Kansas State Wildcats Head Coach Chris Klieman Praises Tulane Green Wave
The Tulane Green Wave fell just short of picking up the upset over the visiting Kansas State Wildcats at Yulman Stadium in Week 2. A 34-27 victory was earned by the No. 17 team in the nation hailing from the Big 12.
After the game, Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall was not thrilled with the job the officiating crew did. It was a Big 12 crew, which is customary for college football as the away team’s conference will provide the referees in an out-of-conference matchup.
Wildcats head coach Chris Kleiman sang a different tune after the game. Happy that his team picked up a victory, he praised the work Tulane did, especially in the first two quarters of the game.
“We beat a good Tulane team — dang-good Tulane team on the road,” Klieman said, via Guerry Smith of NOLA.com. “In the first half they had us on our heels. We couldn't get off the field on defense. So, happy to escape with the win.”
After turning the ball over on downs and punting on their first two possessions, Tulane scored on their final four to end the first half. That resulted in them taking a 20-10 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Green Wave offense got nothing going. They had two three-and-outs, which Kansas State took full advantage of. They scored on their next two possessions following a three-and-out of their own to start the third quarter.
The touchdown in the third quarter, which tied the game at 20, was a broken play the Wildcats got lucky on according to their head coach. On fourth-and-one from the Tulane 45-yard line, quarterback Avery Johnson found running back DJ Giddens for a touchdown after scrambling around to keep the play alive.
“It was supposed to be a bubble to (Giddens),” Klieman said. “And that's the experience of DJ and the patience of Avery, of letting them say, OK, it's not there. (Giddens) just continued on and extended the play, and Avery did a great job extending the play, too. That's fun to see for me because the play broke down and both of those two kids responded.”
The home team responded, scoring a touchdown of their own after that drive. But, turnovers would be their undoing on the last two drives of the game.
In Kansas State territory again, the Green Wave had a fumble, which was returned 60 yards for a touchdown. On the final drive of the game, Darian Mensah threw an interception two plays after a touchdown was nullified by a penalty.
It resulted in a heartbreaking loss for Tulane. But, there are a lot of positives to take away from the game, as they proved they can hang with a top program in the country.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.