Hail WV
Fansided

West Virginia must keep Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels off his game 

By Troy Van Camp

UNLV v Kansas
UNLV v Kansas / Kyle Rivas/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

The West Virginia Mountaineers (1-2) will host the Kansas Jayhawks (1-2) on Saturday, September 21st with kickoff set for 12PM ET. Both teams enter Saturday’s matchup having failed to meet lofty expectations that each program had heading into the season. With that said, This is the start of Big 12 Conference play for both schools, meaning that one team will start 1-0 as the other falls to 0-1 and 1-3 overall. It cannot be overstated how important this matchup could turn out to be for the winning side, and how costly it could be for the losing one.

Kansas QB Jalon Daniels has been an integral part of a cultural shift inside the Kansas football program. From 2010 to 2021, the Kansas Jayhawks won no more than 3 games in a single season, doing so 5 times in that span. A historically bad decade of football for Kansas saw a shift in 2022 when they finished with a 6-7 record. Kansas went on to win 9 games in 2023, with Daniels helping to lead the Jayhawks to a 4-0 start (playing in 3 games) before being sidelined with a back injury that ended his season. The Jayhawks were nationally ranked after the 4-0 start. 

Coming into this season, some of the national attention the Kansas football program received was warranted. Kansas entered the season ranked 22nd in the AP Poll. With a healthy Jalon Daniels and a running back in Devin Neal who was coming off of a 1,209-yard, 15-touchdown season, the Jayhawks entered 2024 with aspirations of competing atop the Big 12. 

Sitting now at 1-2, it has been a rocky start to the new campaign for Kansas and that is largely due to the play of Jalon Daniels. Through 3 games, Daniels has 3 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions. He has completed just 54% of his passes. In their two losses to Illinois and UNLV, Kansas has lost by a combined total of 9 points. 

What does this mean for West Virginia?

Entering Saturday’s matchup you almost get the feeling of 'something’s got to give.' Jalon Daniels has struggled despite high expectations and the West Virginia secondary has struggled against opposing quarterbacks. After the game on Saturday, one of these claims will turn out to be less truthful than it was before. Will Jalon Daniels see the success that other opposing quarterbacks have had against West Virginia or will it be yet another long day for Daniels as WVU rights the ship defensively?

Opposing Quarterbacks vs WVU this season

  • Drew Allar (Penn State) -- 11-of-17, 216 yards, 2 TD
  • Myles Burkett (Albany) -- 18-of-39, 306 yards, 1 TD
  • Eli Holstein (Pitt) -- 21-of-30, 301 yards, 3 TD; 14 carries for 59 yards

West Virginia has allowed all three opponents' quarterback to find some sort of a groove in the passing game this season, and WVU cannot afford to allow Jalon Daniels to find his groove on Saturday. He’s proven to be a capable passer who is dangerous with his legs. However, has not been anywhere near his best in 2024, and WVU needs to make sure he doesn’t start being at his best, at least not until next weekend.