Tag: Kansas State Wildcats

Fiesta Bowl Preview: Defensive Outlook

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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

By McLean Cannon

While most eyes will be on the dazzling speed and playmaking ability of the Oregon backfield or the bruising running style and efficient quarterback play of Kansas State’s Heisman finalist Collin Klein, the defenses on both sides present an intriguing matchup that may prove to be the difference in the game.

For Oregon, it comes down to forcing turnovers, which the number four Ducks have been able to do successfully all season long. Oregon ranks tied for first in the nation with 38 forced turnovers, leading the country with 24 interceptions, four of which have been returned for touchdowns. Cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and linebacker Kiko Alonso lead the team with four interceptions apiece, while safeties Avery Patterson and Erick Dargan have tallied three picks each.

Oregon’s defense swarms to the ballcarrier– even when they try to go over them. US PRESSWIRE

However, KSU has committed just 10 turnovers all season, third fewest in the country, with Klein throwing only seven interceptions in 272 pass attempts. Should the Wildcats continue to limit their mistakes, the pressure could be on the Ducks’ defense to find other ways to get off the field and provide its offense with good field position.

Senior linebacker Michael Clay, who will be playing in his final game for the green and yellow, leads the Ducks in tackles with 92. Alonso, a fellow senior, has recorded 75 tackles and a team-leading 12 tackles for loss. Junior defensive tackle Taylor Hart has paced the Ducks with eight sacks on the season, and senior defensive end and projected 1st round NFL draft pick, Dion Jordan, has tacked on five sacks of his own.

On the other side, the Wildcats boast one of the nations most efficient teams, and most of that stems from their defense, which leads the nation with a +22 turnover margin. The Wildcats also boast a top 25 scoring defense at 21 points per game, and an elite rushing defense, which allows just 119 yards per game.

Big 12 Defensive player of the year Arthur Brown leads a strong Kansas State defense. Scott Sewell-US PRESSWIRE

Kansas State lost the turnover battle only twice this season, once against lowly North Texas, and again against Baylor, the Wildcats’ only loss.

Senior linebacker Arthur Brown leads the Wildcats with 91 tackles on the year. Senior defensive end Meshak Williams has paced the team with 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss, and fellow defensive end Adam Davis has recorded 7.5 sacks of his own. Defensive backs Allen Chapman, Nigel Malone, and Ty Zimmerman lead KSU with 5 interceptions each.

While the high turnover margin and elite rushing defense indicates a successfully aggressive defense, Kansas State will likely play a relatively basic and conservative defensive scheme, allowing its disciplined defenders to make tackles in space and prevent explosion plays. Against eleven of their twelve opponents, the scheme worked, and played directly into the hands of their equally efficient offense.

When the Wildcats don’t make mistakes, their scheme works, and allows the Wildcats to play and beat nearly any team in the country. But as we’ve seen before, Oregon’s offense can conjure many mistakes from their opponents, and containing it for an entire game is a very hard thing to do. Even for the nation’s elite defenses, the Ducks’ offense poses some of the most challenges in the nation.

Fiesta Bowl Preview: Defensive Backs

Posted on by admin

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

By Shannon Hartley

The Oregon Ducks face up against the Kansas State Wildcats in what will be their first return to the Fiesta Bowl since Oregon’s beat down of the Colorado Buffalo in 2002. The Ducks and Wildcats both have very high powered offenses that put pressure on opposing defenses and score points fast.

Defensive backs on both sides of the ball will be crucial throughout the game. The Ducks’ secondary has suffered injuries, but luckily their “next guy up” mentality and depth from rotating numerous players has helped them overcome the losses.

Sophomore Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is one of Oregon’s standouts in their secondary. Credit: Scott Olmos US PRESSWIRE

Kansas State will most likely be playing without starting free safety Ty Zimmerman, after suffering a leg injury late in conference play. Zimmerman is one of three DB’s for K-State that has racked up five interceptions this season.

Oregon is leading the nation in passes intercepted on the season with 24, but not all are credited to the defensive backfield. Seven of those 24 come from linebackers, which leaves Oregon with only one more pick than the Wildcat DB’s, who have 16.

Big concerns for both secondaries will be setting the sideline and lining up the right angle to keep explosion plays from happening. For Oregon it will be corralling Collin Klein and John Hubert on the outside when they run option plays. Oregon’s DB’s need to take good angles because although Collin Klein has a large frame, he is shifty and makes defenders miss, especially on read-option runs up the middle.

Kansas State’s secondary not only needs to help contain Oregon’s explosive runners in Kenjon Barner, De’Anthony Thomas and Marcus Mariota, but they need to keep Oregon from stretching the field with easy throws and catches to wideouts.

Both the Ducks and Wildcats have secondary defenders that are willing to come up and make tackles. Looking at each teams defensive statistics, both have three defensive backs in the top five. Oregon strong safety Brian Jackson, free safety Erick Dargan and cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu have combined for 170 of the Ducks’ total tackles while Kansas State’s strong safety Jarard Milo and cornerbacks Randall Evans and Allan Chapman have all combined for 201 of the Wildcats’ total tackles.

These numbers don’t show to be in Oregon’s favor, but you have to factor in that Oregon plays a lot of bodies throughout games, has suffered from injuries and often took out starters early in the season due to blowout victories.

Oregon benefits from depth, but Kansas State definitely has the finer tuned secondary. Oregon’s most experienced defensive back is sophomore cornerback Terrance Mitchell. Strong safety Brian Jackson is a junior, but this season is his first year as a starter. Ifo-Ekpre Olomu and Erick Dargan both began starting this year as sophomores.

Kansas State’s defensive backfield is filed with all juniors and seniors with the exception of sophomore cornerback Randall Evans. They are more experienced and play more frequently, so one could easily give them the edge, but that would be premature conclusion to which secondary is more talented.

Oregon has had success with younger defensive backs in the past with former players like Jairus Byrd and Patrick Chung. Current starters Terrance Mitchell and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu have both received high praises for their play as young pass defenders.

This game will be very fast-paced and exciting to watch. Each teams defensive backs need to step up and execute their gameplan. Both secondaries are very skilled. Oregon excels with speed and athleticism, while Kansas State has experience and consistency. It will be fun to watch the game changing plays both secondaries make in the Fiesta bowl on January 3.

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

Posted on by admin

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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.