Avery Johnson attempting to take advantage of Friday night lights

MANHATTAN, Kan. — There’ll be a matchup of top-20 teams when Kansas State hosts Arizona Friday night, and all eyes will be on the dynamic quarterbacks for several reasons.

After all, Avery Johnson and Noah Fifita are two of the Big 12’s best gunslingers, who have full command of their offense. Most importantly, they want to prove to the College football world that their teams are legit.

No. 14 Kansas State (2-0) had a scare on the road last week at Tulane. However, the Wildcats outscored the Green Wave 24-7 in the second half and pulled out the win. That dogfight opened Johnson’s eyes about what he needs to improve on. Which is why he’s grinding hard in practice this week, with intentions on building confidence in himself and his teammates.

“I still think I have a lot of room to grow, and there’s a lot of improvement to be made,” Johnson said. “Week one was very average for me, and then week two I felt like I made steps, but I look to make bigger strides as the season goes on.”

Johnson has thrown for 334 yards, four touchdowns and an interception through two games, and is eager to see how he’ll fare against Arizona’s defense. It just so happens that Arizona’s defense surrendered 39 points to New Mexico in week one. Not to mention the Lobos only scored 31 points, and lost to an FCS team in week zero, but that doesn’t mean Johnson is overlooking the Wildcats.

“They’re a really talented team, really good at what they do defensively and they been able to show that in the past, so I’m really excited about going against another talented team this week,” he said. “I feel like Tulane has a talented defense, and Arizona is very talented as well, so I’m ready to line it up against those guys and compete on Friday night.”

Johnson has a great supporting cast around him, including running back DJ Giddens, who has eclipsed the century mark in rushing yards in each of the past two games. The running backs are currently leading the team in receptions and receiving yards, so Johnson want to get the wide receivers more involved in Kansas State’s aerial attack.

Johnson understands that comes down to what coverage defenses are showing him, and where the offense is located on the field.

“I think really just game planning for it, and we do a really good job during the week of our timing and getting stuff on the play sheet,” the 19-year old said. “Sometimes in the heat of the moment stuff doesn’t get called like we wish to, but I’m looking forward to it, I have all the confidence in the world in those guys and myself to be able to push the ball downfield.”

Everyone is expecting an offensive shootout, and for Johnson to trade blows with Arizona’s Fifita. Johnson plans on answering that bell anytime it rings, and will have the home crowd behind him. Bill Snyder Family Stadium is going to be electric, and Johnson doesn’t want to disappoint the fans.

Execution is going to be vital, so Johnson is working on his footwork, carrying out fakes, and the run game. The big boys up front have to protect him, and dominate in the trenches. At this point in practice the signal-caller is all about carrying out the mental reps, getting the rest of the offense on the same page and building chemistry.

Johnson must protect his body more too, including sliding to the ground or running out of bounds to avoid unnecessary hits. Arizona’s defense will try to lay the wood to Johnson, so he needs to keep his head on a swivel.

“I know now that every play isn’t going to be a homerun, so instead of getting an extra yard or two here, I’m taking care of my body long term.”