NEW ORLEANS — The 2022 Allstate Sugar Bowl wasn't so sweet for Kansas State.
In the team's first Sugar Bowl appearance in school history, the Wildcats fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide 45-20.
K-State took an early 10-0 lead before the switch flipped. Trailing 21-10 at halftime, the Cats were unable to pull off a comeback win at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
After the hot start in the first half, the Wildcat offense turned cold. K-State quarterback Will Howard threw for 210 yards and two interceptions.
K-State running back Deuce Vaughn had 22 carries for 133 yards and an 88-yard touchdown run — the second-longest in Sugar Bowl history.
Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman said the Wildcats didn't play their best football, and they had to take some chances, like going for it on fourth downs, if they wanted to get back in the game.
"A 21-10 game that I'm never going to second-guess myself, and you guys know that from being around us," Klieman said. "And we've gone for it on fourth down all season long when we had a chance to go up 17-14."
Despite the Wildcats being unable to find their groove in the second half, Howard believes the team deserved to be on this stage.
"We had a really good game plan, and we just kind of shot ourselves in the foot a little bit — turnovers by me and not executing in the red zone, not getting points down there, it hurts," Howard said. "We felt like we had them. We deserve to be on that field with them, we're just as good."
Alabama served up K-State's first loss in 56 days.
