Tag: Collin Klein

Fiesta Bowl Preview: Handicapping the Quarterbacks

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Leading up to the Fiesta Bowl, DuckTV will be breaking down every aspect of the game.

Keep up with previous posts

Keys to the Game
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Defensive Lines
Defensive Outlook

By Preston Hiefield

Marcus Mariota and Colin Klein are both dynamic players who lead dynamic offenses. US PRESSWIRE

Oregon: Marcus Mariota, Redshirt Freshman, 6-4, 210, Honolulu, HI.

By the numbers: 2,511 passing yards, 30 TD, 6 INT; 690 rushing yards, 4 TD

The positive: Entering the 2012 season there was really only one glaring question for this Oregon offense: who would replace two-year starting quarterback Darron Thomas? Shortly following Oregon’s Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin, Thomas made a head-scratching decision to bolt for the NFL instead of coming back for his senior season. Well, that decision may have been validated by the play of his successor Mariota. All the redshirt freshman has done in his first season at the helm is lead Oregon to an 11-1 record and a fourth straight BCS bowl game. Mariota (and the Oregon offense, for that matter) has looked virtually unstoppable in every game this season other than Stanford’s 17-14 upset of the Ducks in Eugene on Nov. 17. Not only is Mariota a much better runner and overall athlete than Thomas, but he appears to be a more polished passer as well.

The negative: Experience. For as gifted an athlete as Mariota is, there is no substitute for experience. This will be by far the highest profile game he has ever played in. Despite his seemingly unflappable demeanor, there is no telling how he will react when the lights shine bright on Thursday night.

 

Collin Klein led K-State’s offense to a Fiesta Bowl birth and a spot in New York as a heisman finalist. If Klein can establish the run early, the Wildcats will be hard to stop. US PRESSWIRE

Kansas State: Collin Klein, Senior, 6-5, 226, Loveland, CO.

By the numbers: 2,490 passing yards, 15 TD, 7 INT; 890 rushing yards, 20 TD

The positive: In addition to finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o and Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, Klein is the unquestioned leader of one of the greatest teams in the history of Kansas State’s program. He embodies what the entire Wildcats team is all about: tough, gritty, overlooked and under appreciated.The senior isn’t exactly a prototypical quarterback – he has more rushing touchdowns than he does passing touchdowns – but he is an absolutely perfect fit for what Bill Snyder wants to do offensively. Klein is a punishing runner who can carry the ball 20-25 times in a single game if necessary, but he is also accurate enough to beat a team with his arm. In Oregon’s past three BCS Bowl games they have faced three outstanding dual threat quarterbacks in Terrelle Pryor, Cam Newton and Russell Wilson. Well, make it a fourth straight great dual-threat with Klein, who will present a tremendous challenge to Nick Allioti and the Oregon defense.

The negative: Klein can be taken out of his comfort zone if he’s forced to throw. In Kansas State’s only loss of the season against Baylor, Klein completed 27 of 50 passes for 2 TD’s against 3 INT’s while being held to 2.3 yards per rush. Essentially, Baylor limited him on the ground and dared the Wildcats to put the ball in the air. The result? 24 points, just one point more than their season low (a 23-10 victory over TCU the week before). If Oregon crowds the line of scrimmage and makes Klein win the game with his arm alone, K-State will be in trouble.

Final verdict: Advantage Kansas State. This matchup is very close – both quarterbacks are perfect fits for their respective systems. Klein’s experience and leadership earns him the final nod. 

Fiesta Bowl Preview: Keys to the Game

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By Andrew Murray

For being in drastically different geographically location, Kansas State and Oregon are identical teams statistically. The Ducks are second in the nation in scoring while the Wildcats are tenth in that category. The Wildcats are 24th in scoring defense and the Ducks are 26th in scoring defense.

The Ducks utilize senior running back Kenjon Barner, who has 21 rushing touchdowns on the season, while Wildcats running back John Hubert has scored 15 touchdowns. Both teams possess dual-threat quarterbacks with Marcus Mariota for the Ducks and Collin Klein for Kansas State.

Many factors of both teams seem to match evenly. For either teams offense to operate effectively, their playmakers will have to take advantage of the edges of the field. In both team’s losses, neither of them could develop a running game on the outside. Against Stanford, the Ducks rushed for 196 yards, 127 yards below their season average. Against Baylor, the Wildcats rushed for 76 yards, 123 yards below their season average. 

Both team’s offenses pride themselves in dominating the outside perimeters of the field with expert running from the running back and quarterback positions. Both defenses have experienced similar challenges in trying to defend against these types of high octane offenses in practice. 

The key for both offenses to be effective will be for the quarterbacks to dictate the edge of the defense through option reads. This is will be especially important for Collin Klein, who has 22 rushing touchdowns on the season. While Mariota has only has four rushing touchdowns, he has shown an ability to sprint out of the pocket and buy time to pass or run. Securing the perimeter will be crucial in supplanting an efficient offense for either team.

Beyond the offensive game plans, turnovers will also be a primary factor in the game. The Ducks have been tenacious in taking the ball away from their opponent, setting a school record 38 forced turnovers. The Wildcats have been no slouches either, collecting 18 interceptions and 18 fumble recoveries. 

In recent years, both defenses have been cited as liabilities for not keeping up with their offenses. This year they have stepped up to supply short fields for their offenses constantly. Mariota and Klein will have to be judicious with their ball handling, as the two quarterbacks have thrown a combined 13 interceptions.

Whichever team controls the edges of the field and commits the least amount of turnovers will end up being crowned the Fiesta Bowl winner.

Fiesta Bowl Preview: Keys to the Game

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For being in drastically different geographically locations, Kansas State and Oregon are identical teams statistically. The Ducks are second in the nation in scoring while the Wildcats are tenth in that category. The Wildcats are 24th in scoring defense while the Ducks are 26th.

The Ducks utilize senior running back Kenjon Barner, who has 21 rushing touchdowns on the season, while Wildcats running back John Hubert has scored 15 touchdowns. Both teams possess dual-threat quarterbacks in Marcus Mariota for the Ducks and Collin Klein for Kansas State.

Many factors for both teams seem to match up evenly. For either team’s offense to operate effectively, their playmakers will have to take advantage of the edges of the field. In both team’s loses, neither team could develop an effective running game on the outside. Against Stanford, the Ducks rushed for 196 yards, 127 yards below their season average. Against Baylor, the Wildcats rushed for 76 yards, 123 yards below their season average.

Both team’s offenses pride themselves in dominating the outside perimeters of the field with expert running from the running back and quarterback positions. Both defenses have experienced similar challenges in trying to defend against these types of high octane offenses during practice. The key for either offense to be effective will be both quarterbacks to dictating the edge through option reads. This will be especially important for Collin Klein, who has 22 rushing touchdowns on the season. While Mariota only has four rushing touchdowns, he has shown an ability to sprint out of the pocket and buy time for a pass and run. Securing the perimeter will be crucial in supplanting an efficient offense for either team.

Beyond the offensive game plans, turnovers will also be a primary factor in the game. The Ducks have been tenacious in taking the ball away from their opponents, forcing a school record 38 turnovers. The Wildcats have been no slouches either, collecting 18 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries.

In recent years, both defenses have been cited as liabilities for not keeping up with their offenses. This year they have stepped up to supply short fields for their offenses constantly. Mariota and Klein will also have to be judicious with their ball handling, as the two quarterbacks have thrown a combined 13 interceptions.

Whichever team controls the edges of the field and commits the least amount of turnovers will most likely end up being crowned the Fiesta Bowl winner.