Kansas State Football report card: Grading Wildcats comeback win vs Rutgers in Rate Bowl

On By Littum

Kansas State football rallied from a 17-point deficit with a dominant second-half effort to rally for a 44-41 Rate Bowl victory over Rutgers at Chase Field in Phoenix on Thursday.

The Wildcats (9-4) trailed 27-17 at halftime, and Rutgers scored early in the second to take its biggest lead. But K-State broke away and took the lead with 4:15 left on Dylan Edwards’ 36-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion pass from Avery Johnson to Garrett Oakley.

The Wildcat defense then stopped Rutgers on downs and ran out the clock. Here’s how the Wildcats fared against Rutgers in their final game of the season:

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Kansas State running back Dylan Edwards (3) breaks a tackle from Rutgers safety Kaj Sanders (5) during the first half of the Rate Bowl at Chase Field on Dec. 26, 2024, in Phoenix.Kansas State running back Dylan Edwards (3) breaks a tackle from Rutgers safety Kaj Sanders (5) during the first half of the Rate Bowl at Chase Field on Dec. 26, 2024, in Phoenix.

Kansas State running back Dylan Edwards (3) breaks a tackle from Rutgers safety Kaj Sanders (5) during the first half of the Rate Bowl at Chase Field on Dec. 26, 2024, in Phoenix.

Attack: Dylan Edwards has a day to remember

When leading rusher DJ Giddens opted out of the game to enter the NFL Draft, the Wildcats turned to Dylan Edwards and Joe Jackson, and they did not disappoint. The duo combined with quarterback Avery Johnson for 347 yards on the ground. Aside from one interception, Johnson was also solid, guiding a K-State offense that finished with 542 yards.

Degree: ONE

Defence: A turnaround for the times

K-State’s defense looked clueless in the first half, giving up 319 yards, but flipped the switch and held Rutgers to 82 yards after halftime with a heavy dose of blitz. Rutgers had only one sustained drive to start the second half and little else the rest of the way.

Degree: B+

Special Teams: Not much to see here

Unfortunately, the punt coverage team gave up a big return to set up Rutgers’ final touchdown, but other than that, there wasn’t much to see. Chris Tennant didn’t miss a kick and Simon McClannan was good on punts and kickoffs.

Degree: C

Coaching: Talk about changing your character

The way the first half went, especially in defense, was a sure indictment of the coaching staff. But if that’s the case, give them credit for rallying the troops and making the necessary adjustments in an epic comeback.

Degree: B

Overall grade: B+

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be found at [email protected] or on X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.

This article originally appeared on the Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State Football Report Card, Grades vs Rutgers in Rate Bowl