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2013 Fiesta Bowl: Oregon and Kansas State QB's take different approach to success

Although Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota and Kansas State's Collin Klein are both dual-threat quarterbacks, they don't have nearly as much as common as most think heading into the 2013 Fiesta Bowl. Mariota is a skinny and fast red-shirt freshman, while Klein is a powerful and strong fifth-year senior.

By Aaron Torres
US PRESSWIRE

At first glance, the 2013 Fiesta Bowl appears to be a match-up of very similar dual-threat quarterbacks in Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Kansas State's Collin Klein. However, as ESPN.com's Ted Miller pointed out on Wednesday morning, they don't have nearly as much in common as most fans think.

Starting with Klein, he is a 6'5, 226-pound physical quarterback who prefers to run with power rather than speed. As Miller pointed out, he was one of only four players who had 200 yards rushing in the red zone this season, a big reason he finished with 22 rushing touchdowns. That's in addition to the 15 passing scores he threw for as well.

As for Mariota, he is a much skinnier 6'4, 196-pound red-shirt freshman who -- despite running Chip Kelly's fast-paced spread offense -- prefers to beat opponents with his arms instead of his legs. Mariota finished the 2012 regular season ranked sixth nationally in passing efficiency, and also tossed 30 touchdowns with just six interceptions. Meanwhile, when Mariota does run the ball, he is much speedier than Klein; Mariota averaged seven yards per carry this season, compared to Klein's 4.6.

The two quarterbacks will do battle in Thursday's Fiesta Bowl, which is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.