MANHATTAN, Kan. (Interstat) — Avery Johnson ran for two touchdowns and piled up 152 rushing yards as Kansas State beat visiting Tulane 31-20 in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The Wildcats remained unbeaten at 3-0, while the Green Wave dropped to 1-2. Kansas State controlled the second half and answered Tulane’s early score with a steady combination of Johnson’s running and a defense that limited the Green Wave’s most productive drives.

Johnson, a quarterback from Wichita, Kan., completed 21 of 28 passes for 227 yards and rushed 12 times for 152 yards and two scores. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound quarterback repeatedly hurt Tulane on designed runs, including a 7-yard touchdown in the second quarter and a 12-yard scoring run in the fourth. Johnson’s 152 rushing yards led all rushers, and his two rushing touchdowns matched Jay Harris for the team lead. Jaron Tibbs was Johnson’s top target, catching nine passes for 114 yards. Will Anciaux added three receptions for 59 yards, Garrett Oakley had four catches for 27 yards, and Linkon Cure finished with three receptions for 23 yards. Jay Harris scored twice on short runs, carrying two times for 2 yards and two touchdowns. Joe Jackson ran nine times for 24 yards, Rodney Fields Jr. had 10 carries for 18 yards and one catch, and Brandon White contributed an 11-yard run, a 4-yard reception and a punt return.

Tulane quarterback Kadin Semonza completed 13 of 26 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown, and he also scored on the ground. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound quarterback from Mission Viejo, Calif., opened the scoring with a 9-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He later connected with Maurice Turner on a 25-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Johnnie Daniels led the Green Wave rushing attack with 10 carries for 59 yards. Jaylin Lucas caught three passes for 5 yards, Oliver Mitchell Jr. had one reception for 41 yards, Bredell Richardson caught three passes for 40 yards, Anthony Brown-Stephens had one catch for 22 yards, Dawson Johnson added an 11-yard reception, Cash Semonza had a 9-yard catch, and Vance Bolyard recorded a 6-yard reception. DJ Dugar carried twice for 1 yard.

Defensively, Tulane’s Kevin Adams III made eight tackles, Dickson Agu added six, and Anthony Rogers finished with five. Makai Williams recorded three tackles. TJ Smith returned two kickoffs for 42 yards and made four tackles. Joshua Moore, Dorion Jackson, E’zaiah Shine and Jack Tchienchou each recorded three tackles. Kameron Hamilton, Warren Roberts Jr. and Kajuan Banks finished with two tackles apiece. Ed Smith IV, Jean Claude Joseph III, Macho Stevenson, Armani Cargo, LJ Green, Geordan Guidry and Jordyn Crites each had one tackle. William Hudlow punted five times for 203 yards.

Kansas State’s defense produced pressure throughout the game. Wendell Gregory recorded four tackles, half a sack and two quarterback hurries. Wesley Fair made eight tackles and returned one kickoff for 2 yards. Koy Beasley and Rex Van Wyhe each had five tackles. Mekhi Mason posted four tackles and one sack, Gabe Powers added four tackles, and Jayden Bryant finished with four tackles, two sacks and one quarterback hurry. Darien Whitaker Jr. had three tackles and 1.5 sacks. Kansas State’s defensive front finished with multiple sacks and hurries, disrupting Tulane’s passing rhythm in the second half.

Tulane struck first when Semonza sprinted right for a 9-yard touchdown with 7:55 remaining in the first quarter, and Jackson Courville’s extra point made it 7-0. Tulane led after the opening quarter. Kansas State answered in the second quarter. Luis Rodriguez hit a 23-yard field goal with 11:27 left before halftime. Jay Harris then scored on a 1-yard run with 5:14 remaining, and Johnson followed with a 7-yard touchdown run at the 2:38 mark. Tulane’s Cooper Helmke closed the first half with a 58-yard field goal with 17 seconds left, cutting the Kansas State lead to 17-10 at halftime.

The Wildcats extended their lead in the third quarter when Jay Harris scored on a 1-yard run with 6:45 remaining. Helmke answered for Tulane with a 53-yard field goal at the 1:22 mark. Johnson’s second rushing touchdown, a 12-yard run with 9:06 left in the fourth quarter, pushed Kansas State’s advantage to 31-13. Semonza found Maurice Turner for a 25-yard touchdown with 2:48 remaining, and Courville’s kick capped the scoring at 31-20. Kansas State then held on for the final margin.

Kansas State’s previous results this season included a 34-7 home win over Washington State on Sept. 12 and a 71-3 home victory over Nicholls State on Sept. 5. Tulane opened with a 17-3 loss at Duke on Sept. 5 before beating South Alabama 28-24 at home on Sept. 12. The Green Wave will host Southern Mississippi on Sept. 26, visit Army on Oct. 10, host Memphis on Oct. 16, host Texas-San Antonio on Oct. 24, visit Charlotte on Oct. 30, host Tulsa on Nov. 7, visit Rice on Nov. 14, host North Texas on Nov. 21 and visit South Florida on Nov. 27. Kansas State will visit Cincinnati on Sept. 26, host Houston on Oct. 10, host Kansas on Oct. 17, visit Arizona State on Oct. 24, visit Colorado on Oct. 31, host Oklahoma State on Nov. 7, visit Texas Christian on Nov. 14, host Arizona on Nov. 21 and visit Iowa State on Nov. 28.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Kansas State 34, Tulane 23. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Kansas State with a 74.3 percent probability to win. Tulane had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +20.5. The total score of 51 went under the over/under line of 49.5.