2024-09-08 06:40:02
Kansas State football was in deep trouble at halftime, trailing Tulane by 10 points on the road, but somehow managed to escape Saturday with a 34-27 victory over the Green Wave at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans.
The K-State victory avenged a 17-10 loss to Tulane two years ago in Manhattan.
The Wildcats forced their first two turnovers of the season in the fourth quarter and they could not have been bigger, producing the winning touchdown and then saving the game with less than five seconds left.
With Tulane threatening in the red zone early in the fourth period, Austin Romaine sacked quarterback Darian Mensah for 15 yards, and Jack Fabris scooped it up, sprinting 60 yards for the touchdown with 11:10 left. That gave the Wildcats their first lead since 3-0 in the first quarter.
Tulane appeared to tie the game with 12 seconds left when Mensah hit Yulkeith Brown for a 1-yard touchdown, but an offensive interference call set the Green Wave back to the K-State 16. On second down, VJ Payne intercepted the ball in the end zone, and the Wildcats ran out the clock.
For K-State, Avery Johnson came back from a slow start to complete 15 of 23 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns, while DJ Giddens rushed for 118 yards. The Wildcats finished with 369 total yards to 491 for Tulane.
Mensah had a huge game with 342 yards passing and two touchdowns, and Makhi Hughes ran for 131.
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Tulane had a potential tying touchdown called back on an offensive interference call, and with 5 seconds left, VJ Payne gets the interception to seal it for K-State. Wildcats lead 34-27.
The turnover that gave K-State the lead was the first one forced by the Wildcats this season.
With Tulane knocking on the door in the red zone, Austin Romaine strip sacks Darian Mensah and Jack Fabris scoops and scores from 60 yards.
Huge play for the Wildcats, who take their first lead since 3-0, going up 37-27 with 8:13 left.
K-State comes right back to tied the game on a 13-yard Dylan Edwards run, capping a six-play, 75-yard drive to tie it at 27-27 with 11:20 left. Avery Johnson started the drive with a 33-yard completion to Keagan Johnson, and DJ Giddens had three carries for 18 yards.
Tulane answered K-State’s tying touchdown with one of its own, driving 56 yards in six plays as Darian Mensah hit tight end Alex Bauman for 13 yards with 14:01 left.
The Green Wave is back up, 27-20.
We come to the end of the third quarter tied at 20-20, but Tulane is threatening in the K-State red zone.
Kansas State converts on fourth down with a 45-yard strike to DJ Giddens down the right sideline and we’re tied.
The play completed a five-play, 66-yard drive and took 2:50 off the clock. It’s tied at 20-20 with 2:26 left in the third quarter.
K-State’s defense 2-for-2 in the second half to force a Tulane punt. Austin Romaine had a sack for the Wildcats, and a holding penalty on first down set Tulane back.
Wildcats have the ball at their 33-yard line with 5:16 left in the third.
After neither offense did anything on its first possession, K-State drives inside the Tulane 10-yard line before settling for a 28-yard Chris Tennant field goal. It’s now a one-possession game as Tulane’s lead is trimmed to 20-13 with 7:49 left in the third.
The drive went 65 yards in seven plays and took 3:28 off the clock. Dylan Edwards had a 27-yard run to highlight the drive.
Kansas State got the ball first to open the second half and went three-and-out, but so did Tulane on its first possession, and the Wildcats take over at their 25.
K-State tries a 53-yard field goal as time runs out in the second half, but Chris Tennant’s kick into a stiff wind falls short as Tulate takes a 20-10 lead to intermission.
A dominating first half for Tulane, with 291 yards total offense as Darian Mensah completed 11 of 14 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown. Tennessee-Martin had 134 yards for the game last week against the Wildcat defense.
Avery Johnson just 8 of 15 for 62 yards for K-State, which had 196 yards in the half. The Wildcats had 134 yards on the ground, including 87 from DJ Giddens on 10 carries.
For the sixth time in six possessions, Tulane penetrates K-State territory and cashes in with a 41-yard Jacob Barnes field goal to lead 20-10 with 1:01 left in the half.
Tulane had a first-and goal, but a big sack by Damian Ilalio on quarterback Darian Mensah forces the Green Wave to settle for a 40-yard Jacob Barnes field goal. Tulane leads 17-10 with 4:57 left in the half.
Avery Johnson scrambles to his left and finds tight end Will Swanson in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdowns and the Wildcats are back in it. Tulane leads 14-10 with 10:16 left in the half.
K-State’s drive covered 75 yards in six plays, including a 51-yard DJ Giddens run. The Wildcats had a touchdown called back on a penalty but still got in the end zone.
Kansas State gets a 51-yard run fron DJ Giddens and a 24-yard touchdown pass from Avery Johnson to Joe Jackson, but the score is called back on an ineligible receiver call.
The Wildcats get another first down and have first down at the Tulane 12.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Darian Mensah hits tight end Alex Bauman for a 36-yard touchdown and Tulane goes up 14-3 with 13:17 left in the half.
The touchdown, at the end of a two-play, 38-yard drive, took just 1:03 and was set up by Simon McClannan’s 26-yard punt.
We’re through one quarter with K-State trailing Tulane, 7-3.
Tulane wasted no time answering K-State’s field goal, driving 73 yards in just five plays to go up 7-3 on Makhi Hughes’ 3-yard run. The touchdown was set up by a perfect strike from Darian Mensah to Dontae Fleming for 53 yards on a post route.
Kansas State’s 12-play drive stalls at the Tulane 30, but Chris Tennant cashes in with a 48-yard field goal to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead with 3:05 left in the third. The drive covered 58 yards and took nearly six minutes off the clock.
Tulane advances into K-State territory again, but the Wildcats stall the drive at their 40 and force a punt. We’re still 0-0 midway through the first.
Tulane shreds K-State’s defense in the run game to start out, but the Wildcats come up with a huge fourth-down stop at its 34-yard line.
Luckily, K-State’s first play, a screen pass to DJ Giddens was ruled a forward pass after a review, or Tulane would have gotten the ball back.
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Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
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