No. 17 Kansas State escapes with victory over Tulane after controversial pass interference call

Was Tulane robbed of a potential lead against No. 17 Kansas State?

With Kansas State leading 34-27, Yulkeith Brown appeared to catch a touchdown pass with 17 seconds left, but Dontae Fleming was given a penalty for offensive pass interference and the touchdown was disallowed.

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Yes, Fleming was in the way of his defender. But the player he was facing was engaged with Fleming the entire time and made no attempt to cover Brown. Pick plays are often called in offensive pass interference when a receiver impedes the defender covering another player. In this case, cornerback Jacob Parrish did not move toward Brown until he saw the pass had been thrown.

Had Brown's touchdown been valid, Tulane could have scored an extra point to tie the game or attempted a game-winning two-point conversion. Instead, the Green Wave were pushed back 15 yards and Darian Mensah threw an interception in the end zone two plays later.

The penalty could have College Football Playoff implications at the end of the season. Tulane is one of the top teams outside of the Power Four conferences and a contender for the Group of Five spot in the expanded College Football Playoff. A win over Kansas State on Saturday would have improved Tulane's record tremendously if the Green Wave won the AAC and ended up with the same record as a team like Boise State.

Instead, Kansas State escaped a Week 3 home game against No. 20 Arizona. The two Big 12 teams will meet in a non-conference game on Friday despite being in the same conference. The game was scheduled before Arizona's move to the Big 12 this summer.