Did Kansas underestimate rust on QB Jalon Daniels? ‘Now, he’s at a pretty good spot’

As Kansas football prepares to face rival K-State Saturday in Manhattan , quarterback Jalon Daniels is finally starting to look like his old self.

After struggling for much of the season, Daniels had his best outing in KU’s 42-14 victory against Houston . He finished 16-of-21 passing for 247 yards with four total touchdowns.

Even that impressive stat line doesn’t cover how good Daniels was. He had multiple NFL-worthy throws and easily dismantled the Cougars’ defense. He finished with a Pro Football Focus grade of 91 — the highest of any FBS quarterback over the weekend.

It was also his second straight game without turning the ball over; Daniels had 10 turnovers through KU’s first five games.

“I think Jalon has felt more comfortable in what he’s been doing,” coach Lance Leipold said. “I’ve had talks with him about what he’s comfortable throwing — he’s very comfortable with what’s in the game plan. He has input on things that he likes and doesn’t like. I just feel he’s gotten himself into a better rhythm for a guy who didn’t take any reps last spring.

“Some of the 11-on-11 stuff, we probably thought he was further along in knocking off the rust than (he) probably truly was. Now, he’s at a pretty good spot. I think we are starting to see the Jalon Daniels of old. He’s making plays for us with his arm and feet.”

Not only has Daniels looked better of late — KU’s wide receivers are in a better rhythm with him.

This season, Leipold and offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes have repeatedly pointed out that Daniels and the three starting wide receivers (Luke Grimm, Lawrence Arnold and Quentin Skinner) didn’t have enough reps together over the summer.

Until recently, Grimm appeared to be the only receiver Daniels trusted with a high volume of targets. But similar to Daniels’ play, that began to turn around against Arizona State. In another close loss, Skinner was excellent. He finished with six catches for 130 yards.

“It was exciting to be able to see me and Q-Skin finally being able to have a connection again,” Daniels said after that game, “and being able to see him be able to put some points up on the board.”

KU’s win over Houston was Arnold’s breakout game. He had four receptions for 80 yards.

“I think they’ve all gotten more comfortable with each other,” Leipold said. “I think Jalon has found himself in the pocket, doing things and seeing things better. … We’ve talked about getting better in the vertical game.”

Leipold also acknowledged it was nice to see Skinner and Arnold more involved.

“Again, just good balance,” Leipold said. “Even if (it) didn’t come together as smoothly as we wanted to early in the year, it’s started to jell now.”

And the Jayhawks need it to continue — for several reasons.

KU has lost 15 straight times to rival Kansas State, this week’s opponent, but much more is on the line than just pride. KU needs to finish 4-1 (or better) to earn a bowl berth. It won’t be an easy task with three ranked opponents up next on the schedule: K-State, BYU and Iowa State.

For now, the Jayhawks’ focus is on beating their boogeyman, Kansas State. The Jayhawks will play the Wildcats at 7 p.m. Saturday.