Cotton Bowl, Arkansas Vs. Kansas State: Hogs Win BCS Outcast Game, 29-16

This should make for the fourth top-five poll finish in program history.

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Because it was told nobody could actually cross a road this congested without aid of sonar. Pretty weird thing to tell a pass. Nobody usually even talks to passes at all.

Count all the things that could’ve gone wrong with this many hands in the vicinity:

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The Hogs are all the way up to 239 total yards worth of offense. They averaged 446 per game on the season. K-State gets the ball back with about 18 minutes to go, having gotten the ball moving a little bit on their own as of late.

D.D. Jones already looks terrifying. The Arkansas defensive lineman is huge, has a massive lumberjack beard, can probably squat your house, and looks to be at least 15 years older than everyone on the team. His presence across from you in a three-point stance is already its own horrific fight-or-flight scenario.

When he loses his helmet, though? There may no words for the horror that is D.D. Jones, unconcerned for his own welfare or yours, running into you and finishing with a helmetless piledriver.

Kitchen adds that Williams could be cleared to leave the hospital tonight.

A JUCO transfer from Hutchinson Community College, the 6-foot-2, 245-pound Williams had 27 tackles, including 10 for a loss and a team-high seven quarterback sacks on the season.

SI.com: Live Cotton Bowl box score and Cotton Bowl FAQ

Shouldn’t be a surprise to see K-State posting all of these points, as they’re all the way up to 120 yards on the game. Whoa! Slow down, there!

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Here’s the hit, followed by Williams’ salute:

SI.com: Live Cotton Bowl box score and Cotton Bowl FAQ

Did you know defenses get two points for running back PATs? If you didn’t, you should thank the Cotton Bowl for today’s football education.

SI.com: Live Cotton Bowl box score and Cotton Bowl FAQ

It was a 46-yarder, set up by a number of outstanding blocks and at least one block in the back:

SI.com: Live Cotton Bowl box score and Cotton Bowl FAQ

Talk about the Great Plains!

It’s early yet in the Cotton Bowl, but if rabid enthusiasm combined with rockin’ ponytails were points, the Razorbacks would already be up by three touchdowns.

All that for a four-and-out.

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Before they do, the fan frenzy leading up to the game is already at a fever pitch.

Kansas State fans showed up 15,000 strong to a pep rally Thursday night, just in case you were wondering how hyped up they are.

The Rootability Index helps you, the uninvested neutral viewer, who to root for in bowl games. The last big bowl before the Fais-Do-Do in Quarter is upon us: the Cotton Bowl, featuring Kansas State and Arkansas, is tonight. The sponsor’s name, however, will not appear in this column since they seem happy dropping us whenever they please during phone calls, and because turnabout is fair play.

ROOTABILITY FACTORS. A matchup of top 25 teams would normally end up all over ESPN, and receive its own Musburgerian sobriquet.

NOTE: Confused? See the quick glossary at the bottom.

It is difficult to use statistics to show why Kansas State was able to win 10 games this year. It is much easier to simply say “Bill Snyder is a wizard,” and leave it at that. And honestly, that summary is both accurate and concise. It bears mentioning, however, that the type of wizardry Snyder has shown in 2011 is a completely different type than what led to KSU’s string of seven seasons with double-digit wins in nine years (1995-2003).

Kansas State closed out the regular season with three consecutive victories to improve to 10-2 overall, and the club nearly knocked off the Big 12’s best team, Oklahoma State in early November. The Wildcats’ 10 regular season victories were their most since 2003, and just one shy of the school record. K-State is set to play in its 15th bowl game in school history and 13th under Bill Snyder, who is in his second tenure as head coach of the program. The ‘Cats are 6-6 all-time in bowls under the legendary coach. Following 11 straight bowls from 1993-2003 under Snyder, KSU has now gone bowling in each of the last two seasons following last year’s berth in the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl in New York City.

Speaking of the Razorbacks, they have reason to be proud of their performance this season, as the only two losses came against Alabama and LSU, the two teams that will square off in the BCS Championship Game. Arkansas is no stranger to the Cotton Bowl, as it will make its 12th appearance in the game, yet just three victories have been earned in the 11 showings to date. Last season, coach Bobby Petrino led the program to its first-ever BCS game, a Sugar Bowl battle with Ohio State that resulted in defeat. Arkansas is making its 39th postseason appearance and owns a 12-23-3 record all-time.

↵↵Sounds like surprises all around when Bobby Petrino took the Arkansas job, am I right? Despite its quality and history, the Cotton almost certainly will never be a BCS game, since the 2014-and-onward BCS contract is likely to exclude the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta and Orange.

Two years ago the game moved from the stadium named for it to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas and last year the game left its usual daytime time slot for primetime.

Last year’s matchup between LSU and Texas A&M was BCS-quality and so is this year’s, meaning the bowl game expects to see big numbers once again.

You’ve heard of teams piping in crowd noise during practices to prep for loud stadiums. Here’s what that looks and sounds like in advance of the Cotton Bowl:

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To put it in even starker perspective, Arkansas is 4-14 in bowl games since 1982.

If they truly want to be considered among the elite programs in the SEC and the nation, the Raorbacks need to start winning games in December and January. A Cotton Bowl victory here would be a good start.

“I don’t know so much that it’s just their offense or just their defense,” Snyder told The Wichita Eagle. “I just see them as a well-balanced football team. They have strengths in all segments of the game. I think they are a very physical defensive football team, they’re a very fast football team, they’re a sound defensive football team. But I could say very, very positive things, which I have, about their offense and their kicking game. I just think they are a well-balanced football team.”

For the latest updates on the Cotton Bowl, be sure to follow this StoryStream. For more on Kansas State, visit Bring On The Cats. For updates on Arkansas, visit Arkansas Expats.

Haynes replaces Wily Robinson, who was dismissed last week.

One might argue a better, more attainable goal would be becoming a better defense within the SEC, where the Razorbacks ranked ninth in 2011. Four SEC defenses allowed more than 100 yards less per game than Arkansas’ 371.4-yard average in 2011.

Everyone knows The Honey Badger. But what about Optimus Klein?

If Klein makes it to the NFL, we may just get the showdown we’ve all been waiting for. Optimus vs. Megatron (Detroit Lions’ WR Calvin Johnson). I guess we’ll save that for the sequel.