Kansas State University Athletics
K-State’s Ground Game is a Collective Effort
Oct 09, 2024 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Sitting inside his office at the Vanier Family Football Complex one blazing-hot late-August morning, Kansas State first-year offensive coordinator Conor Riley said that he had a plan in place for the Wildcats' first offensive possession of the 2024 football season.
"Getting our first first down," Riley said. "You can't get too far ahead of yourself."
So far, Riley, who has served under K-State head coach Chris Klieman all six years that they have been in Manhattan — Riley also is offensive line coach — has the Wildcats' offense right on schedule, one play at a time — and on pace to set the school record books ablaze.
For starters, K-State has scored at least 28 points in 12 of its last 13 games, its most over a 13-game stretch since also doing so 12 times over the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
Expertly utilizing sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson and leading with 6-foot-1, 212-pound junior running back DJ Giddens — he ranks seventh in the FBS in averaging 120.80 rushing yards per game — the Wildcats are racking up incredibly efficient numbers behind one of the top rushing offenses in the nation and a senior-laden, new-look offensive line that specializes in opening holes and getting the Wildcats right where they want to be, which is usually the end zone.
Consider K-State averages 432.4 total yards per game. That ranks fourth in K-State history behind 2003 (441.0), 2023 (445.2) and 1998 (478.4).
K-State also averages 6.91 yards per play. That ranks first in K-State history and ahead of that dominant 1998 offense (6.47), which is commonly referred to as the best overall offense ever in Manhattan.
"The offense could be very potent because there are some great players and great leaders on this team," Riley projected in the summer. "There's a lot of skill. What we could be and what we will be could potentially be two different things, so it's going to come back to the work that we put into it. The roles that guys can ultimately play within their position and ultimately how well they can execute. There's a lot of skill on this football team. It's going to come down to how well we execute, and if we can do that, yeah, this offense can be extremely potent."
While the season and career exploits of Giddens became the buzz — and rightfully so — during the bye week as No. 18 K-State, 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12 Conference, prepares to face Colorado, 4-1 and 2-0, in Saturday's 9:25 p.m. kickoff in Boulder, Colorado, attention, too, should be shared with the entire offense, which also helps to make the train go.
Currently, Giddens has 2,348 career rushing yards to rank ninth in school history, needing 138 rushing yards to pass Collin Klein for eighth and 471 to pass Ell Roberson for fifth place. Giddens is on pace to hit 3,193 career rushing yards, which would put him at No. 3 all-time in K-State history behind only Deuce Vaughn (3,604) and Darren Sproles (4,979).
Klieman in his weekly news conference this week left no doubt about the Wildcats identity this season.
"Our identity is 31 right now, and as he goes, it opens up everything else," Klieman said. "That's why Avery has been more successful throwing the football because we've been able to rush the football. It opens up everything if you can run the football."
Johnson was the top dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2023, and during his sophomore season at K-State he is currently one of only three Power 4 signal callers and the only Big 12 player with at least 800 rushing yards and 300 passing yards.
He comes off a career performance by throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for two more in a 42-20 win over then-No. 20 Oklahoma State on September 28, earning multiple national weekly honors for his efforts.
"We want to continue to be effective running the ball as the season goes on," said Johnson, who along with Giddens averages 7.3 yards per carry. "A lot of times, people can get lost in what DJ and Dylan Edwards are doing in opening up holes for me to run to be effective in the run game as well. We have to continue to be able to throw the ball because the best thing we did against Okie State was throw the ball to open up the lanes. It just helps DJ and the offensive line if we can throw the ball efficiently, keeping defenses on their toes and exploiting their weaknesses in both ways."
Currently, K-State ranks seventh in the FBS with 252.20 rushing yards per game — a figure that ranks second in the Big 12 (UCF averages 282.40). But here's a particularly eye-opening number: K-State ranks second in the country in averaging 6.93 yards per rushing attempt — a figure that trails only Boise State at 8.18.
K-State's average rushing yards per game and average rushing yards per attempt in 2024 place this bunch among the best in school history. The K-State school record for rushing yards per game is 264.1 yards in 2002 and its record for average yards per rush of 5.27 was set in 2016. Amazingly, these Wildcats are averaging more than a full yard better right now running the ball than any team in school history.
That's partly a product of the fact that K-State has 43 carries of at least 10 yards, which ranks fifth in the country, and its eight rushing plays of 30-plus yards are tied for fourth in the country as well.
The Wildcats are achieving these desired results behind an offensive line that lost four key starters from last season (Cooper Beebe, Hayden Gillum, KT Leveston and Christian Duffie), yet Riley developed depth at all the offensive line positions, which has enabled a smooth transition. The 2024 offensive line has 98 career starts and 6,669 career offensive snaps. The leaders in those departments are on the left side in tackle Easton Kilty (42 starts, 2,607 snaps) and senior guard Hadley Panzer (31 starts, 2,027 snaps).
"Our offensive line and tight ends are doing a really good job," Klieman said. "They're an older group but a new group together, and it's taken a little bit for those guys to gel. I think they're gelling. We're blocking well on the perimeter with wide receivers. It's a collective group. To say it's one person, you can never do that. It's a collective group of people that are gaining some confidence.
"We need to continue to balanced in our offense. The only way you're balanced is by being able to do the first thing, which is rush the football."
And when K-State rushes the football, the Wildcats typically move in a hurry.
K-State has rushed 80 times for 604 yards on first-down plays. Its blistering average of 7.55 yards per rush on first down ranks second in the FBS behind only Boise State at 8.83.
"That's an interesting stat," Panzer said. "We try not to look at stats too much, but that is a source of pride we take and put upon ourselves that if we're going to run the ball, we're going to get the best play out there, and then we have to execute it. It's something to be proud of but we can always be better.
"Instead of 7.55 yards per rush on first down, let's try to get that up to 8 yards per rush on first down. There can be no complacency in it. We want to strive to be better and be great."
Colorado ranks 80th in rushing defense in allowing 156.0 rushing yards per game. The Buffaloes have given up 24 rushes of 10-plus yards and seven rushes of 20-plus yards. They came off a herculean effort in a 48-21 win over UCF in which they held the Knights to 177 rushing yards — 198.7 yards below their season rushing average.
There's a sense of pride that K-State carries toting the football. They hope it will be on display in an important game at Folsom Field on Saturday.
"You rush the ball for 200 yards, you're going to win some games doing that," Panzer said. "I always tell the running backs all the time if they get wrapped up, just keep those feet moving, because the boys are coming to push that pile."
Behind a lights-out effort by Riley, deft command by Johnson, and all-around running by one of the best backs in the nation, the Wildcats continue to churn out impressive displays and manufacture wins. It's an identity that the program has worn proudly for many years.
It's an identity that in Boulder might face its stiffest test yet in 2024.
Sitting inside his office at the Vanier Family Football Complex one blazing-hot late-August morning, Kansas State first-year offensive coordinator Conor Riley said that he had a plan in place for the Wildcats' first offensive possession of the 2024 football season.
"Getting our first first down," Riley said. "You can't get too far ahead of yourself."
So far, Riley, who has served under K-State head coach Chris Klieman all six years that they have been in Manhattan — Riley also is offensive line coach — has the Wildcats' offense right on schedule, one play at a time — and on pace to set the school record books ablaze.
For starters, K-State has scored at least 28 points in 12 of its last 13 games, its most over a 13-game stretch since also doing so 12 times over the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
Expertly utilizing sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson and leading with 6-foot-1, 212-pound junior running back DJ Giddens — he ranks seventh in the FBS in averaging 120.80 rushing yards per game — the Wildcats are racking up incredibly efficient numbers behind one of the top rushing offenses in the nation and a senior-laden, new-look offensive line that specializes in opening holes and getting the Wildcats right where they want to be, which is usually the end zone.
Consider K-State averages 432.4 total yards per game. That ranks fourth in K-State history behind 2003 (441.0), 2023 (445.2) and 1998 (478.4).
K-State also averages 6.91 yards per play. That ranks first in K-State history and ahead of that dominant 1998 offense (6.47), which is commonly referred to as the best overall offense ever in Manhattan.
"The offense could be very potent because there are some great players and great leaders on this team," Riley projected in the summer. "There's a lot of skill. What we could be and what we will be could potentially be two different things, so it's going to come back to the work that we put into it. The roles that guys can ultimately play within their position and ultimately how well they can execute. There's a lot of skill on this football team. It's going to come down to how well we execute, and if we can do that, yeah, this offense can be extremely potent."
While the season and career exploits of Giddens became the buzz — and rightfully so — during the bye week as No. 18 K-State, 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12 Conference, prepares to face Colorado, 4-1 and 2-0, in Saturday's 9:25 p.m. kickoff in Boulder, Colorado, attention, too, should be shared with the entire offense, which also helps to make the train go.
Currently, Giddens has 2,348 career rushing yards to rank ninth in school history, needing 138 rushing yards to pass Collin Klein for eighth and 471 to pass Ell Roberson for fifth place. Giddens is on pace to hit 3,193 career rushing yards, which would put him at No. 3 all-time in K-State history behind only Deuce Vaughn (3,604) and Darren Sproles (4,979).
Klieman in his weekly news conference this week left no doubt about the Wildcats identity this season.
"Our identity is 31 right now, and as he goes, it opens up everything else," Klieman said. "That's why Avery has been more successful throwing the football because we've been able to rush the football. It opens up everything if you can run the football."
Johnson was the top dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2023, and during his sophomore season at K-State he is currently one of only three Power 4 signal callers and the only Big 12 player with at least 800 rushing yards and 300 passing yards.
He comes off a career performance by throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for two more in a 42-20 win over then-No. 20 Oklahoma State on September 28, earning multiple national weekly honors for his efforts.
"We want to continue to be effective running the ball as the season goes on," said Johnson, who along with Giddens averages 7.3 yards per carry. "A lot of times, people can get lost in what DJ and Dylan Edwards are doing in opening up holes for me to run to be effective in the run game as well. We have to continue to be able to throw the ball because the best thing we did against Okie State was throw the ball to open up the lanes. It just helps DJ and the offensive line if we can throw the ball efficiently, keeping defenses on their toes and exploiting their weaknesses in both ways."
Currently, K-State ranks seventh in the FBS with 252.20 rushing yards per game — a figure that ranks second in the Big 12 (UCF averages 282.40). But here's a particularly eye-opening number: K-State ranks second in the country in averaging 6.93 yards per rushing attempt — a figure that trails only Boise State at 8.18.
K-State's average rushing yards per game and average rushing yards per attempt in 2024 place this bunch among the best in school history. The K-State school record for rushing yards per game is 264.1 yards in 2002 and its record for average yards per rush of 5.27 was set in 2016. Amazingly, these Wildcats are averaging more than a full yard better right now running the ball than any team in school history.
That's partly a product of the fact that K-State has 43 carries of at least 10 yards, which ranks fifth in the country, and its eight rushing plays of 30-plus yards are tied for fourth in the country as well.
The Wildcats are achieving these desired results behind an offensive line that lost four key starters from last season (Cooper Beebe, Hayden Gillum, KT Leveston and Christian Duffie), yet Riley developed depth at all the offensive line positions, which has enabled a smooth transition. The 2024 offensive line has 98 career starts and 6,669 career offensive snaps. The leaders in those departments are on the left side in tackle Easton Kilty (42 starts, 2,607 snaps) and senior guard Hadley Panzer (31 starts, 2,027 snaps).
"Our offensive line and tight ends are doing a really good job," Klieman said. "They're an older group but a new group together, and it's taken a little bit for those guys to gel. I think they're gelling. We're blocking well on the perimeter with wide receivers. It's a collective group. To say it's one person, you can never do that. It's a collective group of people that are gaining some confidence.
"We need to continue to balanced in our offense. The only way you're balanced is by being able to do the first thing, which is rush the football."
And when K-State rushes the football, the Wildcats typically move in a hurry.
K-State has rushed 80 times for 604 yards on first-down plays. Its blistering average of 7.55 yards per rush on first down ranks second in the FBS behind only Boise State at 8.83.
"That's an interesting stat," Panzer said. "We try not to look at stats too much, but that is a source of pride we take and put upon ourselves that if we're going to run the ball, we're going to get the best play out there, and then we have to execute it. It's something to be proud of but we can always be better.
"Instead of 7.55 yards per rush on first down, let's try to get that up to 8 yards per rush on first down. There can be no complacency in it. We want to strive to be better and be great."
Colorado ranks 80th in rushing defense in allowing 156.0 rushing yards per game. The Buffaloes have given up 24 rushes of 10-plus yards and seven rushes of 20-plus yards. They came off a herculean effort in a 48-21 win over UCF in which they held the Knights to 177 rushing yards — 198.7 yards below their season rushing average.
There's a sense of pride that K-State carries toting the football. They hope it will be on display in an important game at Folsom Field on Saturday.
"You rush the ball for 200 yards, you're going to win some games doing that," Panzer said. "I always tell the running backs all the time if they get wrapped up, just keep those feet moving, because the boys are coming to push that pile."
Behind a lights-out effort by Riley, deft command by Johnson, and all-around running by one of the best backs in the nation, the Wildcats continue to churn out impressive displays and manufacture wins. It's an identity that the program has worn proudly for many years.
It's an identity that in Boulder might face its stiffest test yet in 2024.
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