27 yards on his 18 carries for 196. He scored two goals on the ground and once through the air. Joe Jackson also had a nice day: He ran seven times for 50 yards and caught three balls for 37 yards and a touchdown.

Brown led the team with five catches and 60 yards. Cephas had two for 42 and Oakley had two for 16 and a score. The turnovers were balanced, with one interception each, while K-State’s advantage in time of possession was entirely due to running out of time. The Cats were penalized five times for 47 yards; Rutgers was flagged just once for five.

WHAT WE LEARNED

Not much, folks. It’s a bowl game. We learned that this team has a certain resilience that hasn’t been particularly evident for most of the season. But we already knew that Joe Klanderman is a master at halftime adjustments, which made a big difference in this game.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH

Dylan Edwards obviously gets the nod on offense, but our defensive star today – even though Austin Moore received the “official” award in the bowl itself – was a name we’ve never seen mentioned in a game recap this season. Zashon Rich, a true freshman cornerback from Minneapolis, was ever-present tonight. He was credited with two pass breakups, and most people don’t understand how hard it is to take credit for that – K-State only had five the entire game. He also had four tackles and provided effective coverage throughout the game.

NEXT

FARMAGEDDON. Again. In Ireland. A full nine days before September even begins, let alone ends.