Kansas QB’s name appearing on Heisman lists: ‘He has big goals for this university.’

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels’ name has been mentioned on at least two Heisman Trophy watch lists after leading the Jayhawks to 52.5 points a game through two games, fourth-best scoring mark of any college football offense.

ESPN.com football writer Bill Connelly, who is awarding a Heisman each week with the intention of adding up all the points at the end of the season, currently has Daniels tied for sixth with North Carolina QB Drake Maye (seven points apiece).

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is first with 17 points, followed by USC QB Caleb Williams (16), Georgia QB Stetson Bennett (10), Oklahoma State QB Spencer Sanders (9) and Houston defensive lineman Derek Parish (8).

Dennis Dodd of CBSsports.com, meanwhile listed Daniels third on his “Week Two Heisman Hype” list. Williams and Bennett placed ahead of Daniels on Dodd’s Week Two rankings.

“He humbly takes it (praise),” KU receiver Quentin Skinner said Wednesday, when asked how KU’s starting quarterback has handled Heisman talk. Daniels, a 6-foot-0, 215-pound junior from Lawndale, California, connected with Skinner on a 4-yard TD pass that gave KU a 49-42 lead over West Virginia in overtime of last Saturday’s 55-42 Jayhawk victory in Morgantown. Skinner also pulled in a 56-yard TD reception from Daniels in a 55-10 opening win over Tennessee Tech on Sept. 2 at Booth Memorial Stadium.

“(Daniels) has big goals for this university and this football team. He really wants to see growth everywhere, consistent growth and effectiveness,” added Skinner, a 6-5, 190-pound redshirt sophomore from Claremore, Oklahoma.

Daniels in two games has completed 33 of 47 pass attempts for 408 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. He’s rushed for 115 yards on 15 carries and a TD.

Against West Virginia, Daniels completed 18 of 29 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns. He rushed for 85 yards on 12 carries against the Mountaineers.

“Nothing has changed about him at all,” Skinner said of Daniels, who has helped KU attain a 74% third down conversion rate, best in the country. “If anything has changed he’s taking it two times even more (seriously) than what he’s been doing.”

KU redshirt sophomore running back Daniel Hishaw is not surprised to see Daniels on Heisman lists early in the season.

“Like we’ve been saying since our freshman year, he’s electric,” said Hishaw, who has gained 119 yards on 15 carries and scored three of KU’s 10 rushing touchdowns. That total ties for third nationally. “He’s a great quarterback. He makes a lot of great decisions. Everybody can see he’s grown a lot making his reads, not rushing anything. I think it’s great he’s on the Heisman (lists),” Hishaw added.

KU senior Mike Novitsky is part of an offensive line that has protected Daniels to the tune of no sacks through two games. Nine teams in college football have yet to allow a sack.

“He’s a very talented player,” Novitsky said of Daniels. “When he comes to film (study), we’re both locked in on the same page. He’s locked into what the defense is doing. He’s telling me a couple notes (plays) before I get to that point. He’s great in that way. He’s very smart with the game. He just works every day. It’s good to see.”

Asked what it means to him personally to see his team’s starting QB be mentioned for national awards, Novitsky, a 6-5, 300-pound native of Victor, New York, said: “It means we’ve got to keep doing our job. It’s our job up front to keep him clean and we know he’ll make plays for us. Our job is to not let him get touched at all.”

Perhaps most impressive about Daniels’ performance against West Virginia was his ability to comfortably run the option. The Jayhawks did not show option in the opener against Tennessee Tech. The triple option helped KU rush for 200 yards on 36 carries versus West Virginia for a 5.6 average per carry.

For the year, KU has averaged 7.5 yards rushing per carry which ranks third nationally behind Alabama and Air Force.

“I don’t think anybody dislikes the option,” Hishaw said with a smile. “If we run behind those big linemen, I’m sure we can keep that up.”

Of the triple option’s effectiveness, Hishaw said: “Just moving everybody around opens up a lot of gaps, confuses defenses.”

As far as evolution of the option at KU, Novitsky said: “We’ve kind of been working on that since the offseason. We started putting that in, getting reps and being comfortable with it. Up front we continue to do our job (whether in option or one back attack) — move the down linemen as far back as we can, hit the man in front of us and play football. We do not think that much, just go ahead and hit (the opponent).”

Daniels was unavailable for comment Wednesday. He was not one of the players who attended Wednesday’s weekly news conference for assorted players and two coordinators.

KU, 2-0, will next meet Houston, 1-1, at 3 p.m., Saturday, at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas. After that, KU plays three straight home games: vs. Duke, Iowa State and TCU.

“Humbly yes we are,” receiver Skinner said of the Jayhawks feeling the excitement of a 2-0 start. “It’s only week two. It’s a long season. We’ve got to continue being great in every area.”