MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Kansas State's Avery Johnson had a feeling several months ago that running back DJ Giddens was going to regularly wear down opponents.
Giddens has proven his quarterback right. The junior has two straight games of at least 182 rushing yards and is fourth in the nation with 786 yards.
A year ago, Giddens rushed for 1,226 yards and scored 10 touchdowns but only garnered honorable mention honors on the all-Big 12 team behind a bevy of solid running backs. Giddens averaged 83 yards through nine games, then finished with four straight 100-yard efforts to give him the third-best sophomore season in school history behind only Darren Sproles and Deuce Vaughn.
Giddens hasn't slowed down in 2024 and is in a race with Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo, Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks and UCF's RJ Harvey for the Big 12 rushing title.
“I tried to warn everybody before the season started. I told you he’s a different animal,” Johnson said. “He’s doing it week in and week out. The guy’s special, man.”
Thanks to Giddens, No. 17 Kansas State (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) is eighth in the Bowl Subdivision with 241 rushing yards per game, an average of 6.4 yards per carry. The Wildcats can earn their best start to a season in 10 years with a victory on the road Saturday night against West Virginia.
The Mountaineers (3-3, 2-1) have lost twice at home this season and have dropped eight straight to ranked opponents, including three such matchups this season.
Johnson and the Mountaineers' Garrett Greene are two of the Big 12's top dual-threat quarterbacks, who will have the opportunity to throw the ball this week against some susceptible secondaries.
Greene's 382 rushing yards are first among the league's quarterbacks but he doesn't hesitate to throw the ball downfield. Kansas State is holding opponents to a league-low 72 yards on the ground per game and allows an average of 268 passing yards, second worst in the league.
Kansas State coach Chris Klieman has been impressed with Greene since his first career start against the Wildcats in 2022 when he had three TD passes and ran for a fourth score in a 48-31 loss.
“Greene’s one of my favorite kids to watch play. He’s a competitor," Klieman said. "You can tell his energy sparks their team.”
Johnson had two TD passes and a scoring run last week against Colorado and will go up against a West Virginia defense that has allowed 12 TD passes, most in the Big 12.
West Virginia coach Neal Brown said he believes center Brandon Yates is healing from a hand injury that caused problems snapping the ball against Iowa State last week. Brown said the injury contributed to 11 high snaps, many leading to timing issues with handoffs and running backs getting tackled behind the line of scrimmage.
Brown said Yates has "got to get it fixed, and we believe he will.”
Lost somewhat in the focus on two run-first teams is the pass catching of Kansas State's Jayce Brown. He had six receptions for 121 yards and two scores against Colorado, including a 50-yard TD catch with 2:14 remaining to give the Wildcats a 31-28 win.
“I feel like I've been dreaming about this since I started playing football,” Brown said. “I feel like I was ready for the moment.”
Brown leads the Wildcats with 23 catches for 398 yards. Klieman said he's impressed with the sophomore's “confidence in which he’s been playing and how fast he’s been playing.”
Linebacker Ty French transferred to West Virginia this season after compiling a school-record 34.5 sacks over three seasons at FCS Gardner-Webb. He's still working on getting his first for the Mountaineers.
While he's still getting adjusted to the bigger size and better techniques of opposing offensive linemen, French's greatest challenge might be keeping up with his daughter, who turned 1 in April.
"She's gets into everything.” French said.
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FILE -Kansas State running back DJ Giddens runs the ball during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma State, Sept. 28, 2024, in Manhattan, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — As Argentine authorities investigated the death of ex- One Direction singer Liam Payne, who grappled with the pressures of global stardom while still a teenager, prosecutors on Thursday described the circumstances surrounding his three-story fall as suspicious, given possible drug involvement.
Fans and media swarmed the Casa Sur Hotel in the chic Palermo neighborhood of Argentina’s capital as forensic experts collected evidence a day after Payne, 31, was found dead in the hotel courtyard after plunging from his room on the third floor.
The Buenos Aires police said they found Payne’s hotel room “in complete disarray” with “various items broken.” They found packs of clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, and energy supplements and other over-the-counter drugs strewn among his belongings. Forensics teams reported that a whiskey bottle, lighter and cellphone were retrieved from the internal courtyard where Payne’s body was found.
The Argentine public prosecutor’s office said that the autopsy showed internal bleeding and 25 traumatic injuries all over Payne's body, including to his skull, limbs and abdomen, consistent with the fall. It said those injuries alone were enough to cause Payne's death.
There were no signs of a third party being involved, it said, but described Payne's case as “suspicious," citing the likelihood that the star had been taking alcohol and drugs.
The lack of defensive injuries on Payne’s hands indicated that “he did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and that he could have fallen into a state of semi- or total unconsciousness,” the public prosecutor said.
Evidence collected from the scene, the statement added, suggested Payne “was going through some kind of substance abuse episode." It said all signs pointed to Payne being alone at the time of the incident.
Medical examiners listed Payne's cause of death as “multiple trauma” and “internal and external bleeding,” and requested toxicology tests. Authorities said they took statements from three hotel employees and two women who had visited Payne in his hotel room hours before his fall in an effort to reconstruct Payne's final moments. The two women had left the hotel by the time of the incident, the prosecution said.
Fans, foreign and local, were still filtering through the cordoned-off street outside Payne's hotel on Thursday. Several girls, their cheeks tear-stained, paused to sit in trance-like silence before a makeshift memorial of candles, colorful flowers and handmade One Direction signs spilling prolifically onto the street.
Tributes also poured in from music industry figures and fellow musicians.
On Wednesday, police had said Payne “had jumped from the balcony of his room,” without elaborating on how they came to that conclusion or whether the jump was intentional. Police said they had rushed to the hotel in response to an emergency call just after 5 p.m. local time Wednesday that had warned of an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
A hotel manager can be heard on a 911 call recording obtained by The Associated Press saying the hotel has “a guest who is overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol. ... He’s destroying the entire room and, well, we need you to send someone, please.”
Payne was known as the tousle-headed, sensible one of the quintet that went from a TV talent show to a pop phenomenon with a huge international following of swooning fans. In recent years, he had acknowledged struggling with alcoholism, saying in a YouTube video posted in July 2023 that he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment.
“We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,” his family said in a statement through Payne's representative. “We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”
Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who performed with One Direction in 2014, said he was “shocked and saddened.” The Backstreet Boys said in a social media post that their hearts go out to “Directioners around the world.”
With his rapid ascent to global fame, Payne had said that it took some time to adjust to life in the public eye.
“I don’t think you can ever deal with that. It's all a bit crazy for us to see that people get in that sort of state of mind about us and what we do,” he said in a 2013 interview with the AP, recounting an experience where a fan was in a state of shock upon meeting him.
One Direction announced an indefinite “hiatus” in 2016, and Payne — like each of his erstwhile bandmates — pursued a solo career, shifting toward EDM and hip-hop.
While Styles became a huge solo star, the others had more modest success. Payne's 2017 single “Strip That Down,” featuring Quavo, reached the Billboard Top 10, and stayed on the charts for several months. He put out an album “LP1” in 2019, and his last release — a single called “Teardrops” — was released in March.
In 2020, to mark the 10th anniversary of One Direction, Payne shared a screenshot of a text message he sent to his father on the day he joined the group, which read: “I’m in a boyband.”
“What a journey … I had no idea what we were in for when I sent this text to my dad years ago at this exact time the band was formed,” he wrote.
Huamani reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists Natacha Pisarenko and Almudena Calatrava contributed reporting from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A forensic investigator exits the hotel where English musician Liam Payne, a former member of the band One Direction, was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A fan of former One Direction singer Liam Payne cries next to a memorial created by fans outside the hotel where he was found dead after falling from a balcony the previous day in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
FILE - One Direction's Liam Payne, from left, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles pose backstage at the Capital FM Summertime Ball held at Wembley Stadium, in London, on June 6, 2015. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP, File)
People gather outside the hotel where former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after he fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
FILE - Liam Payne performs onstage during day one of Capital's Jingle Bell Ball with Coca-Cola at London's O2 Arena, on Dec. 8, 2018. (Ian West/PA via AP, File)
FILE - Liam Payne of One Direction performs during the Honda Civic Tour at Qualcomm Stadium on Thursday, July 9, 2015, in San Diego, Calif. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File)
Police cordon off a hotel where English musician Liam Payne, a former member of the band One Direction, was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
FILE - One Direction's Niall Horan, from left, Harry Styles , Simon Cowell, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne present the Music Industry Trust Award to Simon Cowell at the Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS) in aid of charities Nordon Robbins and Brit Trust at the Grosvenor House Hotel, in London, Nov. 2, 2015. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP)
Fans of former One Direction singer Liam create a memorial outside the hotel where he was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
FILE - One Direction's Zayn Malik, from left, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles pictured during an interview on Capital Breakfast with Dave Berry and Lisa Snowdon, in their studios in Leicester Square, in London, on Friday, Oct. 5, 2012. (Yui Mok/PA via AP, File)
Fans of former One Direction singer Liam Payne gather outside the hotel where he was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
An ambulance carrying the body former One Direction singer Liam Payne leaves the hotel where he was found dead after he fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A fan of former One Direction singer Liam places a photo of him on a tree outside the hotel where he was found dead after falling from a balcony the previous day in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Fans sing in honor of former One Direction singer Liam Payne outside the hotel where he was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A fan stands in front of a makeshift memorial outside the hotel where former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the morning after his death, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Photos of former One Direction singer Liam Payne, along with flowers and messages from fans, are attached to a tree outside the hotel where he was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the morning after the incident, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Photos of former One Direction singer Liam Payne and messages from fans are taped to a tree outside the hotel where he was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the morning after the incident, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
FILE - Liam Payne performs during the first day of BBC Radio 1's Biggest Weekend at Singleton Park, in Swansea, Wales, May 26, 2018. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP, File)
Forensic investigators exit the hotel where former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after he fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
FILE - One Direction members, from right, Liam Payne and Harry Styles perform on ABC's "Good Morning America" at Rumsey Playfield/SummerStage on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
Fans light candles outside the hotel where former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after he fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Fans light candles outside the hotel where former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after he fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Police restrain fans gathering outside the hotel where former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after he fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
FILE - One Direction members, from left, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Liam Payne perform on NBC's "Today" show, Nov. 13, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
People embrace outside the hotel where former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after he fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Fans light candles outside the hotel where former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after he fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Fans light candles outside the hotel where former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after he fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
