Tulane Green Wave Drop 34-27 Heartbreaker to Kansas State Wildcats
The Tulane Green Wave had their first real test of the season on Saturday morning as they took on the Top 25-ranked Kansas State Wildcats.
It was a heartbreaker as the Green Wave lost it late by a score of 34-27.
A late offensive pass interference call wiped away a would be game-tying touchdown and then led to Darian Mensah throwing an interception in the end zone which ended the game.
Mensah, despite the interception, once again backed up the Tulane coaching staff's decision to name him the starting quarterback with another stellar performance.
He and Dontae Fleming made up for their missed connection a week ago with a 53-yard bomb that set up a Makhi Hughes touchdown run.
The redshirt freshman quarterback has exceeded all expectations through his first two games.
The broadcast team, mostly Louis Riddick, was drawing early comparisons to Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love before the game. Mensah's performance during it only made that comparison seem stronger.
He was strong in the pocket, hit receivers in stride and threw into tight windows. It was exactly the type of performance as a passer that the Green Wave could have possibly hoped for.
The California native finished the day 19-29 through the air completing 342 yards with two touchdowns and the interception.
It's hard to mention his performance in the game without bringing up the fumble touchdown that came while he was trying to extend a play rather than just going down.
While it's not entirely his fault, a more veteran quarterback may have gone down to avoid something like that return happening.
The offensive line could not withstand the pass rush of Kansas State, something that the coaching staff is going to have to address in the coming weeks.
The Wildcats were able to come away with five sacks during this one, with a couple of them coming during crucial moments in the second half.
A holding call in the last two minutes of the game made things much harder as Mensah and the offense tried to tie the game late.
Heading into the matchup, a spotlight was focused on Hughes and how he would look after last week's quiet game agains the Southeastern Louisiana Lions.
It was a much more eventful day for him this time around, walking away with 128 yards on 21 attempts and a touchdown on the ground. He also picked up 37 yards on 5 catches in the passing game.
The redshirt sophomore was one of the best running backs in the country a year ago and Tulane will need more performances like this in the future.
Overall, moral victories aren't what Jon Sumrall and the coaching staff want, but they still played well against a tough opponent early on in his tenure.
There won't be any breaks from the tension next week as the Green Wave will be traveling to take on the Oklahoma Sooners for another Top 25 opportunity.
