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FIESTA BOWL Oregon 35, Kansas State 17Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) escapes the reach of Kansas State linebacker Justin Tuggle (2) and Ryan Mueller (44) during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday in Glendale.Oregon scores on opening drive takes Fiesta Bowl in GlendaleTHE ASSOCIATED PRESSGLENDALE — Oregon’s DeAnthony Thomas raced 94 yards for a touchdown on the opening kickoff.The fifth-ranked Ducks barely looked back after that.Triggered by Thomas’ attention-grabbing return, Oregon raced past No. 7 Kansas State 35-17 Thursday night at the Fiesta Bowl in what may have been coach Chip Kelly’s final game with the Ducks.“Our focus was on this game tonight,” Kelly said. “If for some reason, someone wanted to talk to me, it’s because of those players over there. We have an unbelievable team, an unbelievable program and any success is because of those guys.”Teams that had that national title aspirations end on the same day, Oregon and Kansas State ended up in the desert for a marquee matchup billed as a battle of styles: The fast-flying Ducks vs. the execution-is-everythingWildcats.With Kelly reportedly talking to several NFL teams, Oregon (12-1) was too much for Kansas State and its Heisman Trophy finalist, Collin Klein. The Ducks tried to turn the game into a track meet, and it worked from the start.Thomas followed his before-everyone-sat-down kickoff return with a 23-yard touchdown catch, finishing with 195 total yards.Kenjon Barner ran for 143 yards on 31 carries and scored on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Mariota in the second quarter. Mariota later scored on a 2-yard run in the third quarter, capped by an obscure 1-point safety that went in the Ducks’ favor.Even Oregon’s defense got into the act, intercepting Klein twice and holding him to 30 yards on 13 carries.“We got beat by a better team tonight, combined by the fact that we let down from time totime,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder saidWhether Kelly leaves Eugene or not, he had a good run, leading the Ducks to four straight trips to BCS bowls, the last two wins.“It’s amazing,” said Barner, a senior. “Just to go out like this, the Fiesta Bowl with my teammates, the coaching staff, I couldn’t be happier.”Last year’s Fiesta Bowl was an offensive fiesta, with Oklahoma State outlasting Stanford 41-38 in overtime.The 2013 version was an upgrade: Nos. 4 and 5 in the BCS, two of the nation’s best offenses, dynamic players and superbly successful coaches on both sides.Oregon has become the standard for go-go-go football under Kelly, its fleet of Ducks making those shiny helmets — green like Christmas tree bulbs for the Fiesta Bowl — and flashySee FIESTA BOWL, Page B3
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Sierra Vista the Herald
Sierra Vista, Arizona, US
Fri, Jan 04, 2013
Page 35
Full Page
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Chris P.
USA 19 May 2023
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