KU Jayhawks’ Jalon Daniels on loss: ‘Didn’t put my team in great position to win’
Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels has plenty of game tape to review following Saturday’s 23-17 loss at Illinois.
Daniels had one of the worst performances of his career. He never looked comfortable, and that is reflected in his final stats.
He completed 18 of 32 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns but also threw three interceptions. And he fumbled on KU’s last play of the game. The three picks were the most he’s thrown in one outing during his college career.
“They did a lot of stuff they didn’t show on film,” Daniels told reporters present at the postgame press conference. “I feel like they just came out here and made a lot of plays.”
In particular, Daniels said he was surprised by how well the Illini switched up and disguised their coverage.
He threw an interception while targeting wide receiver Luke Grimm on KU’s opening drive. Seven of Daniels’ first nine completions went to Grimm.
“My very first interception, he made a great play,” Daniels said of Grimm. “I thought I was going to be able to get it over him and he (Illinois’ Xavier Scott) just jumped very high into the air to make a play on that.”
Daniels’ worst play of the night came shortly before the end of the first half. On a long third down, Daniels lobbed a screen pass that Scott picked off and returned for a touchdown.
For a QB with typically great on-field awareness, Daniels’ decision-making in that sequence was a head-scratcher.
“My second one (interception), he once again made a play on it again,” Daniels said. “I didn’t get the chance to see him. I’d seen the defensive end right in front of me, so I had to throw over the defensive end.
Daniels’ third interception came near the end of the third quarter. He slightly under-threw a deep ball to receiver Quentin Skinner and an Illinois safety hauled it in.
“The third one, they once again disguised their coverage well,” Daniels said. “We couldn’t really tell what the coverage was, per se.”
As for KU coach Lance Leipold’s assessment?
“The one right before the half is more an execution on the perimeter of what the play is blocked to be,” Leipold told reporters after the game. “The (pass intended for Skinner was) just too late. And then the first one, another one that he didn’t throw well.”
Daniels will want to learn from, and then forget about, Saturday night’s game. But it’s clear he’s still not back to his usual self after being sidelined by a back injury for all but three games last season.
The Jayhawks need the better version of Daniels to return as they chase their Big 12 title dreams. He didn’t shy away from admitting there’s plenty of room for improvement.
“There were a lot of mistakes I made on the field,” he said. “I didn’t put my team in a great position at all. And a lot of the decisions I made are throws I wish I had back, and I just have to do a better job of being able to put my team in a better position to be able to win the game.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "KU Jayhawks’ Jalon Daniels on loss: ‘Didn’t put my team in great position to win’."
