It was an up-and-down season for Johnson as he took over for Will Howard as the team’s starting quarterback. He led the Wildcats to nine victories, including feel-good wins over Kansas, Colorado and Rutgers. But he also melted down and threw too many interceptions in losses to BYU, Houston and Arizona State.

Many of the questions leading up to Kansas State's Rate Bowl were around running back Dylan Edwards replacing star DJ Giddens. Apparently, Avery Johnson knew the answer. When asked if the quarterback thought Edwards would produce well against Rutgers,

Kansas State will try to rebound from a difficult finish to the regular season as it faces Rutgers in the Rate Bowl.