Offensive Line Issues, Penalties Among Key Takeaways From K-State in 31-20 Win Against Tulane

K-State wrapped up the non-conference part of its schedule with a 31-20 win against Tulane to move to 3-0 on the season. Avery Johnson delivered in a big way, as he became the first quarterback in K-State history to finish with at least 200 passing yards, 150 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns.

He is known as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in college football, and he showcased that with a career-high 152 rushing yards and two touchdowns. At times, the offense was struggling, but Johnson made the plays the team needed.

Ultimately, the Wildcats are 3-0 entering Big 12 play, but that doesn't mean there isn't stuff the team needs to get fixed. The offensive line had been better than Collin Klein could have hoped for the first two weeks, but they struggled on Saturday.

Ground game outside of Johnson was non-existent

The Wildcats entered the game ranked No. 7 in the country with 303.5 rushing yards per game. Running back Rodney Fields Jr. had rushed for at least 100 yards in his first two games for K-State, but he was able to muster up only 18 yards on 10 carries.

Tulane put an added emphasis on stopping the run, and the Green Wave made things very difficult for the Wildcats. The offensive line wasn't winning at the point of attack, and the running backs were getting hit right at the line of scrimmage. Teams are going to continue to load the box, and the Wildcats will have to figure out a way to make them play.

Penalties were an issue in Week 3

K-State is known to be a team that avoids penalties, but that wasn't as much the case on Saturday. They had only five penalties, which many teams would take in a game. However, Collin Klein was frustrated with the penalties after the game.

"Way too many penalties," Klein told reporters after the game. "Frickin, I was even out there getting in the ref's way for a frickin sideline warning."

Collin Klein: "Way too many penalties. Frickin, I was even out there getting in the ref's way for a frickin sideline warning."
— Wyatt Wheeler (@WyattWheeler_) September 19, 2026

K-State often wins games because it limits turnovers and penalties, and this is something Klein will put an emphasis on heading into Cincinnati next weekend.

Jaron Tibbs had a monster game

Tibbs was the leading receiver last year for the Wildcats, but he had gotten off to a slow start in 2026. He responded in a big way on Saturday, finishing with nine catches for 114 yards. Last week, it was Josh Manning who had the big game receiving, but the fact that both of them are capable of big games will make K-State tough to stop moving forward.

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