Kansas State Wildcats think they held their own against ‘Bama despite Sugar Bowl loss
Alabama is clearly a better football team than Kansas State, and the Crimson Tide proved it during a 45-20 victory in the Sugar Bowl.
But the gap between K-State and the bluest of all SEC blue bloods wasn’t as wide as some may have imagined it to be. At least that is how the Wildcats viewed things after they walked off the field on Saturday inside the Superdome.
“The score didn’t dictate the game,” K-State quarterback Will Howard said. “I think we we played better than losing by 25. We made too many mistakes and gave them too many opportunities to get points quickly. We moved the ball well, we just didn’t finish when it came down to it. When you’re playing a good team, you can’t do that. I feel like we were definitely just as good as them. We were the better team for parts of the game. We definitely deserved to be on that field with them.”
The Wildcats did outplay the Crimson Tide for much of the first half. They came out looking like the superior team and raced to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter despite throwing an interception on their opening drive. The lead could have easily been bigger.
K-State’s star running back Deuce Vaughn broke free for an 88-yard touchdown run. K-State forced Alabama to punt on its first two drives of the afternoon.
Believe it or not, there was a moment in this game when it looked like the Wildcats might blow out the Crimson Tide, instead of vice versa. It’s fair to say that K-State went toe-to-toe with Alabama for a half, just not for an entire game.
“We have got just as many guys as they do. We have more All-Americans,” K-State linebacker Daniel Green said. “It just came down to execution. At the end of the day, we can’t give up explosive plays on defense. We did, and they took advantage.”
Indeed, quarterback Bryce Young (15 of 21 for 321 yards and five touchdowns) led Alabama on five straight touchdown drives after falling behind 10-0. That put the score out of reach even after K-State got off to a hot start.
But the final numbers weren’t all that lopsided. Alabama gained 496 yards on 55 plays. K-State gained 401 yards on significantly more plays (74).
The biggest difference was that K-State entered Alabama territory six times and only scored two touchdowns. Once the Crimson Tide got rolling, it felt like they finished every drive with a score.
“They figured out our weakness, which was obviously our secondary and stuff like that,” K-State defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah said. “And then they attacked it. That’s what Alabama does. Kudos to them.”
Still, K-State players walked away from this game with their heads held high.
“I don’t care what anybody says, we’re a darn good football team,” Howard said. “We’re going to remember this, and we will be back next year.”
