GLENDALE, Ariz. — De’Anthony Thomas and Marcus Mariota led No. 4 Oregon to another 12-win season Thursday, its third in a row.
It is an open question whether Ducks coach Chip Kelly will be around to go for another.
Kelly reportedly will interview with the Buffalo Bills about their coaching vacancy Friday, a day after Oregon’s 35-17 victory over No. 5 Kansas State in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Kelly also has been linked to open NFL jobs in Cleveland and Philadelphia.
“I’ve said I’ll always listen. That’s what I’ll do. People want to talk to us because of our players. It’s an honor that someone would say they want to talk to me. It’s because of what those guys do,” said Kelly, who is 46-7 in four years at Oregon.
“It’s a fact-find mission. See what fits and doesn’t fit. I’ve been in one interview in my life. That’s what this deal is all about for me. If people do call, we’ll try to get it wrapped up quickly and move on.”
Thomas took the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown and Mariota accounted for three touchdowns.
Mariota threw touchdown passes of 23 yards to Thomas and 24 yards to Kenjon Barner and also scored on a 2-yard run.
The Ducks (12-1) also were 12-1 in 2010 and 12-2 in 2011, and they will finish in the top five in the final poll for the third straight season.
“They are a very, very talented team. We were beaten by a better team. We just didn’t play that way tonight, just made too many mistakes,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said.
Mariota, a redshirt freshman, completed 12 of 24 passes for 166 yards and had 62 yards rushing. Mariota finished the season with a school-record 68.4 completion percentage, just short of Sam Bradford’s NCAA freshman record of 69.5 percent set at Oklahoma in 2006. Mariota also set a school record with 38 total touchdowns.
Barner, a senior, rushed for 140 yards on 30 carries in his final game.
Kansas State senior quarterback Collin Klein, who finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, scored on a 6-yard run and completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to John Hubert. Klein completed 17 of 32 passes for 150 yards and two interceptions. He had 30 yards rushing, and John Hubert had 55.
“It’s hard. It’s not the way any of us wanted to go out. They executed better than we did” Klein said.
Oregon led 15-10 before scoring 17 straight points to take control, a run that included an unusual one-point safety. The Ducks were awarded a point when a Kansas State player carried the ball into the end zone attempting to advance it after the Wildcats blocked the PAT kick following Mariota’s run with 8:03 remaining in the third quarter.
Oregon needed all of 12 seconds to introduce its speed to Kansas State in the first meeting between the two schools. The Ducks won the toss, and Thomas took it 94 yards for touchdown, untouched along the right sideline. Defensive end Dion Jordan took a deep snap in the spread formation and ran over left tackle for the two-point conversion. Jordan also had a two-point conversion reception in the Ducks’ season opener.
“I feel like my role in this game was to be a game-changer,” Thomas said. “Once I saw the opening, I just wanted to get into the end zone fast and celebrate with my teammates.”
Said Snyder, “It obviously puts you in a compromising situation.”
Mariota completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Thomas with 3:46 left in the first quarter, and Alejandro Maldonado kicked the extra point for a 15-0 lead.
Klein, under pressure, scrambled out of the pocket and scored on 6-yard run around left end with 13:26 remaining in the second quarter to complete a 58-yard drive and make it 15-7.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Wildcats went 59 yards to set up Anthony Cantele’s 25-yard field goal.
The Wildcats stopped Oregon on a fake punt on its next possession, but Cantele missed a 40-yard attempt and the Ducks took a 22-10 halftime lead on Mariota’s 24-yard pass to Kenjon Barner with 14 seconds remaining. The Ducks went 77 yards in 46 seconds.
“We got into our thythm, and that opened up things,” Mariota said.
Maldonado added a 33-yard field goal on the Ducks’ first drive of the third quarter to make it 25-10.
NOTES: Oregon played in its fourth consecutive BCS game, all four years Kelly has been the coach. The Ducks joined USC (2003-09), Ohio State (2006-11) and Miami (2001-04) as the only schools to have played in four consecutive BCS games since the BCS format was established. … Kansas State reached 11 victories for the seventh time in the last 16 seasons, all under Snyder, who is in his second stint at the school after returning in 2009 following a three-year retirement. … Carve four hours out of Nov. 17, and Oregon and Kansas State could have played in the BCS title game. The schools lost within four minutes of each other that day, when Baylor beat No. 1 Kansas State 52-24 and Stanford beat No. 2 Oregon 17-14 in overtime.