NCAAF

Kansas State Wildcats at West Virginia Mountaineers

· NCAA - Football
Final
45 - 18

Avery Johnson throws for 3 TDs, Kansas State beats West Virginia 45-18 in road Big 12 test

DJ Giddens runs in Kansas State TD

Johnson threw three touchdown passes in the Wildcats' 45-18 win over West Virginia on Saturday night, and Kansas State (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) is off to its best start since 2014.

Giddens scored on runs of 1 and 18 yards but was held to a season-low 57 yards, 74 below his average. Johnson picked apart West Virginia’s injury-depleted secondary, finishing 19 of 29 for a career-high 298 yards.

“Avery's progress as a passer has been phenomenal, and today he was so poised," Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said. “The kid's calm. He's patient. And he understands things and he liked our game plan. He's not getting antsy in the pocket. He's staying in there and it's fun to see, especially when we were struggling to rush the football.”

Johnson slipped from the grasp of West Virginia defensive lineman Sean Martin and threw an 11-yard pass to Ty Bowman on fourth down to keep a third-quarter drive alive that ended with Johnson finding Garrett Oakley for a 16-yard score.

On Kansas State’s next series, Johnson and Giddens combined on a 53-yard pass play to the West Virginia 1, and Johnson hit tight end Will Anciaux in the end zone for a 31-10 lead, sending Mountaineer fans streaming for the exits.

Giddens was coming off back-to-back games of at least 182 yards.

“West Virginia had to respect that and they loaded the box tonight and said ‘DJ wasn’t going to beat us,’” Johnson said. “And our receivers and tight ends stepped up and made big plays for me.”

Johnson also credited his coaches for putting together a scheme to find holes in the West Virginia defense, and “it was just me going through progressions and exploiting those.”

The Mountaineers (3-4, 2-2) lost their third game at home and fell to a ranked opponent for the ninth consecutive time.

West Virginia’s Garrett Greene threw two interceptions that led to touchdowns for the second straight week. Marques Sigle stepped in front of a pass and returned it 43 yards for a score to put the Wildcats ahead 17-3 early in the second quarter.

Greene finished 9 of 19 for 85 yards and one TD along with the two interceptions. The Big 12’s top rushing quarterback had 89 yards on the ground. But Greene, West Virginia running back Jahiem White and offensive lineman Wyatt Milum did not play in the second half. Coach Neal Brown said after the game he believed four players sustained head injuries but didn't link them to anyone specific.

“We've got a beat-up locker room, probably the most injuries I can remember in a first half,” Brown said.

West Virginia was limited to 63 total yards in the second half.

Backup quarterback Nicco Marchiol went 6 of 13 for 58 yards and a touchdown in Greene's absence.

The takeaway Kansas State: The Wildcats adapted on offense after West Virginia shut down Giddens from the start. Johnson, who also had a 60-yard TD pass in the first quarter to Jadon Jackson in blown coverage, had eight completions of at least 15 yards.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers are 34-33 under Brown, their sixth-year coach. That’s on pace to be the worst six-year stretch under one coach at West Virginia since Gene Corum went 29-30 from 1960-65.

Poll implications Kansas State could move up a few spots in the AP Top 25 poll after the convincing win.

Up next Kansas State: Hosts Kansas next Saturday.

West Virginia: Plays at Arizona next Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch Kansas State Wildcats vs. West Virginia Mountaineers?
  • TV Channel: Wildcats at Mountaineers 2021 College Football, week 8, is broadcasted on FOX.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Mountaineers: 43.3%
Wildcats: 56.7%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

KSU FG 1st Period 3:03 Chris Tennant 44 Yd Field Goal
WVU FG 1st Period 0:52 Michael Hayes II 44 Yd Field Goal
KSU TD 1st Period 0:21 Jadon Jackson 60 Yd pass from Avery Johnson (Chris Tennant Kick)
KSU TD 2nd Period 13:14 Marques Sigle 43 Yd Interception Return (Chris Tennant Kick)
WVU TD 2nd Period 6:38 Hudson Clement 7 Yd pass from Garrett Greene (Michael Hayes II Kick)
KSU TD 3rd Period 9:38 Garrett Oakley 16 Yd pass from Avery Johnson (Chris Tennant Kick)
KSU TD 3rd Period 4:48 Will Anciaux 1 Yd pass from Avery Johnson (Chris Tennant Kick)
KSU TD 4th Period 12:09 DJ Giddens 1 Yd Run (Chris Tennant Kick)
WVU TD 4th Period 8:22 Traylon Ray 12 Yd pass from Nicco Marchiol (Nicco Marchiol Pass to Kole Taylor for Two-Point Conversion)
KSU TD 4th Period 5:51 DJ Giddens 18 Yd Run (Chris Tennant Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2306.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originKSU https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/277.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originWVU
19 1st Downs 20
7-12 3rd down efficiency 5-17
1-1 4th down efficiency 1-6
412 Total Yards 295
298 Passing 143
19/29 Comp/Att 15/32
10.3 Yards per pass 4.5
114 Rushing 152
26 Rushing Attempts 43
4.4 Yards per rush 3.5
9-96 Penalties 5-39
0 Turnovers 2
0 Fumbles lost 0
0 Interceptions thrown 2
25:38 Possession 34:22

Game Information

Milan Puskar Stadium

Location: Morgantown, WV
Attendance: 54,327 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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