Kansas State football had a chance to put Utah away in the final minutes, but a strange call on a two-point conversion wiped away a two-touchdown lead and instead brought the Utes within 10 points with seven minutes left.
The play proved critical in K-State’s 51-47 loss to No. 12 Utah on Saturday, Nov. 22, in Salt Lake City.
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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.
But 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.
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Utah scored two touchdowns in the final minutes, capped off by Devon Dampier’s one-yard touchdown with 56 seconds left. Johnson threw an interception on the ensuing drive, ending the Wildcats’ chance at an upset.
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.
Notably, the Wildcats were called for an illegal substitution with 4:01 left in the game after Utah came up short on a fourth-and-2 run. It was unclear whether the Wildcats had an opportunity to make substitutions after Utah did, leaving too many players on the defensive side of the field.
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Kansas State fell to 5-6 overall and 4-4 in Big 12 play with the loss. The Wildcats will host Colorado on Nov. 29, hoping to clinch bowl eligibility.
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 can’t be happy with no-call in Utah loss
