Recap: K-State complete 17-point comeback, beats Rutgers in Rate Bowl

With DJ Giddens opting out of the Rate Bowl in Arizona, it was Dylan Edwards and Joe Jackson‘s time to prove their worth.

Those two took the opportunity and ran with it, giving K-State fans something to be ecstatic about next season. The two combined for 310, yards as K-State completed the comeback over Rutgers, winning 44-41.

It was a first half to forget for Joe Klanderman and this K-State defense. After K-State forced a three-and-out on the Scarlet Knight’s opening drive, Rutgers scored on their next five drives in that half, as their combination of the pass and run gave K-State fits. They had a total of 319 yards in the first half, leaving K-State needing to find some answers defensively in the second half, and they did exactly that.

K-State stayed in the game in the first half. They kept within Rutgers all throughout the first quarter but faced a 10-point deficit at the half. Avery Johnson kept one himself for a touchdown and found Dylan Edwards for a 26-yard touchdown catch.

With the way the second half started, it looked like the Wildcats were going to get blown out.

Again, they had no answer for the run and could not get off the field on third down. Rutgers used a 10-play drive and stormed down the field for a touchdown, and K-State faced their largest deficit of the day of 17 points.

K-State had to punt on its next drive, but the Wildcats got a stop on defense to give them momentum. Following that stop, Dylan Edwards took it to the house for a 65-yard touchdown. Daniel Cobbs picked off Athan Kaliakmanis on the next drive.

The Wildcats got the deficit down to five but allowed a 67-yard punt return that got Rutgers going. They took advantage of this, using the short field to their advantage and scoring a touchdown. Trailing 41-29 in the 4th quarter, K-State had their backs against the wall, but Joe Jackson with some key plays on the next drive put the Wildcats back in it.

K-State was led by their defense in the second half and got Rutgers off the field quickly, setting Johnson up with five minutes left on the clock. It didn’t take long for K-State to take the lead in the 4th quarter, as Edwards rushed in for his 3rd touchdown with a 36-yard carry.

With great pressure on Kaliakmanis by Chiddi Obizaor and Austin Moore, K-State turned Rutgers over on downs and win. The Wildcats trailed by as many as 17 in the second half, but an impressive comeback gave them a Rate Bowl victory.

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