Football Faces Final Road Test of 2006 Season
11/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 13, 2006
Missouri Tigers (7-3, 3-3) at Iowa State Cyclones (3-8, 0-7)
Nov. 18, 2006 — Jack Trice Stadium — Ames, Iowa
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TIGERS FACE FINAL ROAD TEST OF THE 2006 SEASON
The Missouri Tigers (7-3 overall, 3-3 in Big 12 Conference play), take to the road one more time, as they wrap up the road portion of their 2006 season with a Saturday afternoon contest at the Iowa State Cyclones (3-8, 0-7). Kickoff for the non-televised game is set for 1 p.m. at ISU's Jack Trice Stadium.
Mizzou is looking to get back on track after dropping its last two games, at home two weeks ago to #19 Oklahoma (26-10), and the next week at Nebraska (34-20). The Tigers are coming off a bye week, and will close the regular season Nov. 25th at home vs. Kansas.
Iowa State will conclude their 2006 season looking to send Head Coach Dan McCarney out a winner. McCarney announced his resignation last week prior to the Cyclones' 33-16 loss at Colorado on Saturday, which was ISU's 6th-straight defeat, and 8th loss in their last 9 games.
TIGERS AND DEANS DON'T MIX
The men of Animal House made it their group's ambition to drive Dean Wormer out of Faber College. It hasn't necessarily been the goal of the Mizzou Tiger football team to have a similar mindset, but that's exactly what is happening for the 2nd straight year.
This Saturday will be the final game for Iowa State Head Coach Dan McCarney, who announced his resignation last week. McCarney, in his 12th season at ISU, is the Dean of Big 12 coaches.
Oddly enough, this will mark the 2nd straight year that Mizzou has ended the tenure of the Big 12's Dean of coaches.
In 2005, Kansas State Head Coach Bill Snyder announced his retirement the week of that year's regular-season finale at Kansas State. Snyder was the Dean of Big 12 coaches at the time (in his 17th year), and while the Tigers held a 14-point lead into the 3rd quarter, the Wildcats played off the emotions of the day and staged a 36-28 comeback win to send Snyder out a winner.
TIGERS LOOK TO GET BACK IN WINNERS' CIRCLE SATURDAY AT IOWA STATE
Even though the Missouri Tigers lost their chance at controlling their own destiny with a 34-20 loss last time out at Nebraska, Mizzou still has plenty of incentive to finish the season strong.
At 7-3 heading into Saturday's game at Iowa State, Mizzou has an opportunity to make the 2006 season a special one.
If the Tigers can manage to come away from Ames victorious Saturday, that would give them 8 regular season wins for only the 10th time in the school's 116 years of football – and only the 6th time since World War II.
If the Tigers can turn that trick, Head Coach Gary Pinkel would join MU legends Don Faurot and Dan Devine as the only Mizzou coaches to achieve that distinction. Faurot won 8 regular season games 4 times, while Devine did it twice. Pinkel's 2003 Tiger team went 8-4 in the regular season before ending 8-5.
Mizzou's 8-win regular seasons include 2003, 1980, 1969 (9 wins), 1960 (10 wins including a forfeit win from Kansas), 1948, 1942, 1941, 1939 and 1899 (9 wins).
Additionally, a Tiger win Saturday in Ames would move MU to 8-3 for the first time since 1980, when MU went 8-3 in the regular season, before ending 8-4 after a loss in the Liberty Bowl.
TIGER SCHEDULE RANKS 20TH PER NCAA CALCULATIONS
Through games of Nov. 11th, Mizzou's schedule rates as the nation's 20th-toughest, according to the combined record of opponents played so far. The figures count only games played against Div. I-A opponents, and the numbers show that MU's previous 9 Div. I-A foes have a combined record of 45-33 (57.7%), which ranks 3rd in the Big 12 and 20th nationally.
The Big 12 stacks up like this currently (national rankings): 11. Nebraska (49-34 = 59.0%); 13. Texas (53-37 = 58.9%); 20. Mizzou (45-33 = 57.7%); 25. Oklahoma State (45-34 = 57.0%); 44. Texas Tech (46-40 = 53.5%); 45. Oklahoma (47-41 = 53.4%); 56. Baylor (44-42 = 51.2%); 59. Texas A&M (42-41 = 50.6%); 65. Kansas State (42-43 = 49.4%); 80. Colorado (40-46 = 46.5%); 82. Iowa State (40-47 = 46.0%); 108. Kansas (31-45 = 40.8%).
MU's D-IA non-conference foes have current records of: Ohio (7-3), New Mexico (5-5) and Mississippi (3-7).
LAST TIME OUT: NEBRASKA 34, MIZZOU 20
Nebraska took control of the Big 12 North Division race, as the homestanding Huskers converted 3 Mizzou turnovers into 14 points, which was the difference in NU's 34-20 win in Lincoln on Nov. 4th. Nebraska jumped out to a 27-3 2nd-quarter lead, thanks in large part to a pair of Tiger interceptions that NU turned into TDs the other way.
Mizzou came into the game with hopes of taking over sole possession of 1st place in the North, and was looking for its first win in Lincoln since 1978. Things looked promising early, as the Tigers forced a Husker fumble near midfield on Nebraska's opening possession, but MU couldn't manage a first down, and had to punt the ball away.
The Huskers responded by scoring on three straight possessions, including a field goal and a pair of touchdowns – with the last TD coming after a Tiger interception on MU's 22 yardline – to take a 17-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter.
Mizzou's high-powered offense, which was held in check early on (16 yards in its first 11 plays, with 3 punts and 1 interception), eventually got untracked and put together a 70-yard drive that ended in a Jeff Wolfert FG to cut it to 17-3. After a Husker punt, Mizzou was driving with the ball at midfield, but a 2nd interception of MU's Chase Daniel (with both coming on tipped passes), and subsequent return to the Tiger 17 yardline set up Nebraska for another short drive that they converted into a TD for a 24-3 lead.
Forced to play catch-up from there, the Tigers did their best to stage a rally, but the hole was too deep. PK Jeff Wolfert did his part and more, as he connected on an MU road-record 54-yard FG at the 2nd quarter gun to make it 27-6 at halftime. Wolfert's kick was the longest ever by a Husker opponent at Nebraska's Memorial Stadium, and tied for the 2nd-longest kick in Mizzou history.
The Tigers scored first after the break on a 6-yard TD pass from Daniel to TE Martin Rucker, which cut the score to 27-13. On Nebraska's next possession, Mizzou's defense had the Huskers backed up with a 3rd-down-and-11 on the NU 32-yardline, but couldn't get off the field, as Nebraska threw a screen pass to TB Marlon Lucky that went for 26 yards and a 1st down. The Huskers ended the drive with a short TD run to begin the 4th period that made it 34-13 and effectively iced the game.
Third down was a key stat on the day, as Nebraska converted on 11-of-17 attempts, including three with 11 or more yards to go. Conversely, the Tiger offense couldn't stay on the field long enough to stage a comeback, as they could convert only 3-of-13 3rd-down tries.
Daniel threw for 244 yards and 2 TDs on the day, and TB Tony Temple had a nice day on the ground, as he gained 99 yards on 18 attempts, but the balanced Husker offensive attack was too much to overcome. Nebraska had 419 yards of total offense on the day, including 236 in the air and 183 more on the ground.
Turnovers also proved crucial, as Nebraska converted both of MU's tipped interceptions in the 1st half into 14 points, while MU forced 2 Nebraska fumbles on the day, but couldn't turn them into points. Because of the turnovers, Nebraska had 2 scoring drives for TDs that covered only 22 and 17 yards. In all, Nebraska's 6 scoring drives on the day covered a total of 281 yards (46.8 yards per scoring drive), while Mizzou had to cover an average of 64.3 yards on its 4 scoring drives.
INDIVIDUAL RECORDS FALL FOR SEVERAL TIGERS AT NEBRASKA
In spite of the loss at Nebraska, several individual records fell by the wayside last time out for Mizzou. Here's a quick recap...
- PK Jeff Wolfert was the story of the day for Mizzou, as he booted a 54-yard FG at the halftime gun. It broke an MU record for longest field goal on the road. It also broke a record for longest field goal by an opponent at Nebraska's Memorial Stadium. MU's previous record for longest road FG was a 53-yarder by Tom Whelihan at Texas in 1985. The previous record for an opponent at Nebraska's stadium was a 52-yarder by Auburn's Al Del Greco in 1981...
- Junior TE Martin Rucker became the most prolific pass-catching TE in school history, as he upped his career total to 102 catches, breaking the old mark of 101 set by former standout Andy Gibler (1979-82). Rucker caught 4 passes for 31 yards on the day, upping his career totals to 102 yards and 1,145 yards (3rd on MU TE list) and 1 TD (4th of the year, 9th career)...
- Sophomore QB Chase Daniel broke the MU single-season passing yardage record in the game, as his 244 yards on the day upped his 10-game total to 2,531 yards – breaking the old MU season record of 2,463 yards by Jeff Handy in 1992...
- Sophomore TE Chase Coffman also got into the act, as he caught a 19-yard TD pass in the 4th quarter for his 6th TD catch of the year. That tied the MU single-season TD record for TEs, putting him atop the list along with former All-American Kellen Winslow (1978) and Dwayne Blakley (1999). Coffman caught 2 passes in all for 36 yards and upped his Big 12 TE best season totals to 42 catches, for 446 yards and 6 TDs...
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BIG 12 CONFERENCE BOWL SELECTION PROCESS |
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GAME KEYS FOR TIGERS AND CYCLONES
Mizzou's ability to hold onto the ball offensively, and to get to the opposing team's quarterback on defense, have proven to be good measures of success in 2006.
In MU's 7 wins, MU is plus 6 in turnover margin (19 gained, 13 lost), while it is minus 6 in its 3 losses (4 gained, 10 lost).
The Tigers hope to hang onto the ball Saturday against an Iowa State team that ranks 99th in the NCAA in turnovers gained, with 14 in 11 games (8 fumbles, 6 interceptions).
On the other side of the ball, in MU's 7 wins, the Tiger defense has been very disruptive, as it has recorded 28 QB sacks for 166 yards in loss, while in MU's 3 losses, the Tigers have a total of 2 QB sacks for 15 yards.
Conversely, Iowa State has had a hard time protecting its QB so far, as the Cyclones come into Saturday's game ranking 109th nationally in sacks allowed, with an average of 3.36 per game given up.
Lastly, interceptions on defense have proven to trend toward Tiger success so far, as MU has gained 10 interceptions in its 7 wins, and has not made an interception in its 3 losses.
Offensively, Iowa State has thrown 11 interceptions on the season, which ranks them 69th in the NCAA statistical standings coming into Saturday's game.
TURNOVERS LOOM LARGER THAN LIFE IN TIGER LOSSES
When taking a look at Mizzou's trio of losses this season (25-19 at Texas A&M, 26-10 at home to Oklahoma and 34-20 at Nebraska), the biggest thing that stands out is turnovers.
In those losses, MU has turned the ball over 10 times (5 fumbles, 5 INTs), and those have been converted into 41 opponent points (10 by A&M, 17 by OU, 14 by NU), while Mizzou has forced just 4 turnovers (for 10 points) in those games.
Conversely, in Mizzou's 7 wins, the Tigers have forced 19 turnovers and converted those into 69 points, while giving up 13 turnovers that foes have turned into 45 points.
What isn't reflected on the stat sheet in two of those losses were plays that MU didn't make that ended up being so instrumental in the defeats. Against A&M, WR Will Franklin fumbled going into the endzone on the 3rd play of the game – on what would have been a 65-yard TD pass – and instead of a quick 7-0 lead for MU, A&M got a touchback and drove for a FG to take a 3-0 lead (a 10-point swing).
Against Oklahoma, a similar momentum swing occurred, as TE Chase Coffman had a pass from QB Chase Daniel go off his fingers that would have easily gone for a 66-yard TD that would have given MU a 10-0 lead in the 1st quarter. Instead of that, however, the ball fell to the ground, and on the next play Daniel had a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage, and intercepted by OU. The Sooners drove just 34 yards for a TD to take a 7-3 lead – a 14-point swing going against the Tigers.
DANIEL, CROSSETT EARN ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONORS
Sophomore QB Chase Daniel and junior P Adam Crossett were named last week to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team for CoSIDA District 7.
Daniel was honored for his 3.29 grade point average in business administration, while Crossett was cited for his 3.72 GPA in business marketing.
PINKEL HAS WON 15 OF LAST 23 GAMES AT MIZZOU
Mizzou Head Coach Gary Pinkel is in his sixth season at MU and touts a career record of 109-70-3 (60.7%). His career winning percentage of 60.2% to begin the season ranked him 23rd in the nation among active Division I-A coaches with a minimum of seven years coached.
Pinkel, who has led MU to a combined record of 27-19 over the past four seasons (including 15 wins in his last 23 games dating back to the 2004 season finale), and to bowl games in 2003 and 2005, has a six-year record in Columbia of 36-33 (52.2%).
The 2006 season got off to an historic start for Pinkel and his Tigers, as he led MU to its first 6-0 start since 1973, and its first 7-1 start to a season since 1969. Mizzou heads into its final 2 games of the regular season with an outside shot at winning its first conference title in football since the 1969 season – not bad for a team that was picked in the pre-season by Big 12 media to finish in 5th place.
With a team picked to finish 4th in the Big 12 North in 2005, Pinkel's Tigers tied for 2nd place last year (winning all tiebreakers), and were playing for a chance to share for the division title heading into the regular-season finale. Pinkel has led MU to two bowl games, and with a third on the horizon in 2006, that puts him in select company, as he joins Don Faurot, Dan Devine, Al Onofrio, and Warren Powers as the only coaches to guide MU to three bowl games. After beating Nebraska (41-24 in 2005) for the second time in three years, Pinkel became the first MU coach since Onofrio to defeat NU twice.
Mizzou's 34-7 win over Ole Miss earlier this year drew him above the .500 mark at Mizzou. Pinkel is the first Tiger coach since Powers to have an MU record of above .500 after at least one full season of coaching (Powers left after the 1984 season with an MU record of 46-33-3).
Pinkel has driven Mizzou to a pair of winning seasons (8-5 in 2003 and 7-5 in 2005) in his five previous years at the wheel, with those representing two of MU's four winning campaigns dating back to the 1983 season. With a winning season in 2006, he would become the first MU coach since Powers to have three winning years.
MIZZOU-IOWA STATE SERIES HISTORY
Mizzou and Iowa State will meet for the 99th time when they square off this Saturday in Ames, Iowa. Mizzou holds a 56-33-9 lead in the previous 98 meetings, and has won 3 straight games coming into the 2006 contest. The last two Tiger wins have been heartbreakers for the Cyclone camp, as Mizzou has won in overtime in both 2004 (17-14 in Ames) and 2005 (27-24 in Columbia).
Both of those games were eventually won courtesy the kicking leg of Adam Crossett, who connected on a 26-yarder in OT in 2005, and a 25-yarder in OT in 2004. The 2005 kick ended the game, as ISU had missed a 43-yarder to begin the extra period, while Crossett's kick in 2004 gave MU the lead, and the Tiger defense sealed the win by intercepting the Cyclones in the endzone on ISU's ensuing possession.
Mizzou also claimed a 45-7 win in Columbia in 2003, giving the Tigers a 3-game winning streak in the series. A Tiger win this Saturday in Ames would give MU 4 straight wins over the Cyclones for the first time since Mizzou won 10 straight dating from 1956-65.
Mizzou is also looking for consecutive wins in Ames for the first time since winning 3 straight there in 1983, 1985 and 1987.
Overall, MU has won 8 of the last 13 meetings, dating back to 1993. Just prior to that, ISU rolled off 5-straight wins from 1988-92, which represented the Cyclones' longest win streak int he series.
Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference, the teams stand dead even at 5 wins apiece in their 10 previous meetings, with ISU holding a 3-2 edge in games played in Ames.
Mizzou Head Coach Gary Pinkel is 3-2 in his 5 previous games against Iowa State and Coach Dan McCarney, while McCarney enters his final game as ISU coach with a 5-6 overall mark in his 11 previous years against the Tigers (2-3 vs. Pinkel).
TROPHY GAMES LOOM LARGE AS 2006 SEASON DRAWS TO A CLOSE
Most every school has goofy trophies that they play rivals for each year, and Mizzou is no exception. Each of MU's final 2 opponents to close out the regular season will be vying with the Tigers for bragging rights, and the right to put a trophy under glass for a year.
Here's a quick look at the trophy games remaining for Mizzou...
MU-ISU TELEPHONE TROPHY — Issued to the winner of the Missouri-Iowa State football game ... Originated in 1959 ... The strangest of circumstances led to this trophy ... Prior to the 1959 game in Ames, a Missouri assistant coach put on his headset in the press box and got a big surprise — he could hear the Iowa State coaches chatting, since the wires were crossed and each side could hear the other ... Northwestern Bell of Ames donated the trophy, made of Alexander Graham Bell's chief invention ... Missouri won the first game, 14-0.
MU-KU BASS DRUM — Issued to the winner of the Missouri-Kansas football game ... Originated in 1935 ... Trophy was originally conceived as Indian War Drum in nature by a couple of Mizzou alumni, since Osage Indians roamed the plains of Kansas and Missouri long before the state universities were founded ... Original intent was to stimulate new interest in longtime series that had dwindled during the Depression of the '30s and MU's all-time low in football victories ... Supposedly authentic Indian drum was purchased in a Kansas City pawn shop, and new drum was acquired prior to 1986 game ... Autographed originally on both drum heads by KU and MU alumni ... Tradition was temporarily forgotten for a few years but resumed on an annual basis in 1947 ... The first game ended in a scoreless tie.
LAST YEAR REWIND: MIZZOU 27, IOWA STATE 24 (OT)
Freshman quarterback Chase Daniel led Missouri to two fourth-quarter scores, and Adam Crossett's 26-yard field goal in overtime gave the Tigers a 27-24 win over Iowa State, equalling the largest 4th-quarter comeback win in recent school history.
Iowa State had the ball first in overtime, and Bret Culbertson was wide right on a 43-yard field goal attempt. Missouri then took possession on the 25-yard line, and Daniel completed an 8-yard pass and ran three times to set up Crossett's game-winner.
Missouri's rally came without its best player, quarterback Brad Smith, the school's all-time leader in both rushing and passing. With the Tigers down 24-14 and facing second-and-10 at their 25 with just under nine minutes left, Smith was hit in the head on a tackle by Iowa State linebacker Tim Dobbins.
Smith was down for a couple of minutes before slowly walking off on his own with a teammate's arm around him.
Enter Daniel, a highly regarded recruit from Texas whom coach Gary Pinkel had played for at least one series each game coming in.
Taking over on third-and-10, Daniel completed 5 passes for 63 yards - including one on 4th-and-7. Crossett's 19-yard field goal made it 24-17 with 4:44 to play.
Missouri got the ball back with 2:32 left, and Daniel led an 87-yard drive, completing six passes for 75 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown pass to Sean Coffey with 20 seconds to play.
Missouri's defense scored twice during a 3-play sequence in the 1st quarter to put MU ahead 14-0.
Safety William Moore stepped in front of a short pass by Bret Meyer and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown with 7:10 to play in the quarter.
Two plays and 44 seconds later, Iowa State's Jason Harris fumbled on a hit by Jamar Smith, and Xzavie Jackson picked up the ball and ran 16 yards for a touchdown.
Then Iowa State took over, scoring 24 straight points while flustering Smith, who statistically had the lowest yardage output of his career. He rushed for 39 yards on 11 carries and completed just eight passes for just 45 yards. He also threw an interception and fumbled.
Iowa State made it 14-7 early in the second quarter on Ryan Kock's 1-yard-run on fourth-and-goal. It was the first of three 1-yard scores for Kock.
The Cyclones then used 9:15 off the clock but had to settle for Culbertson's 42-yard field goal with 31 seconds left in the half.
On the last play of third quarter, Smith's pass over the middle was intercepted by Nik Moser and returned 19 yards to the Missouri 10. Three plays later, Kock scored his second touchdown.
Brad Ekwerekwu's fumble on a reverse at the Missouri 36 early in the fourth quarter gave the Cyclones good field position, setting up Kock's third touchdown.
LAST TIME IN AMES: MIZZOU 17, IOWA STATE 14 (2004)
Adam Crossett's 25-yard field goal in overtime, the first of his college career, gave Missouri the lead and A.J. Kincade's interception preserved a 17-14 victory for the Tigers in Ames, Iowa, to cap the 2004 season, and dashed Iowa State's hopes of its first conference title since 1912.
Missouri (5-6, 3-5 Big 12) salvaged a sweet ending to a tough season by breaking a five-game losing streak and keeping Iowa State (6-5, 4-4) from winning the Big 12 North outright.
The Cyclones tied Colorado for first, but Colorado advanced to the conference title game because it beat Iowa State.
Iowa State, which last won a football championship in 1912, had a chance to win it in regulation. But Bret Culbertson was wide right on a 24-yard field goal attempt with 1:02 left, leaving the crowd of 40,626 in a gloomy silence.
Missouri got the ball first in overtime and drove to the Iowa State 7. Coach Gary Pinkel then summoned Crossett, a freshman who took over the place-kicking job only a week ago and had been 0-for-2 on field goals. But he split the uprights from the left hash mark, putting the pressure on Iowa State.
On the Cyclones' first play, tight end Ben Barkema sneaked into the secondary and was wide open at the 7, but Bret Meyer threw the ball behind him and Barkema couldn't hold on.
Iowa State still drove to a first-and-goal at the 3, then lost 3 yards on two plays. On third down, Meyer tried to lob the ball to Jon Davis in the end zone, but Kincade picked it off, denying the Cyclones a championship that was in their grasp.
Missouri's Brad Smith carried 21 times for 101 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown run, and completed 13 of 24 passes for 150 yards with one interception. But his biggest play was a touchdown-saving tackle after a Missouri fumble.
Iowa State's Nik Moser knocked the ball from receiver Thomson Omboga, Steve Paris picked it up at the Missouri 34 and sprinted down the left sideline. Smith bumped Paris out of bounds at the Missouri 15 to save a potential touchdown.
The Cyclones ran three running plays before calling on Culbertson, a walk-on freshman. He had been 7-for-8 on field goals since winning the kicking job but missed the chip shot that might have given the Cyclones the victory.
Though Missouri had nothing to play for, the Tigers came up with a spirited effort on a day that started with the wind chill at 22 degrees and a northwest wind howling at 25 to 35 mph.
The Tigers took a 14-7 lead in the third quarter when Smith caught Iowa State in a blitz and sprinted 36 yards to the end zone through a big hole in the right side of the line. Iowa State tied it on Stevie Hicks' 2-yard touchdown run with 8:58 left, a play set up by Meyer's 35-yard completion to Todd Blythe.
Meyer's 13-yard TD run on an option keeper tied it at 7 in the second quarter, right after Missouri had gone up 7-0 with a 94-yard, nine-play drive against the wind.
Marcus Woods took care of the drive's final 29 yards, breaking two tackles on a 24-yard run to the 5, and taking it in on the next play.
Chase Daniel HAVING RECORD-SETTING YEAR
Sophomore QB Chase Daniel made his first career start Sept. 2nd against Murray State, and to call his performance good would be a slight understatement. Daniel was precision-like in his distribution of the ball, and he broke the MU single-game record by throwing 5 TD passes. He ended the night 23-of-32 passing for 320 yards in leading the Tigers to a 47-7 victory.
It's been more of the same ever since then, as the Southlake, Texas native has turned into a gunslinger of record-setting proportions for Mizzou this year, as he has thrown for 2,531 yards and 21 TDs through 10 games. Both of those totals have already broken the MU single-season records of 18 (held by Terry McMillan in 1969), and 2,463 set in 1992 by Jeff Handy.
Daniel enters Saturday's game at Iowa State ranked 2nd in the Big 12 (7th nationally) in total offense (286.60 ypg) and 6th in the Big 12 (32nd nationally) in pass efficiency (140.15 rating). His 2,866 yards of total offense so far already ranks 4th on the MU single-season chart, and he stands 740 yards away from breaking Brad Smith's record of 3,605 set in 2005.
Daniel, who became the first-ever MU QB to throw 5 TD passes in a game (Sept. 2nd vs. Murray State), also became the first-ever MU QB to have 4 or more TD passes in a game more than once. He's done it three times now – 5 vs. Murray State, 4 vs. Colorado (Sept. 30th) and 4 vs. Kansas State (Oct. 21st).
Daniel's single-game passer rating in his first career start was an astounding 207.44, and for his efforts, he was named the Big 12's Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 4th.
What Daniel would do against a tougher opponent, was the big question, and he answered that as best he could the next week against Ole Miss, as he amassed 332 yards of total offense in leading the Tigers to a 34-7 dismantling of the SEC school.
Daniel completed 24-of-40 passes on the day for 1 TD, and unveiled an ability to run for yardage as well, as he ran 13 times for a team-best 89 yards and 1 TD. He led the Tigers to 10 points in their first 2 possessions, including a precision-like 10-play, 80-yard TD drive to open the game that he capped with a 3-yard TD run.
His 1st-ever road start wasn't without its bumps, but Daniel passed with flying colors in the end, as he led the Tigers to a 27-17 win in Albuquerque, N.M. in week #3. He led the Tigers to a quick 10-0 lead in the 1st quarter on 8-of-9 passing for 74 yards and 1 TD in his first two series. After throwing his 1st interception of the year in the 2nd quarter (which was returned 11 yards for a TD by the Lobos), Daniel responded in crunch time to drive the Tigers to consecutive 4th-quarter TDs (on drives of 80 and 72 yards) to extend a 13-10 lead to 27-10 with 1:46 left in the game. In the 4th quarter at New Mexico, Daniel was 5-of-5 passing for 46 yards, and he rushed 5 times for 22 yards, including an 8-yard keeper for a TD that came at the 10:52 mark to make it 20-10 in favor of the Tigers.
He then had a 4-TD passing day and threw for 253 yards as he led MU to a 28-13 win over Colorado to move the Tigers to 5-0 on the season. His numbers weren't gaudy at Texas Tech, but he was still effective, as he completed 15-of-22 passes for 173 yard and 1 TD. Most importantly, he showed moxie early by leading MU to a FG drive on the game's opening possession in front of a rabid Red Raider Homecoming crowd, and he calmly directed a 10-play, 73-yard drive in the 3rd quarter for a huge TD to quell Tech's momentum after they had closed to within 24-21 at the time. He did all of this while celebrating his 20th birthday that night.
Daniel replaced all-everything QB Brad Smith, who started every game for Mizzou from 2002-2005 and left holding 69 different MU, Big 12 and NCAA game, season and career records. He gained invaluable experience as a true freshman in 2005, playing in 10 games and completing 38-of-62 passes (.576) for 347 yards and 1 TD (2 INTs).
Most notably, Daniel relieved an injured and ineffective Smith in the fourth quarter of MU's Homecoming game last year against Iowa State, and led MU from a 10-point deficit with just under 9 minutes left to a thrilling 27-24 comeback win. With MU's back squarely against the wall, Daniel belied his youth by calmly leading the Tigers downfield on consecutive drives of 75 and 87 yards, and hit WR Sean Coffey from 4 yards out for a game-tying TD with just 20 seconds left in regulation. After ISU failed to score on its OT possession, Daniel again directed a drive that culminated with PK Adam Crossett's game-winning 26-yard field goal.
