Backup Daniel lifts Missouri to OT win

The freshman QB directed the tying TD drive that led to the Tigers' 27-24 win.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- With Missouri already down by 10 midway through the fourth quarter, things went from bad to worse when the Tigers' best player, quarterback Brad Smith, took a hard shot to the head.

Smith was down for a couple of minutes, then walked woozily off the field, a teammate's arm around his back, as freshman Chase Daniel replaced him.

Daniel led two late scoring drives to tie the game 24-24, then passed and ran Missouri to the Iowa State 9 in overtime, setting up Adam Crossett's 26-yard field goal for a 27-24 win.

Missouri (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) beat Iowa State (3-3, 0-3) in overtime for the second straight season.

Until Saturday, Daniel had thrown 18 collegiate passes. Against the Cyclones he was 16-for-23 for 185 yards and a game-tying touchdown. He rushed 12 times for 26 yards.

"Sometimes I didn't have an idea where the ball was going," Daniel said.

Until Daniel's arrival, the Missouri offense that had averaged 38 points per game struggled Saturday. It was the defense, which was allowing 33 points per game, that took control early, scoring twice during a three-play sequence in the first quarter.

Safety William Moore stepped in front of a short pass by Bret Meyer and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown. Two plays later, Iowa State's Jason Harris fumbled on a hit by Jamar Smith, and Xzavie Jackson picked up the ball and ran 16 yards for a touchdown.

Then Iowa State took over, scoring 24 straight points while flustering Smith, who had one of the worst games of his career. He rushed for 39 yards on 11 carries and completed just eight passes for just 45 yards. He also threw an interception and fumbled.

With the offense sputtering, the Tigers seemed hopelessly out of it as they took over with 9 minutes to play at their own 25. Smith threw two incomplete passes, taking a shot to the head from linebacker Tim Dobbins while making the second throw.

Taking over on third-and-10, Daniel was 5 of 7 for 63 yards, including a fourth-and-7 conversion, leading to Crossett's 19-yard field goal with 4:44 to play.

The Tigers got the ball back with 2:32 to go at their own 13. Daniel was nearly flawless in the 2-minute offense, completing 6 of 10 passes for 75 yards. His 4-yard touchdown pass to 6-foot-5 Sean Coffey was too high for the defender. Coffey was just able to pull it in and get a foot down.

In overtime, Iowa State lost 1 yard on three plays. Culbertson's 43-yard field goal attempt was wide right.

On Missouri's turn, Daniel threw an 8-yard completion, then ran himself on three of the next four plays to get the ball to the 9, setting up Crossett's winner.