MU’s Daniel, Texas’ McCoy have had role reversal heading into matchup
BY MIKE DeARMOND | THE KANSAS CITY STAR
The Kansas City Star
COLUMBIA | Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel planned to call up Texas QB Colt McCoy on Sunday and talk up next Saturday night’s Texas two-step in Austin.
A-one might have been Ol’ Mizzou. And a-two, perhaps No. 2 for Texas.
Isn’t Saturday night gonna be great, buddy? Two Texans, friends since attending the same football camps back as sophomores in high school. Daniel, a senior and former Southlake Carroll star, against McCoy, a junior and former Jim Ned High star in Tuscola.
Squaring off to see — under Saturday Night Lights — not only the best team in the Big 12 Conference but perhaps in all the nation.
That was the plan, anyway.
Daniel and McCoy will still have that chat sometime this week. Only Daniel’s world has been turned upside down by Missouri’s 28-23 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday night in Columbia. McCoy, on the other hand, led his Longhorns past previous No. 1 Oklahoma 45-35 and to the No. 1 spot in the polls. Daniel’s Tigers dropped to No. 11.
Not only is Missouri now a one-loss team, but Daniel on Saturday threw three interceptions, taking center stage as one of the reasons Missouri lost to the Cowboys.
“It doesn’t change our friendship because I lost,” Daniel said.
“It’s going to be a fun week next week. Two great quarterbacks going at it.”
Perhaps Daniel will tell McCoy what Southern California quarterback Mark Sanchez told Daniel after the Trojans were upset at Oregon State on Sept. 25.
“You don’t want to feel like this,” Sanchez said.
Now, of course, Daniel does.
Heading into Saturday as the leader on most ballots for the Heisman Trophy, Daniel lost some of that luster Saturday night.
Yes, Daniel threw for 390 yards, but had only one touchdown. He not only was intercepted three times, but two were in the fourth quarter when he seemingly was driving the Tigers to a come-from-behind victory before a sellout home crowd.
Now McCoy has pushed himself into a Heisman race that no longer has a clear leader.
“What he was able to do against a great Oklahoma defense,” Daniel said of McCoy. “He’s playing exceptionally well. I think he completed almost 80 percent (of his passes).”
McCoy hit 28 of 35 passes for 277 yards and one touchdown. He didn’t have a turnover. He led Texas from behind.
McCoy has run for 348 yards and four touchdowns and thrown for 1,557 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Daniel has rushed for 120 yards without scoring a TD, but has passed for 16 scores and 2,055 yards.
Prior to the victory over Oklahoma, McCoy spoke almost wistfully about the seasons being enjoyed by Daniel, Graham Harrell of Texas Tech and Sam Bradford of Oklahoma.
“It must be pretty nice to sling it around so many times and put up ridiculous numbers,” McCoy said. “That’s like a dream for a quarterback.”
McCoy is now very much a part of that dream. For that reason, he said, he and Daniel will probably keep the weekly talk on everything but football.
“We talk every week,” said McCoy, who roomed with Daniel during last summer’s Elite 11 Quarterback Camp, a gathering at which each served as a counselor. “We’ll talk this week, probably a couple of times.
“It probably won’t be about the game. Give Chase credit. He’s a great leader, a great quarterback. He’s tremendous for that system and for what they’re trying to do.
“It’s going to be a big game.”
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The Star’s Blair Kerkhoff contributed to this report. To reach Mike DeArmond, Missouri reporter for The Star, call 816-234-4353 or send e-mail to mdearmond@kcstar.com
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