“We Stole It From Somebody Else”: Kansas State’s Imitation Game Wins Patrick Mahomes Endorsement

Patrick Mahomes has established himself as one of the best in the world of football. He is a QB who likes to think out of the box and use unconventional methods on the gridiron. Now, he is not only dominating the NFL but is inspiring the larger sports world too. The Kansas State basketball team took a page out of his book to design a play in the ongoing NCAA tournament. The team was picked to finish last in the Big 12 preseason poll, but they actually finished third. It’s safe to say that the team has surprised everyone this year, but the biggest surprise came when they employed a never-seen-before play in their latest basketball match against the Kentucky Wildcats. The play came in the last few seconds of the match, cementing K-State’s victory.

The Kansas State coach revealed the story behind the unconventional play in their victory against Kentucky, and it got an endorsement from the Chiefs superstar himself.

Patrick Mahomes approves of the wild Wildcats play 

The Kansas State team improvised a football-style play in their March Madness clash against Kentucky. This innovative play was the subject of discussion at the post-game press conference. The Kansas State Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang said, “We stole it from somebody else. We actually call it Mahomes, for Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback for the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs,”

The imitation game from the team got the backing of the NFL star it is named after, with Mahomes retweeting the interview with several flexing biceps emojis. The team will be thrilled for the upcoming games after getting the endorsement from one of the best QBs in the NFL.

Kansas State seemingly was inspired by Mahomes’ unconventional play calls and did just that against Kentucky. They lined up in a football-style formation for an inbound play toward the end of the game, completely catching the opposition off-guard. Four players spread out wide, with the inbound passer imitating a quarterback. They used a bubble screen pass, just like the Chiefs QB has on so many occasions. Though surprising, the intention behind the move was clear. K-State wanted to drain the clock and prevent Kentucky from coming away with a quick steal in the remaining time.

Solid win for Kansas State

The Kansas State Wildcats progressed further in March Madness after their win over the Kentucky Wildcats in the closely fought round of 32 game. With the 75-69 win, KSU coach Jerome Tang became the only first-year coach in university history to make it to the Sweet Sixteen, where the team will face the Michigan State Spartans. For Kentucky, however, the defeat means that their season is over.

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When a curious reporter grilled Tang on the unconventional inbound play and asked him to go into detail, the smiling coach refused, saying that the other teams would know. This shows that Kansas State would look to use it in future games as well.

It was always a close affair, as most games during this stage of the tournament are. Kansas State kept its head and sprung up surprises to get over the line and live to fight another day. Patrick Mahomes is definitely watching them now if he wasn’t already.

What did you think of this creative gameplay? Does taking inspiration from other sports make the games more interesting to watch? Or should players just stick to what they already know?

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