By: D. Scott Fritchen
PHOENIX, Ariz. – There was no quit in these Cats.
Kansas State saw Rutgers score its most points in a first half this season at the Rate Bowl on Thursday. The Scarlet Knights led by double digits most of the game and momentum appeared devastatingly on their side. In the third quarter, ESPN Analytics gave Rutgers a 95% chance of victory. Then the Wildcats flipped the script.
K-State bounced back from a 34-17 deficit midway through the third quarter and used a bowl record-setting night from running back Dylan Edwards to pull off the greatest bowl comeback win in school history in a 44-41 victory, using proverbial home-run hitters in Chase Field to smack away any doubt and clawing to nine wins behind a group of coaches and players that simply wouldn’t give up in their final meeting together.
“I’m just so proud of the guys and their resolve and continuing to fight,” said K-State head coach Chris Klieman, whose team finished with a 9-4 record. “We’re so thrilled with finding a way to get stops on defense and then capitalizing with some big-time plays offensively.”
The nine wins proves significant for K-State, which joins Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oregon as the only eight FBS schools to finish with at least nine wins in each of the last three seasons. K-State started out the season in the national rankings and slipped in November, but it stayed the course and came away with a big win heading toward the 2025 season. “I know that there’s some disappointment,” Klieman said. “Guys, there are a lot of teams that don’t win nine games, man. We just won nine friggin’ games and we’re going to talk about a disappointment? It is hard to win. You look at what our guys did to win that ninth game? “Man, I’m nothing but proud of these guys.” K-State, which allowed Rutgers 319 total yards in the first half, held the Scarlet Knights to just 82 yards in total offense over the final two quarters. A Rutgers offense that scored on each of its final five possessions of the first half, scored on its opening drive of the third quarter — then amassed just 20 total yards and one touchdown the rest of the way. “As they say in life, things get rocky,” said Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, whose team finished with a 7-6 record. “They played better. We had some issues. I tip my hat to Kansas State. They did a heck of a job and controlled the game in the second half on offense and defense.” K-State rode the legs of Edwards to one final win for the 2024 season. Edwards had 18 carries for a K-State bowl-record 196 yards and two touchdowns, and he added two catches for 27 yards and one score. His 26-yard touchdown catch made it 17-17 with 6 minutes, 44 seconds left in the first half, his 65-yard run with 5:45 left in the third quarter brought the Wildcats to within 34-23, and his 36-yard run with 4:14 left in the game put the Wildcats ahead for good. Edwards, a sophomore transfer, was named Rate Bowl Offensive MVP.
“I was just trying to do my job to the best of my ability,” said Edwards, who played behind NFL-departed DJ Giddens in this regular season and whose previous game high was 60 rushing yards. “We worked on these plays for the past two weeks, so I just tried to do my job, and that’s what I did today.
“I was just trying to my part for this team.”
Sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson saved one of his best performances of the season for last, throwing for 195 yards and three touchdowns and one interception and rushing for 57 yards and one score, becoming the all-time single-season leader in touchdown passes in a season (25) and finishing with the fifth-most passing yards in a single season.
Coupled with the Pop-Tarts Bowl victory a year ago, Johnson became the first K-State quarterback to lead the Wildcats to consecutive bowl wins in his first two years on campus. “I’m just excited to win,” Johnson said. “So proud of how everybody fought. Obviously, it didn’t happen the way we expected it to happen, but fight until the end, man, never out of it. “It’s the power of belief.” K-State trailed 27-17 at halftime and searching for answers. After a Rutgers touchdown, Edwards put the Wildcats on his back and raced through the middle of the offensive line and outraced a pair of defenders for his 65-yard touchdown to cut it to 34-23. “It just goes to show how explosive that kid is,” said Johnson, a close childhood friend. “He’s dynamite with the ball in his hands and the offensive line opened a perfect hole for that kid. The dude is special in space. The offensive line did a great job getting him in space today. It’s history from there.”
K-State got another shot of momentum when defensive back Daniel Cobb intercepted Athan Kaliakmanis and returned the ball 11 yards. From there, Johnson rushed up the middle 27 yards to the Rutgers 13. Then Johnson found Garrett Oakley on a short slant and the tight end rumbled into the end zone for a 13-yard score, cutting the gap to 34-29.
Moments later, when K-State was unable to move the ball, Christian Dremel returned a punt 67 yards to the K-State 18 to set up an Antwan Raymond 1-yard touchdown as the Scarlet Knights took a 41-29 lead. Lesser teams might fold. There was no quit in these Cats.
Johnson fired back on a 14-yard drive that took the Wildcats 85 yards in 6:53 to make it 41-36. Dante Cephas caught a 35-yard pass on fourth down to keep alive a drive that ended with Johnson hitting running back Joe Jackson for a 9-yard touchdown. It marked Johnson’s 25th touchdown pass of the season, a new school record, and vaulted him to fifth-most passing yards in a single season.
K-State wasn’t finished. It saved its best for last. Edwards went around the left side, caught a block to the inside, then swung outside and outran a pair of defenders for a 36-yard touchdown with 4:15 left in the game. Johnson hit Oakley in the end zone for the two-point conversion and Oakley did snow angels to celebrate the 44-41 advantage. “We didn’t play our best defensively in the first half for sure, and then we didn’t get off to a good start in the second half on either side of the ball, but maybe it flipped,” Klieman said. “We make a big play there, then Dylan breaks a long run, we get an interception, we get a big play after that. We just needed the momentum to flip and once it did our sideline had all the energy.” And now K-State is bringing back some hardware — a trophy.
“This means the world to me,” said sixth-year senior linebacker Austin Moore, who was named Rate Bowl Defensive MVP after recording six tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in his final game. “It wasn’t how I envisioned the year to go, but I do believe we’re building, and I’m just glad I could help be a part of a win. The future is bright, and I’m so thankful I came back and so grateful for Kansas State.”
Asked if the win was a statement for his squad to build on, Klieman replied, “I’m a one-week season guy and we had some things that didn’t go our way, but how do you respond? You’re going to have adversity in life. How are you going to respond? We had a couple setbacks, but these guys were going to go out on top.” This marked the fifth time K-State played in what is now known as the Rate Bowl, as it also played in the game in 1993 (known as the Copper Bowl), 2001 (Insight.com Bowl), 2013 (Buffalo Wild Wings) and 2017 (Cactus Bowl). K-State supplemented its usual home attire, going with a white helmet and matching white pants to go along with its traditional purple jersey. The bottom right part of the helmet bore the initials “DD” in purple lettering — a tribute to recently-passed former longtime K-State assistant coach Dana Dimel. On the final play from scrimmage, the K-State offense appeared to line up in one of Dimel’s signature formations, called the “Tush Push.” The final seconds ticked off the clock and the celebration was on. “This was a great building game for next year,” Edwards said. “We’re going to be diligent and work hard.” There was no quit in these Cats.
Now the beginning of a new exciting chapter awaits.
