It was an up-and-down season for Johnson as he took over for Will Howard as the team’s starting quarterback. He led the Wildcats to nine victories, including feel-good wins over Kansas, Colorado and Rutgers. But he also melted down and threw too many interceptions in losses to BYU, Houston and Arizona State.

The Scarlet Knights suffered a crushing 44-41 loss to Kansas State at the Rate Bowl on Thursday, blowing a 17-point second-half lead to the Wildcats and falling in another shootout at Chase Field during their second trip to this bowl game.