Sept. 22, 2008
FORT WORTH, Texas -
The Davey O'Brien Foundation has named Chase Daniel of the University of Missouri the O'Brien Quarterback of the Week for week four. Daniel was also the O'Brien Quarterback of the Week for week three and now becomes the first player to receive this honor in back-to-back weeks.
Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel gave complementary remarks about his senior quarterback in post game comments, "He made some outstanding plays. That guy brings his `A' game every time he plays."
Daniel's command of the Mizzou offense led them to a 42-21 victory over the Buffalo Bulls last Saturday. The Tigers had to fight to claim this victory and keep their undefeated status. Daniel overcame this early season challenge with a near-perfect performance.
"You look at everything we have done to this game and there's been no adversity at all," Daniel said in post game comments. "We're not going to go through the season without adversity, and we were able to face it today."
In addition to throwing two touchdowns and no interceptions, Daniel passed for a career high of 439 yards while completing 36 of 43 passes, setting a new school completion percentage record of 83.7%. He also broke a Big 12 record during Saturday's game with 20 consecutive completions. The previous record of 18 was held by Iowa State's Seneca Wallace (2001) and Oklahoma's Sam Bradford (2007). In addition to receiving this weekly O'Brien honor, Daniel's record-setting performance earned him the title of Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.
The six-foot senior is now ranked fourth nationally in pass efficiency (193.39) and total offense (371.50 ypg). Daniel and the Tigers will utilize their upcoming bye week to turn their focus towards their match-up against Big 12 North rival, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, on October 4.
Prior to enrolling at Missouri, Daniel established his offensive prowess while the starting quarterback for the Southlake Carroll Dragons. He compiled more than 11,000 yards in total offense and 127 total touchdowns in his two seasons as a starter for the Dragons, achieving an overall record of 31-1.
The O'Brien Quarterback of the Week is determined by a subset of the Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee. The subset of the committee is chaired by Verne Lundquist (CBS) and consists of Dennis Dodd (CBS SportsLine), Ivan Maisel (espn.com), Joe Schad (ESPN/ABC), Dick Weiss (New York Daily News) and Kelly Whiteside (USA Today). This subset will select the quarterback of the week based on their performance during the prior weekend's game, taking into consideration individual statistics, contribution to team performance, strength of opponent, etc.
The O'Brien honors the nation's best college quarterback of the year. Currently all 119 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) quarterbacks are candidates for the award until Semifinalists are announced on October 27. Finalists will be announced November 24. The 2008 Winner will be announced December 11.
About The O'Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for The O'Brien Fan Vote online at www.VoteOBrien.org to show their support for their favorite college quarterback. Fans will be able to choose from any of the 119 FBS quarterbacks beginning on Tuesday, September 2, leaving room for the possibility of a quarterback who is not on the Watch List to win the award. The top three quarterbacks who garner the most votes will be added to The O'Brien Semifinalist List, and the Fan Vote will then count as 5% in determining the Finalists and Winner. The 2008 Winner will be announced during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing December 11 on ESPN. The recipient will be honored February 16, 2009, at the 32nd Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
Fans can also download an interactive "widget" featuring a voting link and the ability to post and share on Web sites, social networks and blogs.
About The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award®
The O'Brien honors the nation's best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O'Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O'Brien is overseen by the Davey O'Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $750,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.
