Curt McKeever: Tigers know what to do on offense
Print
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
You have a choice when you win the coin toss before the start of a football game. Well, unless you’re Missouri.
And so after it landed ‘heads,” as called by Chase Daniel, the Tigers’ quarterback nearly interrupted the official who wanted to know what he’d like to do Saturday.
“We want the ball,” Daniel said, sounding almost surprised at the question.
His words echoed throughout Memorial Stadium, and today they’re probably still ringing the ears of Bo Pelini and every coach on his staff.
What does one say after Daniel directed the masterpiece he did while leading MU to a 52-17 romp, Mizzou’s first win since 1978 in Memorial Stadium?
“Bravo” is something that comes to my mind.
Yes, indeed, the fourth-ranked Tigers, who came into the game with the nation’s second-ranked offense, want the ball. And good luck to any team that thinks it can take it away from Daniel, a 6-foot, 225-pound senior who looks like he could be a chugging champion at the local pub, not to mention taking home the Heisman Trophy come December.
Nebraska tried to throw Daniel a spin with a three-man front. It took Daniel three plays to get the Tigers into the Huskers’ end zone.
“We want the ball.”
You would, too, if you had all the weapons Daniel has at his disposal.
Jeremy Maclin got the ball on the opening kickoff and ripped off a 34-yard return. The next time the receiver had it was on a short route that left him sprinting 58 yards and able to ease up into the end zone. Maclin has the kind of talent that the Huskers should hope he decides to join the NFL next season.
One player who definitely will be at that level in 2009 is tight end Chase Coffman, who looks like he might be able to stick with Maclin stride-for-stride, at least for 30 yards, and has even better hands.
Supposedly, Missouri was going to have to adjust without tight end Martin Rucker, who went to the NFL. But the Tigers actually look better now that they’re not alternating at tight end so much.
Daniel, at least, made no secret about who he wanted to go to when Mizzou needed a key play Saturday. Twice in the second quarter, he found Coffman on third-down plays that allowed the Tigers to keep drives alive and extend a 14-7 advantage to 24-7.
Daniel finished 18-for-23 for 261 yards and three touchdowns. In three quarters of work.
Actually, he’d done enough damage in the first two periods, going 14-for-19 for 194 yards, that the Tigers attempted just four passes in the third quarter.
By the way, he was 4-for-4 with two TDs in that span.
“We want the ball.”
Daniel, Maclin, Coffman and yes, a running back, too.
And if case you missed it, tailback Derrick Washington knows what to do with the ball, as well.
Nebraska wore down trying to keep the 5-11, 225-pounder in check. At halftime, Washington had 59 yards on nine carries. He added 80 more on just five third-quarter attempts, and also caught a touchdown pass.
Washington isn’t a burner, so he’s got that to work on. But in the words of Keith Jackson, he’s only a soph-a-more.
“They’re a good football team. I give them all the credit in the world,” said Pelini, who did as he promised and no doubt could be expected by covering his team’s back and take all the blame for Saturday’s performance. Still, I’m not taking anything away from Missouri.”
Nebraska’s defense sure couldn’t. The only Daniel-led drive that didn’t end up with points came when Jeff Wolfert missed a 59-yard field goal on the final play of the first half. Had the Tigers had more time, well, you know how that one would have turned out.
It was pretty clear why Daniel and company wanted the ball.
Not too long after they got it, we understood why Nebraska never really had a chance at winning its 31st straight conference home opener.
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
Most Commented Football