Posted on October 20, 2024 by Camila Stella

Daniels, KU passing game trending in positive direction with strong performance against Houston

Daniels, KU passing game trending in positive direction with strong performance against Houston

Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Quarterback Jalon Daniels throws on the sideline during KU’s game against Houston on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels looked deep down the middle of the field on the first play of the team’s second drive and found wide receiver Quentin Skinner in one-on-one coverage. Daniels threw the ball 48 yards, placing it over the Houston defender’s right shoulder and directly into the hands of Skinner for a touchdown.

The play was one of three touchdown passes Daniels threw in a welcome offensive performance in KU’s 42-14 win over Houston at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday.

In a season where little has gone well for the Jayhawks – particularly in the passing game early in the year – Daniels’ strong performance was much needed. He completed 76% of his passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns. It was his first three-touchdown game since BYU in 2023, the last game he played that year.

“(We) probably played our best ball all season,” Daniels said, “but we haven’t played to our full potential yet.”

It wasn’t a one-time thing either. Before the bye week, Daniels had his best performance at that point against Arizona State. Overall, Daniels completed 34 of 52 passes for 507 yards and five touchdowns over the last two games. He also hasn’t thrown an interception during that time, after throwing at least one interception in every other game this year.

Much of the KU passing attack took place between Daniels and wide receiver Luke Grimm – nearly 40% of Daniels’ completions in Saturday’s game went to Grimm alone. Against Houston it was a completely different story. Daniels threw 21 times and targeted a total of seven pass catchers, six of whom were targeted multiple times.

Daniels still praised Grimm for his role in the game, drawing the defense to his side and freeing up the other receivers, but the passing offense was successful without him having to force the ball to Grimm.

Lawrence Arnold caught four passes for 80 yards. Tight end Jared Casey saw a lot of action near the goal line, with two touchdowns on two receptions. Daniels said after the game that getting the ball to the tight ends has been a focus of the KU offense in recent years. Trevor Kardell, Devin Neal and Skinner all had two or more receptions.

Daniels also said that spreading the ball among multiple receivers helped make the box easier, allowing him to find open running lanes. He had 58 rushing yards and a touchdown against Houston, his second straight game with a rushing touchdown.

While KU’s offense has been a source of frustration for the team, the Jayhawks have started to build some momentum. This was Daniels’ second straight game with multiple touchdowns and no interceptions. The offense scored a touchdown on its first four drives.

At 2:5, a lot still has to happen for KU to turn the season around. Additionally, the Jayhawks have to play on the road against two of the Big 12 Conference’s top teams, including Kansas State on Saturday.

But Daniels and the offense have had success with players they expected to have success with. Running back Devin Neal said after the game that the offense was building confidence.

“The familiar JD that we have seen in the past has emerged today,” Neal said. “It was really cool to see and I was really happy for him, especially given all the negativity we’ve all seen.”

There are still five games left in the season, three of which will be played away. While the offense isn’t quite where the team wants it to be, it’s trending in the right direction as we enter a crucial part of the season.