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Kansas State QB Avery Johnson Shows Love For Will Howard After Cotton Bowl Victory

Shandel Richardson|
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) leaves the field following the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. Ohio State won 28-14.
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) leaves the field following the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. Ohio State won 28-14. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The quarterback who is advanced to the College Football Playoffs championship game received a shout out from his replacement at Kansas State.

On Friday, Ohio State's Will Howard was named the Offensive MVP of the Sugar Bowl after leading his team to a 28-14 victory against the Texas Longhorns. The Buckeyes advance to play Notre Dame in the title game Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

Among all those congratulators was Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson. After the game, he used his Instagram story to post a picture of Howard celebrating the trophy. Howard transferred from Kansas State before the end of the last season, leaving the program in the hands of Johnson.

Now, Howard is one win from a national championship. It was his first time defeating Texas after losing three times while he played for the Wildcats. Howard threw for 289 yards and a touchdowns in the win.

"That was a motivation for me but that didn't mean as much as keeping this team together," Howard said. "That's all we wanted to do. We were fighting for another chance to wear this jersey again."

Wildcats fans can only hope for similar success with Johnson under center for a second season. This year was considered a disappointment after entering with championship expectations. Kansas State finished 9-4, ending the year with a victory against Rutgers in the Rate Bowl in Phoenix.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here