Avery Johnson threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, helping Collin Klein make a successful debut as head coach at his alma mater in Kansas State’s 71-3 victory against visiting Nicholls on Saturday night.
Brandon White scored on a long punt return, Rodney Fields Jr. rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown, and Joe Jackson found the end zone twice for Kansas State (1-0), which piled up its most points since a team-record 76 against Ball State in 2000.
The Wildcats scored the first 29 points and led 36-3 at halftime. They limited Nicholls (1-1) to 15 total yards and zero first downs on 15 plays in the Colonels first five possessions.
Klein was a Heisman Trophy finalist for Kansas State in 2012, when the legendary Bill Snyder coached the Wildcats. Today, Snyder’s name is on the home stadium and Klein, after a two-year stint as offensive coordinator, is calling all of the shots in Manhattan.
Kansas State drove 77 yards in six plays on its opening possession, with Johnson zipping a seven-yard pass up the middle to Jaron Tibbs in the end zone.
Johnson scored on a bootleg from 10 yards on K-State’s second drive, and tight end Linkon Cure took a handoff for the two-point conversion and a 15-0 lead.
Nicholls forced a punt, but after the Colonels’ Pharrell Harewood punted for 50 yards, White impressively returned it 65 yards for another touchdown with 29 seconds left in the first quarter.
White caught the ball outside of the hashmarks on the far side of the field, and finished his run on the near side after keeping his balance on a missed tackle near the Colonels’ 15.
Kingston Phan converted a 32-yard field-goal attempt, finishing off a 60-yard drive, to get Nicholls on the board with 5:48 to go in the half.
Johnson finished 15 of 21 for 199 yards through the air, mostly over two quarters.
The Wildcats led 57-3 heading to the fourth.
Nicholls, a Southland Conference team, avoided a team record for points allowed, which came in a 72-0 loss to Air Force in 2009.
