Tossed into the Heisman Trophy conversation after two strong weeks to open the season, Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels merely added to his case in Week 3 with another solid outing in a win over Houston that earned the KU QB Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Daniels accounted for five touchdowns and 281 yards of offense in Kansas’ 48-30 win at Houston over the weekend.
It marks the first time Daniels has won the conference honor and he becomes the first Jayhawk to earn the recognition since Carter Stanley on October 28, 2019 (vs. Texas Tech).
So far this season, Daniels has been named the Walter Camp FBS National Offensive Player of the Week, Davey O’Brien Midseason Watch List, Davey O’Brien Great 8 List and Allstate Sugar Bowl Manning Award Star of the Week.
Daniels is Kansas’ third Big 12 Player of the Week recipient, joining Cobee Bryant and Lonnie Phelps, who combined to earn back-to-back Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in program history in Weeks 1 and 2.
Against Houston, the Lawndale, California, native completed 14-of-23 passing for 158 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for a career-high 123 yards and two touchdowns on 12 rushes, as well.
Through the first three games of the season, Daniels is Kansas’ leading passer and rusher, completing 47-of-70 (67.1%) passes for 566 yards and seven touchdowns, while rushing 27 times for 244 yards and three scores.
Daniels’ five-touchdown performance against Houston was the first of his career with multiple passing and rushing touchdowns. He also became the first Jayhawk since Todd Reesing in 2009 to throw and rush for 2 or more touchdowns in the same game. Daniels completed passes to 11 different receivers in the win at Houston, leading Kansas to a 3-0 record for the first time since 2009.
Daniels has led Kansas to score 159 points in the first three game, which makes the Jayhawks the third-highest scoring team in the country. Kansas is averaging 53.0 points per game with 22 touchdowns and two field goals. Kansas is also ranked seventh in FBS in rushing offense at 259 yards per game and second in the country in third-down conversions at 68.6%.
Kansas returns home on Saturday to host Duke in the final non-conference game on the schedule. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium with a nationally televised broadcast on FS1.
