Takeaways from Kansas State’s victory over North Carolina State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl

There is no better time to enjoy a Pop-Tart than after a victory in a bowl game.

The Kansas State football team earned a delicious celebration for itself by defeating North Carolina State 28-19 on Thursday in the Pop-Tarts Bowl with 31,111 looking on at Camping World Stadium.

K-State led from start to finish and clinched the game with a touchdown pass from Avery Johnson to Jayce Brown late in the fourth quarter. The No. 25 Wildcats (9-4) closed out their season with a bang over the No. 18 Wolfpack (9-4) and won their second bowl game under head coach Chris Klieman.

Running back DJ Giddens led the Wildcats with 189 all-purpose yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Freshman quarterback Avery Johnson commanded the offense well and finished with 178 yards and two touchdowns passing.

This was a tricky game for the Wildcats, as they were playing without many significant players who chose to transfer away from the team or “opt out” of this bowl to focus on their NFL futures. But they found a way to persevere.

Here are some takeaways on the action:

Avery Johnson gave fans an exciting glimpse at the future

Avery Johnson did not disappoint while making his first college start at quarterback.

The freshman from Maize looked like a crafty veteran while he was in command of the offense and led the Wildcats to 28 points and 436 yards despite not having key contributors Ben Sinnott and Phillip Brooks in the lineup.

K-State fans were excited to see what Johnson could do after he took over for former quarterback Will Howard. He gave them an exciting glimpse at what is to come over the next few years.

As expected, Johnson was at his best when he made things happen with his legs. Johnson rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown, and he delivered the highlight of the night when he scrambled for a 19-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. On that particular play, multiple NC State defenders fell to the turf as Johnson juked them out with shifty moves and a pump fake.

He also extended several plays and gave his receivers plenty of time to get open.

Johnson was far from outstanding as a passer, finishing 14-of-31 for 178 yards and two touchdowns. But he did make some impressive throws, including a 37-yard touchdown pass to Giddens on fourth down and a 28-yard toss to Garrett Oakley. Then he clinched the game for K-State by hitting Brown for an 11-yard touchdown with 2:48 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Another positive: He didn’t make any big mistakes and finished the game without an interception.

This was a promising start to his time as the team’s QB1. Johnson should only improve as he matures and spends more time within the K-State offense.

Good and bad with Conor Riley as offensive coordinator

The K-State offense didn’t look all that different with offensive line coach Conor Riley calling plays instead of Collin Klein.

K-State leaned on its running game and rushed for 258 yards. When the Wildcats threw the ball they were able gain 178 yards on 31 attempts.

The offense was humming at times in the first half, as the Wildcats scored 21 points in the first two quarters. But it stalled throughout much of the second half and only scored seven points from then on.

But K-State did march 72 yards and drain more than seven minutes off the clock for a game-clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Riley seemed a bit more conservative than his predecessor and called a high number of straightforward running plays. It’s hard to say if that would be his approach in future games or if he was trying to play it safe with a freshman quarterback.

In any case, there is no obvious conclusion to draw from this game. The offense didn’t look so good that Klieman has to promote Riley to the full-time gig. Nor was the offense so bad that he is now forced to explore outside options for the job.

It will be interesting to see what Klieman ultimately decides to do there.

DJ Giddens shined with a big workload at running back

Some wondered if the Wildcats would give the ball to a few new faces at running back following the transfer of Treshaun Ward. Turns out, Giddens didn’t need much help in the rushing department.

The sophomore from Junction City looked like a workhorse as he ran for 152 yards and a touchdown, in addition to 37 yards and a score as a receiver.

K-State featured Giddens so often that he gained every available yard on the opening drive of the night. The Wildcats marched 75 yards in six plays with Giddens accounting for 38 rushing yards and 37 receiving yards.

K-State called a fake punt at exactly the right moment

You don’t usually see K-State attempt a fake punt, which is probably why that particular trick play worked to perfection when the Wildcats broke it out in the second quarter against NC State.

Before Thursday, the Wildcats hadn’t rolled the dice in that situation a single time during the Klieman era. Bill Snyder didn’t call for many fake punts before him.

But the time was right in this game.

With K-State facing a fourth-and-5 at its own 29, the Wildcats sent punter Jack Blumer onto the field. Only instead of booting the ball to the other side of the field, he took off running.

The play caught everyone in attendance off guard ... so much so that Blumer crossed midfield before he was touched. The play resulted in a 30-yard gain and turned out to be a big moment in the game.

The Wildcats went on to score a touchdown on that drive for a 14-0 lead. The fake punt came immediately after they stopped NC State on a fourth-and-1 in the red zone. Talk about a momentum swing.

Not to be outdone, NC State dialed up a fake punt of its own at the same part of the field in the third quarter. That play resulted in a 60-yard touchdown run by Trent Pennix and pulled the Wolfpack to within 21-19.

This was a game for fake punts. They were both meaningful.