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December 28th 2023 Orlando Florida USA Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson two runs the ball against North Carolina state in the fourth quarter at Camping World Stadium mandatory credit Jeremy Reaper USA Today sports Jeremy Reaper USA Today sports Kansas state has its first test of the Season as it travels to T Lane to take on the Green Wave on Saturday two Lane's first first year head coach John samal made a surprising announcement ahead of the team's opener opting to start red shirt freshman Devon menar over veteran Kai Horton and transfer Tai Thompson mesna looked solid in the team's opening week win but now faces a power for opponent in Kansas State who will look to Showcase its new quarterback Avery Johnson the team's highly touted Prospect which Young quarterback will impress here's how we're betting this intriguing non-conference matchup Avery Johnson there was little issue for the wild cats in the team's opening game beating Tennessee Martin 41-6 but there are still questions about Johnson as a passer he completed 14 of 21 passes for 153 yds with two touchdowns and an interceptions while rushing three times for 37 yards Johnson made less than 40 pass attempts last season while relieving will how hard at times so he's a bit unproven as a passer but can he use his legs to open up the passing game Devin Mensa Mena surprisingly won the job in Fall camp and showed why in the team's 52 to0 win over Southeastern lisiana he completed 10 of 12 passes for 205 yards with two touchdowns can he show out against a far more difficult opponent there are plenty of questions on both sides that makes me lean toward towards the near double digit home Underdog let's discuss the Kansas State side first the wild cats are facing a ton of turnover along the roster and on the coaching staff and we haven't seen Johnson put together a regular season game that features him passing the ball a ton while he is the highest rated recruit in kstate history he is a supreme athlete but may not be a gifted passer in a small sample size Johnson has made four big time throws to four turn overw worthy plays in 66 pass attempts per Pro Football Focus this is a two-lane defense that should be among the best in the group of five under former Troy head coach samal this may be a SLO on offense for a Kansas State team that is also replacing NFL draft pick coopa BB on the offensive line K State's defense should remain solid which can pose issues for menar who is still a relatively green Prospect and the offense can be more tamed against a power for opponent I believe we see a clunky start for both quarterbacks given the circumstances with it being an early season and each team preferring to keep it on the ground while trying to play some ball control Kansas State's offense is being overrated in this matchup with the expectation being that it will win by more than a touchdown on the road as I believe tane can turn this into a rock fight