Three Takeaways From Kansas State's Collin Klein First Sunflower Showdown Victory

Kansas State Wildcats coach Collin Klein finally has his first victory in the Sunflower Showdown. 

The Wildcats defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 35-24 Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. It extended their winning streak to 18 games for K-State in the series. It also stopped a two-game losing skid for the Wildcats, who were coming off losses to the Cincinnati Bearcats and Houston Cougars. 

Let's take a look at the three key takeaways from the win: 

Quarterback Avery Johnson hits his groove 

This was easily Johnson's best game of the season, maybe in the last two. Not only was he effective in the passing game, he was also strong as a runner. This was classic Johnson as a dual threat quarterback. 

He completed 14 of 24 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown. He also had 132 yards rushing on 12 carries. This is when the Wildcats are at their best, when Johnson can impact the game with his arm and feet. Hopefully, this helps him build even more confidence. He's going to need it because the schedule only gets tougher. There are teams far more talented than the Jayhawks the rest of the way. 

Welcome back to the offense Joe Jackson, Wildcats running game 

The Wildcats sputtered in the run game in the losses to the Bearcats and Cougars. Remember that hot start by Rodney Fields and the rest of the running backs during the non-conference portion of the schedule? It was a thing of the past until Saturday, thanks to Joe Jackson. 

Jackson has dealt with somewhat of a benching this season but answered the call against the Jayhawks. He finished with 27 carriers for 159 yards and a touchdown. Every bit of his yardage was needed to help hold off the Jayhawks. 

The performance raises one question: does Klein go with Jackson full-time next week or stick with Fields, who has been mostly ineffective in conference play. 

Was this the nail in the coffin for Kansas coach Lance Leipold? 

The Wildcats made enough mistakes for the Jayhawks to steal a victory but they were unable to do so at their doing. After the game, many KU Fans were fed up with what they were seeing from Leipold. This was his best chance to end the streak against the Wildcats and perhaps give him a little more job security. After six seasons, his time in Lawrence may be coming to an end. 

Up Next: At the Arizona State Sun Devils.