K-State Storms Back To Defeat TCU 33-31 – Second Half Analysis

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Please visit here for our first half analysis.

Receiving the second half kickoff, K-State once again underwent a miserable 3rd quarter performance (a pattern the team has seen recently). On a first drive that had a Jake Waters first down run brought back on a holding penalty and a three-and-out, Ryan Mueller had a sack taken away by an offsides call and TCU moved the ball at will while throwing downfield. Trevone Boykin came in with the ball at the five and threw a touchdown to a wide open receiver thanks to a well-executed play-action pass that brought the game to 17-14 on a drive that lasted just two minutes.

On K-State’s next play a pass that should have been ruled a catch by Zach Trujillo was called incomplete, and on the next play Daniel Sams fumbled to give TCU the ball back. The Horned Frogs once again moved the ball with impunity, as the loss of Ty Zimmerman early in the game was obvious with Casey Pachall relentlessly attacking the middle of the field. On fourth-and-one with a chance to finally swing momentum, Boykin bounced it outside and not only picked up first down but carried the ball six yards to the end zone, putting TCU up for the first time all day, 21-17.

K-State retook the lead on a drive unlike anything we’ve seen before this weekend. After a sack and incompletion (another drop by Trujillo when he was open and ready to really pick up yardage), Tramaine Thompson was open downfield for a 79-yard touchdown. Jake Waters had great protection every play, and the Wildcats took the lead 24-21.

Dylan Schellenberg couldn’t keep up. That’s all it was. Schellenberg – in for the injured Zimmerman – was playing man coverage against TCU’s receivers and just got beat. David Porter recorded a 51-yard reception to put TCU up 28-24. The Wildcats then tacked on a field goal to close within 28-27.

The fourth quarter began with K-State receiving a punt and confident – while the Wildcats struggled in the third recent, they’ve blown games open in the fourth. So taking the punt with two defenders just a step away, Tramaine Thompson returned it 34 yards just inside TCU territory. The Wildcats couldn’t move much farther, but Mark Krause had the punt drop out of bounds at the two to give TCU awful field position…

Is what I would have written if one of the most interesting official calls I’ve ever seen hadn’t happened. Apparently Bill Snyder, the old Silver Fox, walked over to the officials during the tv time out and just held two fingers up and stared at the refs. Eventually, the officials realized that two players (Boykin and Jason Verrett) were both on the field wearing the number two. Five yard penalty for illegal equipment, and K-State goes for it on fourth-and-one. Sams picked up the conversion and kept the drive alive. The drive took nine minutes and was only worth 38 yards, but it put K-State in field goal position and allowed the Wildcats to retake the lead, 30-28 with just over five minutes to play.

Impressively, TCU took advantage of the wind dying down to attempt a 56-yard attempt that (I dare say easily) cleared the uprights and go up 31-30. With two minutes to manufacture a scoring drive, Jake Waters had the opportunity to engineer his first comeback drive as a Wildcat. After Curry Sexton dropped an easy catch, Waters came right back to Sexton and he rewarded with a nice 28-yard grab. Zach Trujillo then dropped his third open reception of the game, but Tyler Lockett made another phenomenal snag for 12 yards to pick up the first down. A couple more runs, and with eight seconds left, Jack Cantele was responsible for the sixth lead change of the second half in putting K-State up 33-31. The Wildcats were assessed a 15-yard penalty for excessive celebration, but it was worth it. TCU received the kickoff with three seconds left and the return attempt fell short. K-State is 6-4 and going bowling.

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