By D. Scott Fritchen
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State spent a week looking to respond after a disappointing first game of its Big 12 Conference season. The 23rd-ranked Wildcats might’ve made a statement on Saturday. Avery Johnson enjoyed a career performance and DJ Giddens rumbled for 187 yards and one touchdown in a 42-20 win over No. 20 Oklahoma State at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Both teams entered the game at 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12. K-State was picked second and Oklahoma State third in the Big 12 Preseason Poll.
“It was a statement win,” said K-State head coach Chris Klieman, whose team came off a 38-7 loss at BYU. “What we went through last week, and believe me, we challenged the guys and more importantly, they challenged each other — if this group stays together and plays for each other and keeps the faith when we have some adversity, we’ll come out on the other side of it.
“We have to keep pounding the stone every day and every snap. That’s a good football team we beat convincingly. You’re not going say this is a fluke or anything. We beat a really good football team handily.”
Johnson enjoyed career highs across the board in completing 19-of-31 passes for 259 yards with three touchdowns and one interception while also rushing for 60 yards and two scores for the Wildcats, who scored a season-high point total behind a balanced offensive attack — 259 yards passing and 300 rushing — that featured plenty of Giddens.
While Johnson became the first K-State quarterback since Collin Klein in 2012 to throw for three touchdowns and rush for two more in a Big 12 game, the 6-foot-1, 212-pound Giddens had 15 carries for 187 yards and one touchdown — scoring on a 66-yard run early in the third quarter and in the midst of 35 unanswered points.
