Missouri senior quarterback Chase Daniel and junior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon were named the Big 12 Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for their efforts in the Tigers' 42-21 win over Buffalo on Saturday at Faurot Field.
Daniel, a Heisman Trophy candidate, passed for a career-high 439 yards while completing a school-record 83.7 percent of his passes (36-of-43), and adding two touchdowns.
At one point, Daniel completed 20 consecutive passes, which broke the Big 12 Conference and Missouri single-game records, and stood just three shy of equaling the NCAA record.
He finished the game with 455 yards of total offense and that upped his career total to 10,356, making him only the fifth player in Big 12 history to surpass the 10,000-yard mark. After four games, Daniel has 12 touchdown passes with just one interception and has completed 101-of-133 passes overall for 1,412 yards.
He ranks fourth nationally in pass efficiency, with a season rating of 193.39. He also ranks fourth in the NCAA in total offense (371.50 ypg) and his season completion rate of 75.9 percent is best in the nation among quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts.
Under Daniel's direction, Missouri stands atop the NCAA team rankings for total offense (595.50 ypg) and is second in scoring (53.75 ppg), while also ranking third in passing (404.25 ypg) and fourth in passing efficiency (183.45 rating).
Weatherspoon was honored for his career day, as he led the Tigers with a 20 tackles against Buffalo. Among those tackles included three tackles for loss, including a half sack, and he also broke up one pass.
Weatherspoon's efforts were a key element in Missouri's solid overall defensive performance Saturday, as it allowed a season-low 286 yards of offense to a Buffalo team that came into the game averaging 427.00 yards per game. Missouri's defense permitted only 14 of the 21 points scored, as Buffalo's first score of the day came on a kickoff return.
Through four games this season, Weatherspoon is tied for first in the Big 12 Conference (and tied for 3rd nationally) in tackles, with a per-game average of 12.00. He also leads the Big 12 in tackles for loss, at 2.00 per game, a figure which is also tied for fourth nationally.
MU-Nebraska game on ESPN
Missouri's game at Nebraska on Oct. 4 will be televised by ESPN, with kickoff set for 8 p.m.
This will be the Tigers' second national appearance on ESPN this season, as Missouri's 52-42 win over Illinois was also televised by the network.
