Kansas State's Avery Johnson Shows Toughness By Playing Through Injury

Coach Klieman praises his QB for playing through injury.

Oct 12, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson (2) is helped off the field after an injury during the second half against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images / Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

K-State sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson went down with an injury during the third quarter against Colorado.

The score stood at 14-7 before the Wildcats eventually escaped Folsom Field with a victory. Coach Chris Klieman praised Johnson for battling through adversity.

"He grew in a number of ways. One, the injury was one thing, but then, a flip in philosophy at halftime. We were doing a great job in the run game, and then in the second half they changed their defensive front, and we didn't have quarterback run, and we had to make some plays in the pass game," Klieman said. "He made a great throw to Jayce [Brown] down the middle of the field one time that sparked us to get that field goal and then the plays late to hang in there. Without a doubt, he keeps growing and getting better and keeps learning from experiences."

Johnson showed grit and toughness. Kansas State faced a four-point deficit during the fourth quarter. But a 50-yard pass to Brown sealed it. The Wichita, Kansas native connected on 15 of 23 passes for 224 yards, accumulating to a 65.2 percent completion rate. It was his second highest yardage output of the season.

K-State plays at West Virginia Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on Fox in another Big 12 matchup. The Wildcats are going for their third straight win.

Jeremiah Artacho is a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at jeremiahartacho@gmail.com or @JeremiahArtacho on X.

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