Kansas football hosts West Virginia on Saturday, and Rich Rodriguez, the veteran head coach for the Mountaineers, seems to have a lot of respect for KU quarterback Jalon Daniels and head coach Lance Leipold.
The Jayhawks (2-1) and the Mountaineers (2-1) will tee it up at 5:00 CDT on Saturday at the David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Over the last four seasons, the two schools have met three times, with West Virginia holding the advantage with two wins. All three games were close. In total points scored in the three games, KU has 111, while West Virginia scored 108.
How has Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels performed in the past against West Virginia
In his three matchups with the Mountaineers, Daniels has completed 55 of his 86 pass attempts, good for a 63.9 percent completion percentage and 652 yards. He has five touchdowns, three interceptions, and 31 carries for 105 yards.
Rodriguez knows what an advantage it can be to have such an experienced and talented quarterback, and he has a healthy level of respect for Daniels.
"He (Jalon Daniels) can run. You look at him, he's a well-built, strong-looking player. Breaks a lot of tackles. You hate going against mobile quarterbacks like that who have got experience…You might have everything lined up right, but he makes a play and makes you look silly. So we got to be ready."West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez
Daniels has looked good for most of this season so far, but he does have two interceptions and two fumbles. He also has nine passing touchdowns and one on the ground. Turnovers have been an issue with him since last season, and he needs to protect the ball better going into Big 12 play.
Still, Rodriguez is right in that Daniels has to be feared because he can hurt an opponent in so many ways. The Mountaineers’ coach also has a lot of respect for Leipold, for being a winner wherever he’s coached and winning at schools without a long history of success. Rodriguez also noted how creative Leipold’s teams always are on offense.
On paper, KU looks to be the better team, but West Virginia upset Pittsburgh last week and wants to pull off another this week. The Jayhawks were on a bye last week, so they should be well prepared for this matchup. Hopefully, Daniels and Leipold will add to their respect for Rodriguez with another victory.