It’s been quite the guessing game for UCF lately, with the Knights entering their third consecutive Big 12 game without knowing who they’ll face at quarterback.
Kansas is the latest with the Jayhawks uncertain whether starter Jalon Daniels will be back or whether redshirt senior Jason Bean will get his third start.
Daniels entered the season as the conference’s preseason player of the year, but the Kansas junior missed the Jayhawks’ 40-14 loss to No. 3 Texas last week with back issues. Bean made the start instead, completing 43% (9 of 21) of his passes for 136 yards with a 58-yard touchdown. He rushed for 42 yards on 7 carries in the loss.
Daniels is 9-12 as a starter at KU, including 8-4 over the past two seasons. He’s completed 75% (56 of 75) of his passes for 705 yards with 5 touchdowns and an interception while rushing for 74 yards on 24 carries.
“He’s a dynamic player,” UCF coach Gus Malzahn said of Daniels. “Every week, you’ve got to expect that you’re getting the starter and there are some really good quarterbacks in this league that were starters last year and are returning starters.
“It starts with him and he was the Player of the Year in the conference, so our defense will have their work cut out for them.”
Defensive coordinator Addison Williams knows his unit has a tall challenge ahead of them.
“He’s a really good player,” said Williams. “They create so many issues offensively with their different formations, the shifts, the motions and their different personnel group. They have even put two quarterbacks on the field at the same time.
“Bean is a really good quarterback, too, and he’s won a lot of games and we expect to see both of them at some point Saturday in Kansas.”
Daniels’ status remains uncertain after he didn’t practice on Monday.
“I view it as a day-to-day situation right now, according to our training staff and we’ll see where it goes,” said Kansas coach Lance Leipold. “I know he’s working at it and we’ll see where it takes us.”
On Wednesday, Jayhawks offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said there hasn’t been an update on Daniels’ status since Monday.
Kansas isn’t the first team the Knights have had to scout both quarterbacks.
In the Big 12 opener at Kansas State on Sept. 23, Wildcats starter Will Howard was a game-time decision after suffering an apparent foot injury in a loss to Missouri the previous week.
The senior would start against UCF, completing 64% (27 of 42) of his passes for 255 yards with an interception. He also rushed for 64 yards, highlighted by two second-half touchdown runs that helped KSU to a 44-31 win.
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Last week, Blake Shapen was another game-time decision, with the redshirt junior returning to the lineup after missing three consecutive games with an MCL sprain.
Shapen completed 62% (21 of 37) of his passes for 293 yards and sparked a second-half comeback as the Bears scored 29 unanswered points in the final 18:02 for a 36-35 win.
Kansas must also prepare for the unknown after starter John Rhys Plumlee was cleared to return to practice this week. Malzahn said he hoped to decide who could start against the Jayhawks — Plumlee or Timmy McClain — by Wednesday or Thursday.
Either way, Kansas defensive coordinator Brian Borland isn’t concerned.
“They’re running the same offense,” said Borland. “McClain is really good on his feet, sort of an improviser and we’ve watched some highlights of him avoiding the pass rush and staying alive. The guy before [Plumlee] is a little bit less of that, but he ran the ball by design. They both throw it well.”
Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel.
