The mood around David Booth is at best “tepid” from Kansas (3-2) (1-1) fans after the Jayhawks’ 37-34 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats.
With both losses coming down to the wire, it usually amplifies the pain after. Now you can say it is a good thing to lose close, it shows that things are close to great, yet it is with that same tongue you can say that you would rather have lost a game outright to at least not feel the heartbreak of Tawee Walker rushing into the endzone with just 29 seconds to play, forcing for Jalon Daniels to lead a flawless drive.
While Daniels and co may not have been able to ultimately do so, it is to little fault of the Lawndale, California, native.
Daniels’ performance against the Bearcats entailed a 19-28 passing rate with 445 yards and four passing touchdowns.
Throughout this season, barring the odd misthrown pass on the run or occasional bad decision, Daniels has likely played the best football of his whole career, which should be a testament to how strong the redshirt senior is playing.
So far this season, Daniels has accumulated 1,262 yards with 16 touchdowns and just two interceptions, to go along with a healthy 66.9% completion rate. To combine that with 214 yards on the floor, with another touchdown tacked along.
What has made the difference?
Daniels’ ability to play to the game’s tempo has been the biggest key to his success. There are small portions in nearly every game where he will have a slip-up, but his ability to level up his play when needed has been the biggest difference that has been made for Daniels this season. Daniels has also shown a great ability to run only when he needs to. Sometimes quarterbacks with the legs of Daniels can become too reliant on their run game, yet Daniels has been able to balance out his rushing with his passing attack.