MANHATTAN — Kansas State football got off to a sluggish start, but gained momentum in the second half Saturday night to open its 2024 season with a 41-6 blowout victory over Tennessee-Martin at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Much like the Wildcat offense, sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson had some early issues, including the first interception of his career in the second quarter that led to a UTM field goal. But he came back to complete 14 of 21 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns, a 23-yarder to tight end Brayden Loftin and a 15-yarder to Dylan Edwards in the fourth quarter.
Edwards had two touchdowns in his K-State debut, adding a 1-yard run, and running back DJ Giddens ran for 124 yards on 13 carries.
Johnson's interception and a Jayce Brown fumble on the second-half kickoff set up UTM's only scores as the Wildcat defense was solid throughout.
K-State finished with 449 yards total offense to 134 for UTM and also got a special teams touchdown in the first quarter when Ty Bowman blocked a punt and Colby McCalister returned it 1 yard for the score.
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Watch Kansas State football vs. UT-Martin live on ESPN+
FINAL SCORE: Kansas State 41, UT-Martin 6
Jacob Knuth came in at quarterback for Avery Johnson and promptly directed a 65-yard scoring drive for K-State, with La'James White running the final 12 yards for the touchdown. The score was set up by a 33-yard Joe Jackson run.
The Wildcats are now pulling away, 41-6, with 8:19 left.
It took K-State just two plays in the fourth quarter to score again. The Wildcats went 63 yards on a 48-yard DJ Giddens run, followed by an Avery Johnson 15-yard pass to Dylan Edwards for a 34-6 lead with 14:29 left.
END OF 3Q: Kansas State 27, UT-Martin 6
K-State's offense put together a nice drive, goJing 71 yards in six plays and culminating in Dylan Edwards' 1-yard run for his first Wildcat touchdown. The play was set up by a 44-yard Avery Johnson-to-Jayce Brown strike on a post pattern.
The Wildcats' drive got off to a good start, but sputtered at the UTM 27, leading to a 45-yard Chris Tennant field goal.
K-State leads 20-6 with 5:39 left in the third quarter.
K-State's Jayce Brown fumbled after a nice return of the second-half kickoff and UT-Martin recovered at the Wildcat 33, leading to a 31-yard Jaren Van Winkle field goal.
K-State's lead is trimmed to 17-6 with 9:29 left in the third quarter.
Both Wildcat turnovers have led to UTM field goals.
Kansas State dominates statistically in the first half, but still leads just 17-3. The Wildcats had 184 total yards to 83 for UT-Martin, but the Skyhawks capitalized on the only turnover of the game, an Avery Johnson interception, to get on the board with a field goal in the second quarter.
Johnson completed 9 of 14 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown to Brayden Loftin in the half and the Wildcats had 102 yards rushing, led by DJ Giddens with 62. The Wildcat defense had three sacks and seven tackles for loss in the half.
Kansas State answered UTM's field goal with one of its own as Chris Tennant connects from 43 yards with 21 seconds left in the half. The kick capped a seven-play, 40-yard drive.
Avery Johnson's first career interception comes back to bite K-State as UTM drives 51 yards in eight plays to get on the board with a 34-yard Jaren Van Winkle field goal. K-State still leads 14-3 with 7:16 left in the half.
Kansas State leads UT-Martin after one quarter, 14-0.
After the defense stops UT-Martin cold, K-State's Ty Bowman blocks a punt and Colby McCalister scoops it up at the 1-yard line for the touchdown to extend the Wildcats' lead to 14-0.
After stalling out on its first possession, K-State goes 80 yards in seven plays to get on the board with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Avery Johnson to wide-open tight end Brayden Loftin. DJ Giddens added a 32-yard run on the drive.
Kansas State defense will take the field first
Kansas State will kick off to start the game and the 2024 season is underway with a touchback.
Kansas State announced that tonight's game is officially a sellout. It is the Wildcats' 15th straight home sellout.
Kansas State vs UT-Martin time today
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 31
- Time: 6 p.m.
- Location: Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan
What channel is Team A vs Team B game on today?
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This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football vs UT-Martin recap: Wildcats roll, 41-6 in season opener
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