3MAW Podcast Breaks Down K-State's 31-20 Win Against Tulane in Week 3

K-State capped off the nonconference portion of its schedule with a 31-20 victory over Tulane to move to 3-0. It wasn't the best the team has looked this year, but the Wildcats took control late in the second half en route to the victory.

Avery Johnson had a historic day, becoming the first K-State quarterback to throw for at least 200 yards, rush for 150 yards, and score two rushing touchdowns in the same game. Wide receiver Jaron Tibbs had his first big game of the season, finishing with nine catches for 114 yards

The defense was once again solid, but for the first time all season, the Wildcats allowed big plays in both the pass and run game. After the game, Collin Klein said he was proud of his team, but voiced his frustration with the penalties.

The 3Maw podcast broke down the Wildcats’ performance after their victory, highlighting the biggest takeaways from the Week 3 win.

Run defense got attacked on the perimeter

The box score shows that K-State allowed only 95 yards on 33 carries. That overall is an outstanding number, but it is a little inflated. Quarterback Kadin Semonza carried the ball 10 times for -27 yards, but those negative yards came on K-State's six sacks.

Tulane did a good job of trying to attack the K-State defense on the outside, mainly testing the edge to see if the Wildcats were going to keep their containment. The Wildcats are able to get after the quarterback so well, but that can leave their defensive ends susceptible to the stretch play.

Tight ends had their best game as a group

The tight end position was expected to play a huge role in the offense, but in the first two games, that wasn't the case. The trio of Garrett Oakley, Linkon Cure, and Will Anciaux entered the game with five catches for 65 yards. Against the Green Wave, they combined for 10 catches and 109 yards. With how the Wildcats had been running the ball, combined with the running threat of Avery Johnson, the middle should be wide open for the tight end.

Offenisve line issues starting to show up

The line performed well in the first two games, but the issues that had people concerned entering the season crept up on Saturday. The running backs couldn't get anything going, as they finished with 25 carries for 55 yards. If it wasn't for Avery Johnson having a career-day with 152 yards, it would have been a really bad rushing day for the Wildcats.

Rodney Fields Jr. had rushed for at least 100 yards in each of the first two games, but he had only 10 carries for 18 yards in this game.

There is no doubt that the Cincinnati coaching staff is seeing the same thing, and the offensive line is going to have to play better come Big 12 play.

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