Jan. 3, 2013; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) makes a pass against the Kansas State Wildcats in the first half while playing in the Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas State had an opportunity to take the lead late with under four minutes left in the second quarter, but instead a missed field goal led to 17 straight points by the Ducks. Oregon was able to overcome Kansas State using over 20 minutes of clock in the first half and began to run their no-huddle offense efficiently.

Marcus Mariota and Kenjon Barner were dominate in the run. Mariota finished just completing 50 percent of his passes (12-21) for 166 yards and two touchdowns, but the running game finally got going. Once held to well under 100 yards early on, Oregon finished with 221 yards on 41 carries. Barner had the bulk of the order with 30 carries for 141 yards while the freshman quarterback raked in 62 yards on eight carries and a touchdown.

What was just as impressive was Oregon’s defense all night long. Vastly underrated and killed by the media after the game at USC, they held Kansas State to under 300 yards of total offense. For those scoring at home, that only happened once to KSU (against TCU).

Collin Klein was held to 17-32 passing for 151 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. More importantly, they shut him down on the ground with just 30 yards on 13 carries and another touchdown. John Hubert was also shut down with just 55 yards on 17 carries, and the team overall was held to 132 rushing yards – the third least amount in a game this season.

Other notes:

• Michael Clay received the defensive MVP award at the end of the game while Mariota picked up the offensive MVP award. The woman announcing the awards was incredibly humorous.
• A one-point safety was scored after a blocked Oregon PAT. Kansas State lateraled it into the endzone where the ball was dropped. Since it was declared dead in the endzone, that gives us the one-point safety that only happened one other time in an FBS game – Texas vs. Texas A&M in 2004. Ironically, Brad Nessler was also the play-by-play announcer for that game.
• Lou Holtz continues to butcher saying “Oregon,” but it was nice to see him eat his words and believed they were one of the two best teams in the nation. Finally, a Golden Domer sees the light after killing the Ducks in the pregame shows.

Brian Spaen is the lead editor of Autzen Zoo and Clones Confidential. Follow more Oregon Ducks coverage with the zoo on Twitter.

Jan. 3, 2013; Glendale, AZ, USA: Oregon Ducks running back Kenjon Barner (24) is congratulated by teammates after rushing for a touchdown against the Kansas State Wildcats in the second quarter during the 2013 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Down just 15-10 with 3:55 to go in the half, the Wildcats got the ball back at midfield after Jackson Rice was unable to convert a first down on a fake punt. Anthony Cantele, who just came off of a made attempt, missed a 40-yard kick with a minute exactly left on the clock.

Turned out like most of the season, that was too much time for Oregon.

Marcus Mariota finally looked comfortable in the hurry-up offense and made great decisions, not forcing the ball and throwing it away when a play wasn’t there. Kenjon Barner also came through and eluded defenders. He became wide open on the sideline with an easy 24-yard touchdown catch with :14 left, making up for a missed opportunity earlier in the game when he lost sight of the ball.

Mariota completes the half going 6-12 passing for 106 yards and two touchdowns, more than half of those yards coming on that 46-second drive.

Also aiding in the halftime lead was the first 12 seconds of the game, when De’Anthony Thomas burst open with a 94-yard touchdown return, and Dion Thomas was a part of the typical two-point conversion that Oregon opens up with this season to take an early 8-0 lead.

As expected, Oregon is struggling running the ball against a really good defense. Five players combine for just 52 yards on 13 carries.

Kansas State is controlling the clock, something that they needed to do to stay in this game. They have had the ball for 21:09 in the first half, and Oregon is completely off schedule with just 25 plays ran.

If the Wildcats can keep things skewed their way and not let the Ducks have too many more quick scoring opportunities, they will have a chance to come back. For Oregon, they will need to see if they can establish that running game and build off of the momentum they got from the last score.

2013 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
(4)Oregon Ducks (11-1, 8-1 Pac-12) vs. (5)Kansas State Wildcats (11-1, 8-1 Big 12)

Coverage – 4:00pm PT | Kickoff – 5:30pm PT | TV – ESPN
Weather – Kickoff at 60 degrees and falling, clear, roof expected to be OPEN

It’s not exactly the finish both Oregon and Kansas State wanted after a 10-0 start, but the consolation price was the Ducks being the first at-large BCS pick against the Big 12 champions in the Fiesta Bowl.

Both teams finished in the top five of the BCS rankings, making this the next best match-up in the BCS series behind the national championship. That’s similar to last season; Oregon and Stanford switched places with the Cardinal taking on last year’s Big 12 champion Oklahoma State while the Ducks played against Big Ten champion Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

Kansas State will be a little tougher test than Wisconsin was a year ago. The Wildcats match up well, their defense was able to hold off most teams’ running attack and force them to pass. They will hope to have the same result against the Ducks who rely on three key players to run the ball and create a fast-pased tempo to score early and often.

[Also see: Previewing KSU's Defense]

Nov 17, 2012; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

If Marcus Mariota is able to be mobile and throw on the run without any problems, then that will be a huge relief for the Ducks. One advantage for them is that they’ve faced teams in the Pac-12 that are better at stopping the run than the pass in the last month. Outside of the game against Stanford when the Cardinal was able to get into the backfield, Mariota completed 70 percent of his passes or better in four of his last five games. That includes a whopping 87 percent against USC when he missed on just three passes.

Obviously, Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas, the other two main threats to run the ball, will have quite a time against the 17th-best rush defense in the nation. That means if no running game gets produced, expect DAT to be used a little bit more for his playmaking ability and potential lining up as a wide receiver.

What will vastly help Oregon is the improved health on defense. Dion Jordan, their star defensive end that’s struggled with injuries in the latter half of the season, should be ready to go. Given some playing time now for at least a month, the secondary should be able to overcome injuries to conerback Avery Patterson (who was lost against California) and safety John Boyett (who was lost at the beginning of the season).

[Also see: Previewing KSU's Offense]

Prediction:

Lots of talk is centered around how Oregon will respond to the assumption that Chip Kelly will be going to the NFL amid NCAA sanctions. If there’s anything that Kelly can do, it’s get his team prepared and focused for a game regardless of what distractions there are. The Ducks have had to get over losing their leader in Boyett, making clutch plays on the road at USC when a game finally got competitive, losing their entire defensive line against California, and almost came away with a victory over Stanford when their offense was shut down.

The offense may come out slow like it has in other BCS games, but they should be able to get things going at half. The only question will be how well Collin Klein and his team do with this layoff. After a slow start by both teams, Oregon should be able to break through running the ball on the Wildcats. That will make Mariota both comfortable and able to throw on a weak secondary.

Oregon 43, Kansas State 31