• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Daniel, Missouri win third straight with rout of Kansas State

Nov 9, 2008 - 6:44 AM COLUMBIA, Missouri (Ticker) -- Missouri has picked up the pieces to its season and is on a roll once again.

Chase Daniel recovered from a sluggish start to lead the 13th-ranked Tigers to their third consecutive win, a 41-24 triumph over Kansas State on Saturday.

The senior quarterback threw an interception on his second play from scrimmage but rebounded with a pair of second-quarter touchdown passes as the Tigers raced to a 24-0 lead and never looked back.

Daniel completed 24-of-36 passes for 271 yards and a pair of scores as Missouri (8-2, 4-2 Big 12 North) continued its recovery from a disappointing two-game losing streak last month.

"We just have to focus and continue to try to become a better football team, and we want to play our best football in November," Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel said. "There are a lot of things out there but we just have to continue to take care of business."

The Tigers capitalized on prime field position, as they took control late in the second quarter. After Kansas State punted with less than four minutes remaining in the first half, Daniel went right down the field and connected with Jeremy Maclin for a 42-yard score to make it 17-0.

Less than two minutes later, Missouri took over at the Wildcats' 31-yard line and needed just two plays to reach the end zone - with Daniel once again finding Maclin, this time for 16 yards and a 24-0 lead.

"Jeremy Maclin's game makes things easier for the running back and for everybody," Tigers tailback Derrick Washington said. "He's an amazing athlete. He comes out on special teams, he catches the ball on pass plays, he'll run the ball. He does everything."

Maclin piled up 202 yards of total offense, adding a 56-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

It was the third big showing in a row for the Tigers, who stumbled with a pair of erratic offensive performances in the middle of the season after reaching as high as No. 2 in the national polls.

They managed a season-low 23 points and Daniel was intercepted three times in a home loss to Oklahoma State on October 11, which snapped Missouri's perfect season. A week later, the Tigers were blown out by Texas.

"I think we set such a high bar of consistency and execution that when you do it in a sort of way that you are not used to seeing, you feel the frustration," Pinkel said.

But they have rebounded nicely over the last three weeks, averaging 497 yards of total offense during that span.

"We have a lot of real athletes and at any given time, we can make a big play," Washington said. "When we first get in there, we want to make a first down to start the drive and once we do that, everything then clicks and big plays happen."

Josh Freeman threw for 121 yards and added 56 on the ground for Kansas State (4-6, 1-5), which picked Daniel off twice but couldn't convert on either opportunity.

The Wildcats didn't show many signs of life until desperation time - when the game was essentially out of reach and the coaching staff had turned to backup quarterback Carson Coffman.

"Our defense played exceptionally well against a good quarterback, and a football team that has done some really good things," Pinkel said.

Brandon Banks ran for a 93-yard touchdown and, after Kansas State recovered the ensuing onside kick, found the end zone again with a 4-yard reception. But by that point, it was far too late.

Banks finished with 256 all-purpose yards - 95 on the ground, 34 through the air and 127 on kick returns. The Wildcats have dropped four in a row following their lone conference win, a 44-30 triumph on the road over Texas A&M last month.

"We just failed to execute on some big plays," Kansas State tight end Jeron Mastrud said. "It was just a lack of execution offensively for us."