Avery Johnson rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns, Jay Harris added 1-yard scores on his only two carries and Kansas State defeated Tulane 31-20 on Saturday in Manhattan, Kan.
Johnson completed 20-of-27 passes for 217 yards, 114 of which went to Jaron Tibbs on nine receptions.
The Wildcats (3-0) outgained Tulane 428-260, including 201-95 on the ground.
Kadin Semonza passed for 165 yards and a touchdown and rushed 9 yards for the only other score by the Green Wave (1-2).
On the first possession of the third quarter Kansas State converted three third downs and one fourth down during a 14-play drive that ended with Harris’ 1-yard touchdown run. That increased the Wildcats’ lead to 24-10.
Cooper Helmke kicked a 53-yard field goal to trim the lead at the end of the third quarter. Johnson’s 12-yard touchdown run expanded the lead to 31-13 midway through the fourth quarter.
Semonza threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Maurice Turner to complete the scoring with 2:48 remaining.
On Tulane’s second possession of the game, it drove 90 yards in seven plays, the final play of which was Semonza’s 9-yard touchdown run. That marked the first touchdown allowed by the Kansas State defense this season and gave the Green Wave a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Wildcats drove to a first-and-goal at the Tulane 4 before stalling and Luis Rodriguez kicked a 23-yard field goal to trim the lead to 7-3 early in the second quarter. Harris’ 1-yard touchdown run later in the quarter gave Kansas State the lead for good, 10-7.
On the second play of the Wildcats’ next possession Johnson broke free for a 66-yard run then a 7-yard touchdown to push the lead to 17-7. Helmke’s school-record 58-yard field goal pulled the Green Wave within 17-10 at halftime.
