‘The golden boy’: Freshman QB Avery Johnson dazzles in first game with Kansas State
Will Howard did something you rarely see from a quarterback after he put the finishing touches on a record-setting performance during Kansas State’s dominant 45-0 victory over Southeast Missouri State on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
He shined a proverbial spotlight on his backup.
As reporters gathered around Howard and prepared to ask him questions about how he threw for 297 yards and became the first player in modern K-State history to score touchdowns via passing, rushing and receiving in the same game, he told them to leave and go chat with Avery Johnson.
“Go talk to him,” Howard said as he pointed in his teammate’s direction. “He’s the man of the hour.”
Believe it or not, there wasn’t much hyperbole in that statement. Even on a day when Howard scored four touchdowns and played like an All-Big 12 quarterback, many K-State fans left the stadium talking more about what they saw from Johnson in his college debut.
Johnson, a highly touted recruit from Maize, looked like much more than a backup quarterback when he led the offense for multiple drives in the second half.
He looked like a future star.
It was easy to see why coaches and teammates have done nothing but rave about Johnson since he stepped foot on campus and began making plays with both his impressive speed and strong arm. He completed 3 of 4 passes for 55 yards, including a long of 24. He also rushed for 35 yards and a touchdown on five carries. More than that, it seemed like he was moving at a faster speed than anyone else on the field.
“He was under control and he was in command,” K-State coach Chris Klieman said. “He’s really, really fast. And I think you guys can tell that he’s he’s got great, great speed. I thought he put the ball in a couple of really good spots today, and I thought he did some really good things.”
K-State fans were anything but surprised. They were looking forward to his first pass so much that the stadium responded with a thunderous ovation when he entered the game with the Wildcats leading 38-0.
“We call Avery the golden boy of Kansas now,” K-State receiver R.J. Garcia said. “Just to hear the crowd chant his name was awesome. He got to run around and get in the end zone. I was definitely excited for him, especially when he got to spin it to Jayce Brown and Tre Spivey, who are a couple of other young guys. It was a cool moment.”
Johnson called it “one of the best moments I’ve had playing football” but admitted he wasn’t prepared for quite that much hoopla.
“I’m not really a big nervous type of guy, but I will say I had butterflies,” Johnson said. “But I don’t feel like it was just nervousness. I just got excited to play football. But the older guys around like (center Hayden Gillum) were just telling me to relax and have fun and just play football. That’s what I tried to go out there and do.”
For most of training camp it seemed like Jake Rubley, not Johnson, would serve as the backup quarterback behind Howard. Rubley is older and a talented player in his own right. But Johnson played so well during preseason practices that offensive coordinator Collin Klein talked Klieman into elevating him up the depth chart.
His speed, which has been tracked as fast as 22.3 miles per hour, is something few other quarterbacks can match. Like a child with a new toy, K-State coaches wanted to use him.
“We wanted to give Avery some solid series where we could evaluate him,” Klieman said, “and give him an opportunity to run the offense where it wasn’t just a drive. We wanted it where it was going to be a handful of drives.”
Johnson took advantage by leading K-State on a 79-yard touchdown drive and then moving the Wildcats into the red zone before they turned the ball over on downs.
Good things happened when he was on the field. So good, in fact, that he stole some thunder away from Howard on his big night.