On the same day head coach Collin Klein blew out 37 candles, senior quarterback Avery Johnson blew open the record books. 

Overcoming an early deficit, Johnson put on a dual-threat clinic to push K-State to a 31-20 victory over Tulane for Harley Day at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The win capped a 3-0 non-conference run that ranks among K-State’s best statistically in the last 30 years and leveled the all-time series against the Green Wave at 2-2.

The victory offered Klein and the Wildcats some closure. Tulane famously shocked K-State 17-10 in Manhattan in 2022 when Klein was the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator. After K-State reclaimed momentum with a 34-27 win in New Orleans in 2024, Saturday’s decisive performance closed out the three-game stretch on the Wildcats’ terms.

“We were 1-0 today, and truly that’s all that matters,” Klein said. “I’ll definitely probably enjoy my birthday a lot more that way, for sure. At the end of the day, I’m proud of the guys, I’m proud of where we’re going and we just have to keep our heads down and learn our lessons to continue to make ourselves better.” 

Johnson delivered a performance unlike any in school history. The senior quarterback completed 21-of-28 passes for 227 yards while racking up 152 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries and single-handedly accounted for 379 of K-State’s 428 total yards. Johnson became the first player in Wildcat history to post 200 passing yards and 150 rushing yards in a single game. In his 29th career start, he also became the first player in program history to break the 6,000-passing-yard and 1,500-rushing-yard career milestones. 

“I mean, it felt good,” Johnson said. “I think our backfield has been so explosive these past two weeks. They were gonna say you’re not gonna beat us in the run game today, and they kind of committed to that. … If you give me some space, I can take advantage of it. And our guys gave me space all over the place today.” 

Tulane struck first, driving 90 yards in seven plays midway through the first quarter. Quarterback Kadin Semonza finished the drive himself, scrambling 9 yards into the end zone to give the Green Wave a 7-0 lead. The touchdown was the first the Wildcat defense had allowed all season.

K-State responded with 17 unanswered points in the second quarter. The ‘Cats got on the board with a 23-yard Luis Rodrigues field goal. On their next possession, Jay Harris punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to complete an 8-play, 85-yard drive and give K-State its first lead, 10-7.

Moments later, Johnson took matters into his own hands. After breaking free down the right sideline for a career-long 66-yard burst, he capped a 3-play, 73-yard lightning drive with a 7-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 17-7.

Tulane answered right before the break, driving 35 yards in 12 plays to set up Cooper Helmke’s school-record 58-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 17-10 at halftime.

K-State set the tone coming out of the locker room with a punishing 14-play, 75-yard drive that drained 8:15 off the clock. On fourth-and-1, Johnson pitched to tight end Linkon Cure, who fought his way to the 2-yard line to set up Harris’ second 1-yard touchdown plunge of the afternoon. 

Tulane pushed back slightly with another field goal from Helmke, this time 53 yards, to make it 24-13.

Johnson put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, orchestrating a 7-play, 58-yard drive and scrambling for a 12-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 31-13. 

Tulane mounted one final 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive late in the game, ending with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Semonza to Maurice Turner with 2:48 remaining to make it 31-20 before K-State recovered the onside kick. 

Senior wideout Jaron Tibbs was Johnson’s top target, putting together a career day with nine receptions for 114 yards, headlined by a 33-yard gain. 

“This gives us a lot of confidence going into the Big 12,” Tibbs said. “We played three quality opponents, and we still have a lot to learn, but while still winning comfortably. It gives us a lot of confidence in what we have and in what we can improve upon. There’s still a ton of season left. I’m excited to see the progression from Game one to Game 12.”

The Wildcat defense held Tulane to 260 total yards, marking the third consecutive game keeping an opponent under 300 yards — a feat K-State hadn’t accomplished since 2007. The front seven lived in the backfield, racking up six sacks and 12 tackles for loss behind two sacks from Jayden Bryant and 1.5 from Darien Whitaker Jr.

“Up front, we got some dogs,” senior safety Wesley Fair said. “They want to get to the quarterback. They are violent up there, and so as a secondary, you know they got your back, and so it makes all the difference.” 

Tulane head coach Will Hall conceded that Johnson was simply too much to handle. 

“I thought the difference in the game was the explosive plays, their ability to make them, specifically their quarterback, and our inability to make a lot of explosive plays,” Hall said. “I do want to give Avery Johnson, their quarterback, a lot of credit. Great, great football player. … He made some crucial, crucial plays. We had him corralled one time, and he hit the sideline.” 

With non-conference play in the rearview mirror, K-State turns its focus to opening Big 12 play on the road against Cincinnati Saturday, Sept. 26. Kickoff at Nippert Stadium is set for 6:00 p.m. CT on ESPN2.