Cotton Bowl 2012: Collin Klein Will Lead Kansas State to Blowout Victory

Kansas State’s quarterback, Collin Klein, may not get as one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12. However, after he leads Kansas State to a huge Cotton Bowl victory, he will be known as the most feared quarterback in the Big 12.

Klein may not strike fear into opposing defenses hearts with his passing abilities. He only had a completion percentage of 57.8, 1,745 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. All of those numbers ranked Kansas State either near the bottom or dead last in the Big 12. 

However, Klein’s rushing skills,will enable him to run all over the Razorbacks defense in the Cotton Bowl, which will result in Kansas State dominating this game.

Those rushing skills placed Klein among the leaders of the Big 12 in rushing with 1,099 yards and 26 touchdowns on 293 rushing attempts. His 7.0 yards per carry made him a nightmare for secondaries, when they thought that Klein was going to pass, instead of opting to run.

This year, Klein’s style of play led Kansas State to huge victories over Texas A&M, Texas, Baylor and Miami (FL). In each of those games, Klein had multiple touchdowns, with his best passing game coming against Baylor, where he had two touchdowns and 146 passing yards. His best rushing game came against Texas A&M where he had 103 rushing yards and five touchdowns. 

Against an Arkansas defense that gave up 174 yards per game and 20 touchdowns to running backs this year, Klein will have no problems putting up points.

When the Razorbacks went up against a team that relied heavily on the running game, like LSU, they were blown out 41-17. 

That game saw LSU’s offense rack up an overwhelming 286 rushing yards, three touchdowns and 6.2 yards per carry on 46 rushing attempts. Arkansas allowed LSU’s quarterback, Jordan Jefferson, to rush only seven times. However, those seven times saw Jefferson gain 53 yards, with one carry going for 48 yards. 

Klein should have no problem finding holes in the Arkansas defensive line and linebackers to have big gains, resulting in a final rushing stat line of 23 carries, 145 yards and three touchdowns. 

By doing so, it will lead to a Kansas State double-digit victory and earning the J. Curtis Sanford Trophy as the MVP of the Cotton Bowl. 

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