Using the Same Formula

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Dressed in a dapper lavender suit that shimmered under the stadium lights, it was virtually impossible to miss Avery Johnson last week as the Kansas State junior quarterback sauntered across the field at Big 12 Football Media Day at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

Speaking with reporters from across the country, Johnson's confidence made an impression, as well.

"My goal is winning the Big 12 Championship," he said. "I want to go undefeated and win the national championship. Those are goals we talk about inside of Vanier, inside our walls all the time, and those are goals we're going to shoot for, but we must continue to take it one week at a time and see where it gets us."

It wasn't too incredibly long ago that Will Howard led K-State to the 2022 Big 12 Championship down the road in Arlington, Texas. It's an achievement that K-State head coach Chris Klieman refers to when recounting the string of the Wildcats' success in recent years.

K-State is one of only five Power 4 teams to win at least nine games each of the last three seasons with at least one conference championship in that timeframe, joining Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Oregon.

Johnson, a Wichita native who a year ago guided K-State to a 9-4 record, including a 44-41 win over Rutgers in the Rate Bowl, would like to help keep K-State shining among the best in college football.

"You'll see the same kind of formula this year," he said. "We'll be a hard-working team that fights to the end and is relentless. We're never going to give up, and we'll do things the right way. Offensively, we have some extra pieces, a really good receiver room and running back room, the whole nine. We have great leaders.

"We're a team that's ready to go out here and prove to the world that we're the best team in the Big 12."

Meanwhile, the 6-foot-3 Johnson, who says that he will play above 200 pounds for the first time this season while maintaining his elite speed, has a chance to prove himself among the best signal-callers in the nation.

CBS ranks Johnson as the fourth-best quarterback in the Big 12 heading to the season, contending that "Johnson finished with a school-record 25 touchdown passes and yet it didn't feel like he met the high expectations many set for him as a first-year starter."

CBS adds: "When he's on, the Wildcats are a conference frontrunner."

Last season, Johnson completed 58.3% of his passes for 2,712 yards and a school-record 25 touchdowns while adding 605 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 113 carries. He finished fourth in school history in pass attempts (372), fifth in completions (217) and passing yards (2,712), sixth in total offensive yards (3,317) and sixth in touchdown responsibility (32).

He was on fire with three passing touchdowns and two rushing scores against Oklahoma State, becoming the first Wildcat to hit those marks against a conference opponent since Collin Klein at West Virginia in 2012. It was only the 30^th time since 1996 a player had at least three passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns against an AP Top 25 team, earning him Manning Award Star of the Week and Davey O'Brien Award Great 8 honors.

He finished as one of five players in the nation — and one of three from a Power 4 school — to record 2,700 passing yards and 600 rushing yards.

He achieved such feats under the watchful eye of first-year quarterback coach Matt Wells, who has added to his role as first-year offensive coordinator this fall.

"The biggest thing is we're really like minded," Johnson said. "A lot of times he'll say things that I'm thinking. The best thing about Coach Wells is the way he coaches. He's hard on me, pushes me, challenges me to elevate my game. You need that out of a coach. It keeps me from being complacent. He preaches pocket movement and keeping a base in the pocket, keeping two hands on the ball in the pocket, not drifting, things like that. If my feet are good and I'm aligned to where I'm throwing the ball, my accuracy is 100 times better than when my feet are clinking against each other."

When Johnson's feet fly in unison — watch out.

Johnson improved his speed to become one of four K-State players to run at least 23 miles per hour during March testing.

Johnson sits 99 rushing yards shy of reaching 1,000 for his career and 186 yards shy of entering the school's top-10 list for career rushing yards by a quarterback. He enters this season with 165 carries for 901 yards (5.5 yards per attempt) and 14 touchdowns.

He figures himself to be even better equipped at carrying the ball in the fall.

"I've put on probably 10 pounds this offseason," he said. "Last year, I played at around 190. This year, I'm going to play above 200, and I'm still climbing. This is the fastest, strongest and heaviest I've ever been. It's only going to help me in the run game. As long as I'm still feeling twitchy and fast, I'll put on as much weight as I need to."

Johnson received an offseason boost in June when he was invited to the prestigious Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

"The biggest thing is to have a routine to your day and map your days out," Johnson said of what he learned in Louisiana. "Have a schedule and do things the right way. Talking to Jon Gruden and Eli and Peyton — Peyton touched on it the most, that he wasn't the most athletic guy, so he had to be able to protect and know where his hots were. He knew his strengths and weaknesses and was such a smart quarterback that he was able to make up for any perceived weakness in his game, which was the fact that he didn't run very much.

"It's about being self-aware and figuring out my strengths and weaknesses and playing to my strengths more as the season goes on."

One this is certain: All eyes will be on Johnson. Again.

And he's more comfortable than ever in being the face of the K-State program.

"Just knowing my teammates voted me captain last year, those guys count on me, and that's a great feeling for me," he said. "I've made big strides this offseason. I've grown from year one as a starter to year two. I've stepped in front of the team and have addressed the team more this offseason. I've taken a lot more control of things."

Seems like a winning combination for a signal-caller who could emerge as one of the deadliest threats in college football.

"Competition is a great thing," he said. "It'll only elevate my game. At the end of the day, the stat that matters the most are the wins and losses. All I'm really worried about are the number of games we win."

Which, if all goes as planned, could result in big things — with Johnson and the Wildcats hoisting a trophy.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Avery Johnson

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