Why Chris Klieman wants Kansas State QB Avery Johnson to ‘cut it loose’ as a runner
How long has it been since Avery Johnson tied the Kansas State record for rushing touchdowns in a game?
Johnson accomplished that feat 13 months ago when he ran wild for 90 yards and five scores in a road win against Texas Tech. But it’s starting to feel like that happened eons ago for anyone who has watched the sophomore quarterback make plays mostly with his arm this season.
Through 10 games, Johnson has rushed for 412 yards and five touchdowns on 79 carries. His production has bottomed out over the past few weeks, as he has only accounted for 91 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in K-State’s past five contests. That’s an average of 18.2 rushing yards per game over that span.
K-State football coach Chris Klieman is ready for a change.
“I want him to cut it loose a little bit more in running the football,” Klieman said. “Maybe not in the first quarter on the first drive, but in the red zone and in the fourth quarter, because he’s a real threat with his legs.”
The Wildcats could benefit from more designed quarterback runs.
Johnson’s speed is what separates him from most other college quarterbacks. Asking him to stay in the pocket and throw downfield has worked at times this season, such as a 45-18 win at West Virginia in which Johnson threw for 298 yards and didn’t attempt a single run. But the K-State offense has floundered over the past two games while Johnson has put the ball in the air 79 times.
He rushed for 21 yards and a touchdown last week during a 24-14 loss to Arizona State. Before that, he rushed for 18 yards on eight carries in a 24-19 loss at Houston.
The Wildcats averaged 32.8 points in their first eight games. They have averaged 16.5 points in their past two games.
It may be time for Johnson to use his legs more often, starting with a 7 p.m. game against Cincinnati on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
“At this point, it’s whatever I can do to help the team win,” Johnson said. “Obviously, I have shown that I could be a dangerous runner, and I haven’t been able to showcase that these these past few weeks. But I’m definitely excited about that, being able to go out there and just show what I can do with my legs and kind of getting in that mindset earlier in the week, starting right now, of going out there and just trying to exploit some things with my legs.”