MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Avery Johnson threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Joe Jackson with 42 seconds left and No. 17 Kansas State escaped with a 38-35 victory over FCS opponent North Dakota on Saturday night.

Kansas State avoided becoming the first ranked team to lose two games in August in the history of the poll, and also dodged its first 0-2 start since coaching great Bill Snyder’s first season in 1989. The Wildcats opened last week with a 24-21 loss to Iowa State in Dublin.

North Dakota — playing its its first game under coach Eric Schmidt — missed a chance to become the seventh FCS (formerly I-AA) team to knock off a school in the AP Top 25. Montana was the last to accomplish the feat, beating then-No. 20 Washington 13-7 in 2021.

K-State blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, wit

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