Kansas State football upset by Tulane 17-10. What derailed the Wildcats?
MANHATTAN — Kansas State may never go with an alternate uniform again.
After going 0-2 in 2019 while departing from their classic uniforms, the Wildcats should have been safe against 13½-point underdog Tulane, but it wasn't to be.
The Green Wave got a key fourth-down stop in the fourth quarter to set up the winning touchdown, then converted a fourth down of its own with the clock running down to hand the Wildcats their first loss, 17-10, Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Third and fourth down kill Wildcats
Kansas State's offense had been inconsistent the first two weeks, but nothing like this.
While the Wildcats were finally able to move the ball after a terrible start, they completely imploded on third and fourth downs and it finally came back to bite them.
More: Recap: Tulane pitches second-half shutout to stun Kansas State football, 17-10
On a fourth-and-1 at the Tulane 44-yard line, quarterback Adrian Martinez was stopped for a 4-yard loss and the Green Wave made the Wildcats pay.
Five plays and 52 yards later, Tulane was in the end zone with quarterback Michael Pratt hitting tight end Tyrick James for four yards and a touchdown to give the Green Wave the 17-10 lead that would end up as the final score.
For the game, K-State was 2 of 15 on third downs and 1 of 5 on fourth down. Tulane also struggled in similar situations, but sealed the victory when Pratt converted a quarterback sneak on fourth down at his own 24-yard line with 2 minutes left.
Better late than never
Kansas State's offense looked out of sync for most of the first half, but finally put together a 75-yard drive late in the half with Adrian Martinez throwing his first touchdown pass of the season, a 21-yard strike down the right sideline to Kade Warner.
The touchdown tied the game at 7-7 with 2:43 left in the half. K-State did not cross midfield and had just 46 yards total offense in the opening quarter but finally showed some life in the second.
Credit the defense for giving the Wildcats a 10-7 halftime lead as Daniel Green stopped a Tulane drive with his second interception in as many games. Green returned it 49 yards to the Green Wave 23-yard live, setting up a 22-yard tie-breaking field goal by Chris Tennant as the half expired.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, that was all she wrote as Tulane pitched a second-half shutout.
Turnover battle lone highlight for Wildcats
With the offense sputtering and nothing happening on special teams, K-State won one key battle, forcing two turnovers to none for Tulane. But it wasn't enough.
The first takeaway, an interception and 49-yard return by Daniel Green with 28 seconds left in the first half, set up a 22-yard Chris Tennant field goal that gave the Wildcats their first lead, 10-7, at intermission.
The second, a Kobe Savage pick, stopped Tulane cold after penetrating Wildcat territory to start the fourth quarter.
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.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football upset by Tulane. What derailed the Wildcats?
