In his first career start, Avery Johnson proves he's special
Avery Johnson's dropback on second-and-ten with under a minute remaining looked mundane.
Sure, Kansas State was in the red zone, threatening to go up 14 points against NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Sure, Johnson had already provided the Wildcats with a spark, connecting with running back DJ Giddens for a 37-yard touchdown on the opening drive.
But, what happened next on this dropback was anything but mundane.
It was special.
Facing pressure, Johnson tucked the ball and used the turbo boosters on his feet to try and make a play.
Soon, a sea of white NC State jerseys approached him, and it looked like Johnson's efforts would come up short of a magical moment.
If it was any other quarterback, that probably would be the case. But Johnson is far from "normal."
After making an NC State defender miss, Johnson split the difference of two more to score a 19-yard rushing touchdown.
Special.
Frankly, a lot of Johnson's game is special.
Since stepping foot on Kansas State's campus, Johnson has come with lofty expectations.
There were calls from him to start early in the season, and there was a stretch where Johnson saw significant playing time as offensive coordinator Collin Klein experimented with a two-quarterback system.
But in his first career start, Johnson proved why Kansas State believes he's the guy, leading the Wildcats to a 28-19 victory over NC State.
"He's been drinking from the water hole last few weeks, trying to learn everything," offensive lineman Hayden Gillum said.
It wasn't always pretty for Johnson (or the entire offense), but it was a glimpse. And that's what Kansas State fans wanted.
Johnson finished the game connecting on 14 of his 31 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
There were some drops and some throws Johnson would like back, but when it mattered the most, he connected with true freshman Jayce Brown to give the Wildcats a 28-19 lead.
On the ground is where Johnson made his money.
Johnson, who created some scrambling opportunities for himself along with his designed quarterback runs, finished the game with 71 yards on seven carries.
His performance was enough to give the true freshman quarterback the Pop-Tarts Bowl MVP award.
"He is 1-0 as a starting quarterback. That is the number one stat that we look at," head coach Chris Klieman said after the game. "He helped us win. He made big-time play after big-time play."
Johnson's performance was a startling one for a true freshman.
While some young players struggle to make the responsible plays that impact winning, Johnson was "mature beyond his years," piercing through the NC State defense with ease.
"The kid is mature beyond his years, and I think a lot of people saw that," Klieman said. "North Carolina State has really good players on defense, and they had a hard time catching him because he just understands angles and how to beat people."
According to head coach Chris Klieman, Johnson was granted the freedom to check plays at the line of scrimmage. Those plays led to his touchdowns to DJ Giddens and Jayce Brown.
That's almost unheard of for a young player, especially someone making their first start in college football.
But again, Johnson isn't your typical young player.
He's just special.
"Dudes a ball player," offensive lineman Cooper Beebe said of Johnson. "He's able to ID blitzes, ID coverages. It tells you how mature the dude is. That's one of the biggest parts of college football. College football, it's a race to maturity. He's way ahead of a lot of freshmen."
Overall, Gillum believes that Johnson has slowed down since coming on campus. That's likely what's helped Johnson become the player he is today.
"He's slowed down with his mind. He's been able to process things better," Gillum said. "The more the game slows down for him, the more you're going to see him make plays."
In some ways, Johnson's first start is a full circle moment, the culmination of a long journey that began as a highly-touted freshman and ended as the future.
"I am so happy I chose Kansas State," Johnson said. "I am so happy I got to be around these players and these coaches because they truly do care about you, and it really is a brotherhood."