A chip shot field goal from Kansas State was all that stood between the Wildcats and a huge upset on Saturday in Austin, but a bad case of college kicker syndrome set in with an awful shank.
The Wildcats were locked in a tight Big 12 battle against Texas today, and a missed field goal cost the Wildcats a shot at the would-be gigantic upset. The miss will surely lead Wildcat fans to question their head coach Chris Klieman's decision to kick a 28 yard field goal instead of going for it on fourth and two from the Texas nine yard line.
Instead of going for it Klieman sent junior K-State kicker Chris Tennant onto the field for a chip shot field goal attempt. Tennant had missed an extra point earlier in the game, but a 28 yarder is close enough to be a gimme kick for the majority of division one kickers. Heck, even a random college kid with Pat McAfee on College Gameday might make a kick of that distance.
The Longhorns held a 20 point lead over Kansas State with 4:13 left in the 3rd quarter, but sloppy play and turnovers allowed the Wildcats to come storming back. It was looking great for the Wildcats when they cut the lead to just a field goal. Texas has a 2-4 record in their last 6 one score games, and Kansas State was putting a lot of pressure on the Longhorns. The close game pressure ended up being too much for Kansas State and their kicker in the end.
A simply gut wrenching missed field goal in Austin. Chris Tennant has to be feeling sick
— Sully Engels (@sullyengels) November 4, 2023
Tennant did get the chance to redeem himself at the end of regulation, with a 48-yard attempt to force overtime. He made that one, but his coach still elected to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking late in overtime. Trust in Tennant's leg had definitely been shaken, and after that shank in the fourth Wildcat fans will be nervous for a while going forward with Tennant taking field goal kicks.
