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Kansas State football came back from a 17-point deficit with a dominating 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 grab its biggest lead. But K-State chipped away and went in front 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 is how the Wildcats graded out against Rutgers in their final game of the season:
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Kansas State runningback Dylan Edwards (3) breaks a tackle from Rutgers safety Kaj Sanders (5) during first half of the Rate Bowl at Chase Field on Dec. 26, 2024, Phoenix.
Offense: 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. Except for one interception, Johnson was solid as well, guiding a K-State offense that finished with 542yards.
Grade: A
Defense: A turnaround for the ages
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 the break with a heavy dose of blitzing. Rutgers had just one sustained drive to start the second half and little else the rest of the way.
Grade: B+
Special teams: Nothing much to see here
Unfortunately, the punt coverage team gave up a big return to set up Rutgers’ final touchdown, but other than…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kansas-state-football-report-card-025845085.html
Author : The Topeka Capital-Journal
Publish date : 2024-12-27 02:58:00
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