Jalon Daniels shoulders blame for loss to Kansas State
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels didn’t shy away from responsibility after the Jayhawks 42-17 loss to Kansas State on Saturday, a result that extended the Wildcats’ winning streak in the rivalry to 17 straight games.
Daniels, who finished 17-of-35 passing for 129 yards and an interception, reflected on what the loss and what it means to have never beat the Wildcats.
When asked what he’ll remember looking back years from now, Daniels said it will be the missed chances and lessons learned along the way.
“A lot of games where, you know, we had a chance to be able to win,” he said. “And there’s a lot of games where they play great football. After I’m done here at the University of Kansas, when I look back, I’m always saying that there’s a lot of things that I could have done better. Not even just with this game, that’s with every game that we lose.”
Daniels credited Kansas State’s defense for making things difficult throughout the game, saying the Wildcats presented new looks that weren’t seen on film.
“K State’s defense, they did a lot of good things,” Daniels said. “A lot of things that they showed on film differently from games prior. They did a lot of things that I didn’t expect them to do and were able to adjust for the few things that they were able to do. But at the end of the day, they were able to come out victorious and execute it more than we did.”
The senior quarterback took the blame for the offense’s struggles, saying that it’s part of the leadership role he has.
“I told everybody on the team that I’m always going to be the hardest on myself,” Daniels said. “A lot of people want to say that the offense wasn’t able to get running. Well, at the end of the day, that’s my job. I’m the quarterback, I’m the offensive captain. When we’re not getting things right, I don’t want anybody to point any fingers at anybody else besides me. That’s the job that I decided to take on, the job that I want to continue to keep carrying.”
Even with another tough loss in the rivalry, Daniels said the locker room stayed positive afterward.
“Of course we’re upset. I mean, it’s no secret to be upset about this loss,” he said. “But I think that we continue to stay positive and realize that the season’s not over. We have four more guaranteed games left to play.”
With homecoming up next weekend and Oklahoma State on the schedule, Daniels said the focus shifts quickly to what’s ahead.
“At the end of the day, it’s homecoming next weekend, and we have a team coming in that wants to be able to win next week,” he said. “So, take the 24 hours, take it in, look at film, see what you did wrong, get better.”
