It’s bowl season across college football and the schedule starts picking up after Christmas. On Thursday, the Rate Bowl took place between Kansas State and Rutgers. The Wildcats were in the game for the first time since 2017 when they beat UCLA 35-17. Rutgers was in the Rate Bowl for the first time since 2005, when they lost to Arizona State 45-40.
K-State had hopes of a Big 12 Championship, but lost three of four down the stretch to finish the regular season with an 8-4 record. Meantime, Rutgers won three of their last four games to finish 7-5 on the season in the Big 10.
The two teams met for the first time since 2006, a game that Rutgers won 37-10. Here are the top three takeaways from the 2024 Rate Bowl, won by K-State 44-41.
K-State’s Comeback
Kansas State was down 17 points in the second half after Rutgers took a 34-17 lead after their first drive in the third quarter that saw them go 64 yards on 10 plays. It looked like it was going to be the Scarlet Knights’ night in the desert.
But then, K-State turned things around on both sides of the ball and closed out the game on a 27-7 run over Rutgers for a 44-41 victory.
Kansas State scored touchdowns on four of their final five drives of the night. Their last drive came after forcing Rutgers into a three-and-out, and then in just three plays, the Wildcats went 60 yards in 1:13, after Avery Johnson connected with Joe Jackson for a 25-yard pick up, and then it was Dylan Edwards ripping off a 36-yard touchdown run, which put K-State up for good.
It gave Kansas State their biggest comeback win since September of 2020 against Oklahoma, and their 4th win of the season in which they trailed in the fourth quarter, which is tied for most in the country.
Kansas State caps off the season with a 9-4 record, which is a much better feeling in the locker room, and for the fan base, than had the team finished 8-5 and losing four of five to end the season.
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Kansas State’s Rushing Attack is Bright for 2025
There was also plenty made around how K-State would look without DJ Giddens leading the way in the backfield. Well, as we start looking ahead to 2025, the answer looks like it will be “just fine”.
As expected, Dylan Edwards will likely be RB1 next season, alongside his lifelong friend Avery Johnson. But it won’t just be Edwards, Joe Jackson is also poised to grow his role and become a household name, at least in Manhattan.
Edwards was the Player of the Game after setting a Kansas State bowl record with 196 rushing yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns. Edwards also had two catches for 27 yards and one receiving touchdown.
Joe Jackson was also productive with seven carries for 50 yards, and had three receptions for 37 yards with one receiving score. Avery Johnson added 11 carries for 57 yards and one score.
The Wildcats racked up 351 rushing yards on 40 carries for a ridiculous 8.8 yards per carry. It looks like the future will be bright on the ground for the Cats in 2024.
Kyle Monangai… Who?
Much of the conversation heading into the game was surrounding how Kyle Monangai would be opting out of the game for the Scarlet Knights. Monangai is coming off of back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons at Rutgers, with 1,262 yards as a junior in 2023 and 1,279 yards as a senior this fall. He led the Big Ten in rushing this season, while adding 14 total touchdowns on five yards per carry.
But enter Antwan Raymond. Raymond rushed for 344 yards on 82 carries this season. But in the first half of the game vs. K-State, he had eight rushes for 104 yards and two touchdowns. And in the second half, after K-State scored 12 unanswered points to cut it to a 34-29 lead, Raymond capped off a five-play, 18-yard drive with his third touchdown of the game to put Rutgers back on top by two scores, 41-29 early in the fourth quarter.
While Raymond finished with 113 yards one 18 carries, K-State was able to bottle him up for just nine yards in the second half.
Kansas State’s rushing defense locked Rutgers down in the second half which helped lead to the Wildcats erasing a 17-point halftime lead and pull out the 44-41 win.
