No. 10 Kansas State rolled with the early punches from No. 3 TCU and responded to a Horned Frogs touchdown by finding the end zone just before the end of the first quarter. Wildcats quarterback Will Howard connected with tight end Ben Sinnott for a six-yard score, tying the Big 12 championship game up 7–7.
However, a further review of the play showed that the game’s officials missed a clear penalty involving the touchdown scorer.
Prior to the snap on fourth-and-1 from the six-yard line, Kansas State ran a man in motion. When Howard called for Malik Knowles to begin his movement, Sinnott—who was standing on the right side of the formation—appeared to flinch.
TCU players quickly started pointing and motioning at what seemed to be a false start just before the snap. However, no whistles sounded and Sinnott was able to leak out on the left side of the field for an easy pitch-and-catch touchdown.
The touchdown and subsequent extra point drew the Wildcats even with the undefeated Horned Frogs by the end of the first quarter, but they weren’t done. A steady defensive effort and another strong drive from Howard led to Kansas State scoring once again with 10:16 left in the second quarter.
TCU would kick a field goal with 29 seconds left in the half but an upset is brewing in Arlington with Kansas State holding a 14–10 lead at halftime.
