BYU’s defense gearing up for ‘gifted’ Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff said the other day that he is grateful that he doesn’t have to face BYU’s defense in real games, and praised coordinator Jay Hill’s crew for its ability to wreak havoc and create turnovers.
The Cougars did a little bit of that in Saturday’s 22-21 win over Utah, forcing inexperienced Utes QB Brandon Rose into throwing an interception and getting another takeaway when Utah tried to trick them with a double pass. Rose started well, throwing for two touchdowns in the first half and hurting the Cougars with a couple of lengthy runs, but BYU stopped the sophomore and Utah’s offense in the second half, holding them to 79 yards after the break.
Rose sustained a season-ending lower leg injury late in the game and will be replaced by freshman Isaac Wilson — former BYU QB Zach Wilson’s younger brother — in Utah’s lineup against Colorado on Saturday.
The Cougars (9-0, 5-0) will also be facing a familiar face — a quarterback who beat them last year in Lawrence, Kansas.
While Utah’s defense was top-notch and pushed Retzlaff and company to the brink before succumbing late, the challenge ramps up considerably as opposing offenses go on Saturday night. BYU, up to No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings, faces what Hill says is “one of the best quarterbacks in the country and has been for three years now” in Kansas redshirt junior Jalon Daniels. Kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
“He is playing at a very high level. He can run it, he can throw it. We got our work cut out for us, obviously, and he has weapons around him,” Hill said of the former three-star recruit from Lawndale, California. “So it poses a great challenge for us.”
Daniels, 6-0, 220, is not only fast, he’s difficult to bring down, as the Cougars learned last year.
“He is a little bigger this year, so I think he takes hits a little better,” Hill said.
Daniels was 14 of 19 for 130 yards and three touchdowns and also ran nine times for 54 yards in Kansas’ 38-27 win over BYU at Booth Stadium, which was BYU’s first-ever Big 12 game. That would be Daniels’ last game in 2023, as back pain kept him out the remainder of the season.
He got off to a rocky start this season, but now is playing some of the best football of his career.
In Kansas’ 45-36 win over Iowa State last Saturday in Kansas City, Daniels completed 12 of 24 passes for 295 yards and two TDs, and ran 12 times for 68 yards.
“He is a heckuva player. Very dynamic quarterback. I mean, he is a fun quarterback to watch,” said BYU linebacker Harrison Taggart. “So just playing assignment football this week will be very important. And just doing your job.”
Said BYU coach Kalani Sitake: “He is gifted, man. The guy can run, he can throw, and he is a veteran. It is a difficult matchup for us.”
BYU safety Tanner Wall said Daniels is a dynamic quarterback in a dynamic offense.
“Obviously you have to respect any look that he gives you, whether it be keeping plays alive to throw the ball down the field, or extending the play to run,” Wall said. “We are preparing for that. We are scheming for that, and (watching film) to understand his skill set.”
The Jayhawks are 13th in the nation in rushing yards per game (213.6), but not just because of Daniels. Senior Devin Neal became Kansas’ all-time leading rusher recently and is closing in on the 4,000 career rushing yards plateau with 3,951.
“Offensively speaking, they are as good as there is in the Big 12, maybe the country,” Hill said on his “Coordinators’ Corner” program. “They’ve got a great quarterback, Daniels. The running back, Devin Neal, is a great player. The offensive line is very veteran. The wide receivers have played a lot. This is a very good offense.”
Noted Wall: “Devin Neal has got to be one of the most respected and best running backs in our league, so we definitely have a good challenge on our hands this week.”
It is strength vs. strength in what could be a cold, wet night in Provo.
BYU is No. 24 in scoring defense (19.78 ppg.), No. 28 in total defense (323.4 ypg.) and has intercepted 16 passes, which is tied for second-most in the country with Minnesota, James Madison and San Jose State. Cal has 17.
BYU has been good against the pass, just average against the run, and not good at getting off the field on third down. The Cougars are No. 68 in rushing defense (146.6 ypg.) and No. 83 in third-down conversion percentage defense.
Here’s how Hill described BYU’s defensive effort against the Utes:
“We played great in the first quarter. We played great in the third and fourth quarter, and I don’t know what happened in the second. So obviously we got some things to clean up. We screwed up a few calls, had some opportunities that we didn’t get out of drives. And you gotta give Utah a ton of credit. They played good in that second quarter and moved the ball on us well.”
Sitake said the Jayhawks are far better than their record indicates.
“That’s what is going on in the conference. There is a lot of parity in the conference. Anybody can win at any time,” he said. “This is one of those matchups that you take seriously. I am excited that we have it at home. We see the talent that they have and we have to be on top of our game.”