Heading into No. 4 Oregon's battle with No. 5 Kansas State in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Ducks sophomore running back De'Anthony Thomas is preparing himself for a battle with a physical Wildcats squad.

Thomas is reminded of Pac-12 rival Stanford by Kansas State, calling them "big ... very physical". Ducks head coach Chip Kelly has made sure his explosive back has taken notice of Wildcats senior linebacker Arthur Brown in particular, who Thomas refers to "a very physical player" who "runs to the ball a lot".

Brown was a monster in the Wildcats' final two contests of the regular season, collecting 22 tackles (16 solo) and assisting on six other tackles.

Despite Thomas' awareness of the physically strong discipline of the Wildcats' defense, the Ducks' third-leading rusher is confident that he and his teammates will come out on top on Thursday night.

"As long as we play Oregon football, we'll get the win."

Kickoff at the Fiesta Bowl is slated for 6:30 p.m. MT on Thursday, Jan. 3, and the game will be televised on ESPN.