#15 K-State lost 30-27 in the final seconds with Missouri kicker Harrison Mevis making a 61-yard field goal as the time expired.

The Wildcats started the game with an efficient opening drive. Will Howard and the offense had a stretch of six consecutive plays getting nine or more yards.

After a Howard touchdown run was overturned due to a holding penalty, Howard threw a touchdown pass that was tipped by a Missouri defender and into the arms of Phillip Brooks.

Missouri was able to answer with a 47-yard touchdown from Tiger quarterback Brady Cook to wide receiver Luther Burden III. There was miscommunication in the secondary, which would be a theme for the game.

Howard threw an interception on the next Kansas State possession with the Missouri defensive line getting through and forcing a bad throw off his back foot.

The secondary gave up a pair of 15-plus yard receptions to get them to the 12-yard line, but the defense held Missouri to a field goal. This gave Mizzou a 10-7 lead with 3:58 remaining in the first quarter.

A couple possessions later, K-State was back in the endzone after a missed field goal from Missouri. This time it was Ben Sinnott getting a three-yard touchdown after a 21-yard reception from Jadon Jackson.

The Tigers started their next drive with pass completions of 41 and 27 yards to get them goal-to-go in just three plays. Cook ran for a touchdown on 4th & goal to go up 17-14, which was Missouri’s first fourth down attempt of the season.

That would be the halftime score with the only possession close to producing points was K-State’s next drive which ended at the 37-yard line with kicker Chris Tennant missing a 54-yard field goal.

K-State would get the first points of the second half with Tennant making one from 46 yards away.

Howard would lead the offense to their first lead since the opening drive with Sinnott making his second touchdown catch of the day.

The Wildcats found the endzone three times that possession with a Howard touchdown run and a Jackson touchdown catch both being nullified by penalties.

With K-State up 24-17 and gaining some momentum, things changed quickly with the Tigers again getting two long consecutive plays to start the drive. They got a 26-yarder on the first play to Oklahoma transfer Theo Wease Jr. and the second was a 42-yard connection to Marquis Johnson.

The defense tightened up in the red zone limiting the Tigers to another field goal with K-State’s lead being cut to four with 14:48 left in the fourth quarter.

K-State’s offense would stagnate with Howard in some obvious pain. True freshman Avery Johnson came in and made some nice runs for the Cats.

Missouri regained a 27-24 lead when Burden III burned the secondary once again. He took a short pass 26 yards down the sideline on the second play of the drive for a score. The Tigers got a 36-yard completion on the first play, and VJ Payne committed a personal foul to add 15 more yards.

Treshaun Ward picked up receptions 33 and 14 yards to get the Cats to the Missouri nine-yard line.

On 3rd & goal, K-State committed a delay of game penalty that forced the Wildcats to settle for a field goal which tied the game 27-27 with 5:25 remaining.

The K-State defense forced Missouri to punt on their next possession which gave K-State the ball with 3:46 left at their own 39-yard line.

They would get one first down on a great effort by Ward for a two-yard gain. However, three straight incompletions and a false start forced them to punt with 1:36 to go with the Tigers getting one more drive in regulation with 1:25 left from their own 18-yard line.

After constantly giving up the deep ball, it was death by 1,000 cuts that put them at the K-State 39-yard line.

There was some miscommunication from the Missouri sideline with six seconds left, and they ended up taking a delay of game penalty to back them up five yards. Mevis was still able to drill the 61-yard field goal to win the game with the sold-out Columbia crowd spilling onto the field.

In the end, the lack of leadership and communication in the secondary was the biggest factor in the Cats’ defeat on Saturday. Five different receivers had a reception go for more than 25 yards.

Burden III tore them up with seven catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Cook finished his day going 23-for-35 with 356 yards and two scores.

Outside of one long run, K-State’s front had a good day. If you take away the 36-yard run from Cody Schrader, they allowed just 38 yards (K-State’s yards per game allowed average entering the game) on 27 carries (1.4 yards per carry).

Daniel Green finished with 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. The unit had eight TFLs. The Wildcats’ defense buckled down on third downs with Missouri going just 3-for-13.

Howard finished 25-for-39 with 270 yards, a season-high three passing touchdowns and an interception. He made some bone-headed throws throughout the game, which is something he struggled with last week. There were three or four balls that could have been picked.

The running game continued to be a tad underwhelming with 3.9 yards per carry. Ward had ten carries for 54 yards, DJ Giddens had nine carries for 36 yards, Johnson had four carries for 24 yards and Howard had ten carries for 21 yards.

The offensive line had another rough outing after a pair of games where they underperformed. Howard was under duress a lot and the backs had to work for what little yards they were able to get.

Sinnott had a fantastic day with five catches for 78 yards and two scores. Ward and Brooks matched Sinnott’s reception total with Ward getting 61 yards and Brooks getting 50 yards and a score. Jackson had four catches for 47 yards.

The defending Big 12 champs fall to 2-1 at the conclusion of their non-conference schedule. Up next, K-State starts conference play with a home game against UCF. Kickoff will be at 7:00 p.m.