Cotton Bowl 2012: Kansas State's Rushing Attack Will Steamroll Razorbacks

In the Cotton Bowl, Kansas State’s greatest resistance on the ground will be the smoke that they run through coming out of the tunnel.  Arkansas is loaded on the offensive side of the football, but their defense is another story.  The Wildcats will stampede the Razorbacks' subpar defensive-front all day long.

Going into bowl season, Arkansas ranked 79^th in the nation in rushing yards allowed per game.  But that’s also taking their performances against Missouri State, New Mexico and Troy into account.  Matched up with respectable opponents, the Razorbacks defense got sliced apart.

Arkansas allowed 197 rushing yards vs. Alabama, 286 vs. LSU, 291 vs. Auburn and 381 vs. Texas A&M.  I would say the Razorbacks are in for a long day, but they’ll actually be in for a painfully short day because the Wildcats are going to be able to control the clock.

K-State’s Collin Klein is one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in college football.  This season, while he recorded 1,745 passing yards and 12 touchdowns through the air, he also led the team in rushing with 1,099 yards on the ground and, brace yourself for this number, 26 touchdowns. 

Unluckily for the Razorbacks, Klein isn’t just a one-man show.  Halfback John Hubert rushed for 933 yards and three touchdowns this year.  Those numbers may not pop out at you like Klein’s, but Hubert did all of that on 5.0 yards a pop.

K-State only lost to two teams all season long: Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.  They also faced off with and defeated a Robert Griffin III-led Baylor team that boasts an even more powerful, high-flying offense than the Razorbacks.

Arkansas is an extremely talented team and deserves a BCS bowl game, not a trip to the Cotton Bowl, but the Wildcats may just be the worst possible matchup Bobby Petrino’s crew could’ve drawn.

David Daniels is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels