Following two disappointing losses in a row, Kansas State found their winning recipe against Cincinnati in their final home game of the regular season, defeating the Bearcats, 41-15.

Although it was senior night for K-State, junior running back DJ Giddens stole the show. The Junction City (Kans.) native scored two touchdowns, rushing for rushing 143 yards. Giddens also caught three passes for 39 yards.

Giddens scored his first touchdown midway through the second quarter, breaking past the Bearcats' defense for a 32-yard touchdown to give the Wildcats a 20-0 lead. K-State would enter halftime with a 24-point lead after quarterback Avery Johnson connected with wide receiver Tre Spivey for a 6-yard touchdown with eight seconds remaining in the half.

Johnson rebounded after back-to-back disappointing performances defined by turnovers in costly positions. Not only did Johnson not turn the ball over against Cincinnati, but he was also efficient as a passer, completing 13 of his 24 attempts for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Spivey finished with five catches for 68 yards, which led the team.

Johnson also featured in the run game, scoring a 21-yard rushing touchdown to open the scoring for K-State in the first quarter. The sophomore quarterback finished with 72 yards on 10 carries.

Although K-State’s offense stagnated in the second half, their defense continued to carry the load. The Bearcats offense, which averaged 27.4 points heading into tonight’s contest, scored once in the second half.

The defense’s performance allowed K-State’s offense to find its groove. The offense scored twice in the fourth quarter, highlighted by a 17-yard touchdown by Giddens that featured multiple broken tackles.

Following multiple weeks of a quiet offense, it was likely encouraging to see offensive coordinator Conor Riley’s offense find its groove.

After spending all season in the booth, Riley moved to the sideline to call the game. That decision seemed to help the Wildcats, who crossed the 40-point total for the first time since their 45-18 win over West Virginia on Oct. 19. The offense averaged 6.9 yards per play and scored on seven of their 12 offensive drives.

The win keeps K-State’s Big 12 Championship hopes alive. Although the Wildcats no longer control their destiny, losses by BYU and Colorado earlier in the day kept K-State in the mix. Implying the Wildcats beat Iowa State next week, they’ll need Baylor and two of Arizona State, BYU, and Colorado to lose next week.

K-State will travel to Ames next week to play Iowa State. Kick-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on FOX.

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