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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Jalon Daniels was the pre-test.

Missouri facing the veteran Kansas quarterback counted toward its 2-0 start to the 2025 season, so maybe it's more than a pre-test. Regardless, the defensive showing from the Tigers' 42-31 win over the Jayhawks sets a baseline for how No. 25 Mizzou will hold up against the style of quarterback it'll see in other key games this season.

Realistically, MU was never going to defend Daniels perfectly. Good, savvy quarterbacks like Daniels have a way of making things happen even against perfect play calls and sound coverage. Plus, it was only the second game for a Missouri defense that has a handful of transfers coming in at the linebacker and safety positions in particular.

To add to the challenge, KU's offensive system is heavy on the eye candy. Pre-snap motions, fake handoffs, read options and RPOs — sometimes multiple of those on one play — strain even the most disciplined defenses' ability to read and react.

That had been established through the Jayhawks' first two games of the season, though, so nothing they deployed against Mizzou on Saturday looked especially surprising. The Tigers knew what they were in for.

So the verdict from their first duel with a dual-threat quarterback? Mixed results.

MU kept Kansas from establishing the run — via Daniels or a tailback — in any significant capacity, which was a victory. But the same coverage breakdowns that plagued the Tigers against this style of quarterback last year lingered, with the safeties struggling under the strain of holding coverage amid the backfield activities meant to throw them off.

"On the back end, we had about three or four busts that we gave up for big plays that led to touchdowns," hybrid safety Daylan Carnell said. "Other than that, we did good, but those plays happened during the game so it wasn't as good as it should have been."

Carnell himself embodied the safeties' outing. He pulled down his first interception of the season late in the fourth quarter, slamming the door shut on Kansas' long-shot effort at a comeback. That was undeniably a good play.

But in the first half, KU had targeted him in man coverage to the tune of a 50-yard pass that set up a touchdown. 

On that play, the Jayhawks lined up in a trips formation with three receivers to the right side. Carnell lined up across from the middle wideout, with a safety coming down to play the inner-most receiver and cornerback Drey Norwood taking the outside receiver. Before the snap, the outside receiver motioned back inside, leaving Carnell by himself on the perimeter.

KU got the speed mismatch it wanted between Levi Wentz and Carnell, so the former was open over the top by the time he'd made it 10 yards downfield. 

Because of plays like that where an individual defensive player was beatable in man coverage, MU played more zone as the game went on. Holding those zones in the face of Kansas' backfield misdirections, though, proved difficult.

Daniels made seven play-action throws after faking a handoff, and those led to six completions for 85 yards and two touchdowns. On non-play-action throws, Daniels completed only 12 of 23 passes for 139 yards, no touchdowns and Carnell's interception.

The basic takeaway there: The more KU had going on before Daniels threw the ball, the better the passing outcome tended to be. 

Like on the Jayhawks' first touchdown of the game: Daniels faked a jet sweep handoff before looking downfield, and the Tigers' coverage fell apart. 

It's difficult to decipher what exactly happened on the back end for Missouri. Loading up the box against the run, Marvin Burks Jr. lined up as a single high safety. With a KU player in motion, he moved down on the snap as if to defend the run, while safety Jalen Catalon and cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. dropped back deep.

It was either an inverted pass coverage, meant to show Daniels one look before the snap and something completely different afterward, or a blown read by Burks that was punished with a touchdown pass. Either way, it resulted in Pride stuck between two routes up the seam, and KU scored. 

A fourth-quarter drive on which the Jayhawks needed only eight plays to cover 92 yards and take a 31-28 lead was the tipping point in Missouri's zone coverage struggles.

"Very disappointed in that drive, honestly, where they took the lead," coach Eli Drinkwitz said. "That's on us. We played too much zone coverage there — bottom line. We'd gotten nervous because they had a couple of open double moves and stuff, so we went to more zone cover. Honestly, there was too many holes, and (Daniels) did a good job of picking those holes. We'll get it corrected, but yeah, we've got to be way more aggressive there."

When defensive coordinator Corey Batoon did play more aggressive and dialed up blitzes, the defense did seem more effective. Daniels completed just 5 of his 12 passes against the blitz, picking up just 59 passing yards and a score. Against a normal pass rush, he was 13 for 18 with 165 yards, a touchdown and Carnell's pick.

On Kansas' first big pass play of the drive that frustrated Drinkwitz, the Tigers sent a normal four-man rush at Daniels and dropped seven players back into coverage. Daniels, with time, scanned the width of the field and picked out a receiver who'd worked his way between zones along the right sideline.

Still, MU safeties' difficulty navigating the complexities of the Jayhawks backfield also reared its head on that drive. One play that nearly burned safety Santana Banner in particular featured about as much eye candy as KU could conceivably fit into a single play.

The snap went to running back Daniel Hishaw Jr., not Daniels, but the tailback handed the ball to his quarterback. Daniels, moving to his left, looked like he might run, then curled around to throw the other direction — where two receivers had leaked past Banner (No. 15) while the Missouri safety was minding the run. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late. Luckily for the Tigers, Hishaw dropped the wide-open pass.

Still, on the very next play, Daniels found another gap in zone coverage for a 25-yard gain off a play-action look.

Daniels was just the first quarterback of his style on the schedule this year. The Tigers will face others, like South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers — who will be Mizzou's first Southeastern Conference opponent in just two weeks' time. 

Mayor's Cup under the lights

Speaking of that game against the Gamecocks: The SEC announced Monday that the Sept. 20 game between No. 25 Missouri and No. 11 South Carolina will take place in prime time and on national television.

Kickoff will be at either 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m., aired on ABC or ESPN. The final determination will be made after this weekend's games. Florida vs. No. 5 Miami will be in whichever slot doesn't go to MU-South Carolina.