Posted on Sat, Nov. 24, 2007 10:15 PM
JOE POSNANSKI COMMENTARY
JOE POSNANSKI
Daniel was the difference
Question 1. Is Kansas for real? Answer: Yes. Sure, some people will say now that the Jayhawks’ 11-1 record is a mirage, an illusion created by bad scheduling (or good scheduling, depending on your point of view) and going through the Big 12 without having to face Oklahoma, Texas or Texas Tech.
But Saturday night — after a jittery first half — the Jayhawks came back from a 21-0 deficit and scared the heck out of the team that will probably be No. 1 in America when the polls come out. Play that game 20 times, and the Jayhawks win their share.
Question 2: Does Missouri deserve to be No. 1 in America? Answer: Yes. In this crazy season when no team has dominated, the Tigers have victories over Illinois and Kansas (both on neutral sites) and their sole loss was a tough game at Oklahoma. It looks to be the best resume. Plus a nation watching the game on Saturday saw that Missouri has America’s most systematic offense.
The trouble is, Missouri now has to go and play Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game, and that will be a ruthless game.
Question 3: How good is Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel anyway?
This takes a little bit longer answer. Daniel was the difference-maker in the Missouri’s argument-ending victory Saturday night. Sure, if you want numbers, you can have numbers; Daniel completed 40 of 49 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns. Heisman voters — who may still be in a daze after Darren McFadden’s show against LSU on Friday — can chew on those numbers.
But to me, Daniel’s brilliance has nothing to do with the big numbers he puts up more or less every week. Howie Long once gave a great explanation of what it was like to get beat by quarterback legend Joe Montana. He said it was like getting knocked out in a pillow fight. You never felt the blow. And you were all kinds of mad afterward.
That’s as good as any description of Daniel. He never knocks you out with some dazzling punch. He won’t slip through two defenders and then break away like Vince Young; he can’t zip 60-yard laser passes like John Elway did; he doesn’t flatten defenders and serve as his own offensive line like the quarterbacking choo-choo train Tim Tebow.
So what does Daniel do? Something right. On every play. In chess, grandmasters will tell you that it’s the most innocuous-looking moves that are deadliest. In football, it isn’t often the 70-yard runs or perfect passes into triple-coverage that win games. Two plays stand out from Saturday night’s game. Neither one was a scoring play. Neither one led to a touchdown.
The first play came midway through the fourth quarter, with Missouri leading 31-21, with Kansas beginning to find its groove. The Jayhawks played panicked football the first half — missed field goals, dropped passes, penalties, sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing, for the first time all season, looked a bit overwhelmed — but in the second half (led and willed by Reesing) they scored touchdowns on three straight possessions. The Tigers faced a third down and 14, and everybody was looking ahead. Missouri would have to punt, Kansas would drive down for another touchdown, the lead would be three, the crowd would go crazy.
Daniel took the snap and looked downfield. And then, he felt a little pressure to his right. I can never remember seeing a college quarterback who has Daniels’ innate feel for the rush. He’s like one of those fancy cars that beep whenever another car or three or whatever is too close. He just knows. And so on this play he just moved a little bit to his left — it was hardly noticeable. But it made all the difference. He had an open lane, he threw a perfect pass over the shoulder of receiver Dana Alexander, who caught it for 14 yards and a first down.
To reach Joe Posnanski, call 816-234-4361 or send e-mail to jposnanski@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.
