By D. Scott Fritchen
MANHATTAN, Kan. – No. 14 Kansas State showed its Wildcats are for real while sophomore Avery Johnson threw and ran his way to his best performance yet in a 31-7 win over No. 20 Arizona that gave K-State a big victory on the big stage and in front of an unrelenting crowd at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Friday night.
Johnson threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 110 yards while the defense for K-State, 3-0, clamped down on Arizona, 2-1, to snap Arizona’s nation-leading nine-game winning streak and give K-State its first regular-season home victory over a ranked non-conference opponent since 2002.
In a rare weekday contest for K-State, the purple-clad Wildcats dazzled in front of the college football universe and in front of a crowd of 51,290, the 16th straight sellout. Friday’s matchup was a nonconference game and did not count in the Big 12 standings, but the first meeting between K-State and Arizona since 1978 no doubt opened eyes to the dangers K-State presents when it is clicking in all three phases.
Arizona averaged 39 points per game during a win streak that spanned nearly one year. Arizona suffered its first defeat since a 43-41 loss at No. 9 USC in triple overtime on October 7, 2023. K-State outgained Arizona 391-324 in total offense. K-State held a 235-56 advantage in rushing yards.
