Kansas State football vs Utah takeaways as 'Cats suffer heartbreaker
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Kansas State had a shot at pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the college football season, but a game-winning touchdown in the final minute helped keep Utah’s College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Utah, ranked No. 12 in the latest CFP rankings, rallied for a 51-47 win over Kansas State on Saturday, Nov. 22, at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.
K-State rushed for a program-record 472 yards, while Joe Jackson broke Darren Sproles’ single-game record with 293 yards, but it wasn’t enough. Utah quarterback Devon Dampier ran in the game-winning touchdown with 56 seconds left.
Kansas State will host Colorado on Nov. 29 to wrap up the regular season. The game time will likely be announced on Nov. 23. The Wildcats need the win to earn bowl eligibility.
Here are our takeaways from the Wildcats’ heartbreaking loss.
Utah football pulls off comeback in final minutes
Up three, K-State was forced to punt with 2:36 left. The Utes took over at their own 30, with a chance to either tie or take the lead.
Utah faced a fourth-and-1 from its 39 when quarterback Devon Dampier broke away for a 59-yard run before he was tackled at the K-State 2. On third-and-goal from the 1, Dampier ran in the go-ahead score with 56 seconds left.
Attempting a game-winning drive, Avery Johnson threw an interception, giving the Utes the win.
Joe Jackson had a record-breaking day for Kansas State
Kansas State struggled to get explosive plays on the ground all season. Jackson had almost a whole season’s worth in the first half.
Jackson finished the day with 293 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries, breaking Sproles’ single-game record of 292 yards against Louisiana-Lafayette in 2004.
Jackson went for 236 yards and two scores in the first half, while collecting gains of 33, 44, 66 and 80 in the game’s first 30 minutes.
Kansas State had its best offensive game of the season behind its ground attack. The Wildcats gained 574 yards. Southeastern Louisiana transfer Antonio Martin Jr. had a breakout game, going for 89 yards, aided by a 37-yard first-quarter touchdown.
Officiating will be much discussed in Kansas State’s loss
The Wildcats had just taken a 12-point lead after they turned a recovered fumble into a Joe Jackson 24-yard touchdown with seven minutes left.
On the ensuing two-point conversion, hoping to go up by two touchdowns, an Avery Johnson pass to Linkon Cure was batted up in the air and intercepted. An official threw a flag on the play for what appeared to be pass interference.
After Utah’s Tao Johnson intercepted the ball, he returned it to the opposite end zone, giving the Utes two points, unless the flag at the opposite side of the stadium was against Utah. After a lengthy discussion, the referees decided to pick up the flag. Rather than giving the Wildcats another chance to go up by 14, they were only up by 10.
The decision to pick up the flag wasn’t the only questionable call that went against the Wildcats in a game that featured plenty of questionable ball spots and penalties.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football vs Utah takeaways: Utes rally to beat Wildcats
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