POP-TARTS BOWL: KANSAS STATE VS NC STATE

December 28, 2023

Avery Johnson

Camping World Stadium

Kansas State Wildcats

Press Conference

Kansas State Wildcats 28, NC State Wolfpack 19

Q. Avery, 15 plays on that last drive to score a touchdown. What's the mindset going into that drive and finishing it off with the touchdown?

AVERY JOHNSON: Yeah, we knew we needed to finish the drive strong and put the game away, and just credit to those guys up front. Fifteen plays is not easy, and they dominated. We pushed the ball down the field and ultimately got in the end zone, so credit to my teammates.

Q. As a true freshman, how did your confidence progress in that game passing and running the ball?

AVERY JOHNSON: I just try to carry myself with confidence throughout everything that I do, and credit to my dad always for just making sure I am confident in myself. When you have teammates and coaches and players, like you know players around you that are confident in your ability, it just ultimately makes my job easier.

So credit to them once again just making my job easy today.

Q. This time last year, you were a high school kid and now you're 19 years old and our a Bowl game MVP. What's this last year been like?

AVERY JOHNSON: It has been a lot of ups and downs and a lot of learning. When you come into college, you do not really know what to expect. I am so happy I chose Kansas State. 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 and it really is a family. It is not like that at other places, and I am a hundred percent sure of that.

Whenever you have people that care about you in the facilities, in the locker room, it just really makes going out and putting your head down and working easier.

Q. You really impressed on the scramble drill plays, particularly that touchdown near the end of the first half. On those specific plays, what are you looking for and do you sort of have a clock in your head of when it's time to throw the ball away or when it's time to try and make a play?

AVERY JOHNSON: Yeah, really just kind of goes -- kind of weird. Pre-snap when you get the coverage and I go through my read and I do not like necessarily what we have, then I kind of get flushed out of the pocket and, ultimately, I just try to keep my eyes down the field and see if maybe somebody pops open. If somebody does, great hit them. If not, tuck it down and run.

At the end of the day, if there is nothing available, you have to throw the ball away. I just tried to be smart with the football today and tried not to turn it over. At the same time, just cut it loose and play a little bit, because you can not play conservative with the football.

Q. I don't think you touched a back.

AVERY JOHNSON: I mean, those guys have been doing it together for a long time. All the credit goes to them tonight for keeping me off the ground and allowing me to sit in a clean pocket and deliver footballs. Some of that stuff is really underrated, just being able to have a clean pocket makes my job a hundred times easier.

Being able to send some of those guys off tonight with a victory and propel ourselves into the 2024 season was just a great way to finish out our season.

Q. On the final drive, you went for it on fourth down instead of kicking the field goal. How much confidence does that show from the coaching staff?

AVERY JOHNSON: Yeah, Coach Klieman came out and grabbed me and the offensive line and said, we are finishing the game on offense. Credit to Coach Riley, credit to all those guys for believing in me and giving me the ball to go convert on that fourth.

At the end of the day, the offensive line opened up the hole and that is just for me to go get the first down at that point.

Q. What was it like playing today with Conor Riley call plays instead of the guy you had more experience with?

AVERY JOHNSON: It was a lot of fun. For it to be my first start and his first game as an OC [offensive coordinator], we both had ups and downs. I am looking forward to growing with him and building with him and just you see he really cares about this team. He had fire to himself throughout practice, throughout this whole Bowl week, throughout the whole time we were down in Orlando.

He is really thankful to be in this position. I am really just happy to be able to throughout this whole week just build a deeper relationship with him because he really does care about his players and at the end of the day he want to win just as badly as the rest of us, so credit to him.

Q. Can you take us through that final touchdown to Jason? Obviously we know that you're super close with him, and just how cool was it to be able to have that moment with him on this kind of stage?

AVERY JOHNSON: Yeah, we are roommates back home, came in together. Roommates down here in Orlando. Shows the chemistry and the connection that we have, so just being able to trust him. Putting the ball in a place for him to go up and make a play. Just being able to trust that he is going to come down with it and make a play.

That is just him coming to grab me after practice, me grabbing him after practice and getting in a few extra throws.

He is a big-time play maker and he is going to be somebody to watch in the near future. Shout-out, Jas.