Tigers offense starts with confident QB
Posted on Sunday, December 30, 2007
DALLAS — Missouri is playing in the Cotton Bowl for the first time since Jan. 1, 1946, but this is familiar territory for Chase Daniel and he’s used to winning around here.
Daniel, the Tigers’ junior quarterback, grew up in nearby Southlake, Texas, where he led Carroll High School to a 47-1 record.
Missouri hasn’t done quite that well with Daniel as its starting quarterback, but the Tigers are 19-7 in two seasons with him leading the offense, including 11-2 this year.
That’s the most victories in back-to-back seasons in Missouri history, and the. 731 winning percentage is the best over a two-year span since the Tigers combined to go 17-5 (. 773 ) in 1968 and 1969.
Daniel is directing a Spread offense at Missouri, just as he did at Carroll, and going into Tuesday’s Cotton Bowl against Arkansas the Tigers are averaging 40 points and 492. 7 yards.
“Chase is the main reason this thing works so well,” Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen said. “The trigger guy is so vital in the Spread, and he does a lot of great things in terms of decision-making, reading defenses and putting the ball where it needs to be and where only our guy can catch it.” Daniel, who finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, has completed 372 of 534 passes (69. 7 percent ) this season for 4, 170 yards and 33 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.
“He makes very few mistakes. He knows how to win,” said Missouri redshirt freshman receiver Jeremy Maclin, who has a team-high nine touchdown catches. “He knows how to take control and direct things on and off the field. You can’t ask for a better quarterback.” Nathan Rucker, the Tigers’ senior All-America tight end, said how Daniel prepares for a game is a key to his success.
“He watches just as much film as the coaches do,” Rucker said. “He’s always trying to make himself better so he can make the team better.” Watching Daniel deal with the media this week, it’s obvious he has an easy confidence about himself and is comfortable in the spotlight.
Daniel is good, and he knows it, but he doesn’t have to brag about himself.
“He’s got a nice little swag,” Arkansas senior safety Matt Hewitt said when asked about Daniel. “He’s got that swag that says, ‘Yeah, I’m good.’ That’s the main thing I like about him.” At 6-0 and 225 pounds, Daniel isn’t tall by quarterback standards, but he doesn’t seem to experience problems seeing over linemen to find open receivers.
“If you can play, if you prepare well, it shouldn’t matter,” Daniel said of his height. “But nowadays, a 6-5 guy has to show he can’t play and a 6-foot guy has to show he can play.” Daniel showed Missouri coaches he could play as a true freshman in 2005, when he came off the bench for injured senior starter Brad Smith in the fourth quarter against Iowa State and rallied the Tigers to a 27-24 overtime victory.
Missouri trailed Iowa State 24-14 and had a third-and-10 from its 25 with less than nine minutes left when Daniel entered the game. He completed a 13-yard pass to keep the drive going and finished the game 16 of 23 passing for 185 yards and 1 touchdown.
“We knew if a kid could do that as a true freshman, he probably was going to be a pretty special player for us,” Christensen said.
While Daniel’s passing is his strongest asset, he has rushed for 284 yards and four touchdowns this season. He’s been sacked 20 times, which isn’t a high number considering he averages 41 passes per game.
“Half the time they don’t block everybody,” Arkansas defensive coordinator Louis Campbell said. “They’ll turn somebody loose, and yet he’s going to get rid of it before the rush gets there.” Campbell also noted Daniel’s skill as a runner, either on called plays or when he has to scramble.
“He certainly doesn’t look like Matt Jones, but he can give you the same kind of problem,” Campbell said of the former Arkansas quarterback who is 6-6. “You have them all covered, have [Daniel ] contained, then bam, he’s running down the field.” Rucker said Daniel is “really grounded” and has the same personality as the guy who arrived at Missouri three years ago.
Tigers Coach Gary Pinkel said he’s never been around a better team leader than Daniel.
“He demands so much respect. He’s so positive. He interacts with the other players so well,” Pinkel said. “For all the accolades he’s received, he’s just one of the guys.
“ He obviously plays with a tremendous amount of confidence, but he’s not cocky. He still has humility, and that allows him to lead.
“ Other players see that and want to follow him that much more.” Daniel said Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre is his favorite football player because of his combination of talent and toughness.
“I’ve always looked up to [Favre ],” Daniel said. “He’s got so much grit and a cannon for an arm. I wish I had his arm strength.” Favre no doubt wishes he had Daniel’s record in the Dallas area. Favre is 0-9 in Texas Stadium, where Missouri is holding its Cotton Bowl practices.
“It’s great to come back home and play,” Daniel said. “I’m going to have a lot of family and friends at the Cotton Bowl.
“ They’d go to the game no matter where we played, but it’s nice they only have to drive a few minutes.” Daniel could have stayed in Texas to play college football, but he declined a scholarship offer from Texas A&M when he committed to Missouri in the summer before his senior year at Carroll.
After the season, Texas offered a scholarship, but Daniel turned that down, too, even though Missouri finished a disappointing 5-6 in 2004.
“I remember going to his house in January, a week after Texas offered him,” Pinkel said. “I told Chase and his parents, ‘I want you to know we had a tough year, but I think this program is going in the right direction.’ “ He could have easily said, ‘I’m going somewhere else,’ but he didn’t do that. He’s a very loyal guy.” Christensen said Daniel was well prepared to run the Spread offense when he signed with Missouri, but that he’s made steady progress in all aspects of his game as a college quarterback.
“He knows the thing inside and out as well as the coaches,” Christensen said. “I think he’s probably the best guy in the country to run this offense.”
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