STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -After leading Missouri to the No. 1 ranking and a Big 12 North championship last season, Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin have received all kinds of accolades and national attention for their role in one of college football’s top offenses.
But No. 17 Oklahoma State (5-0, 1-0 Big 12) has its own quarterback-receiver tandem that’s been putting up impressive stats too.
Zac Robinson ranks third in the nation in passing efficiency (204.6), two spots ahead of Daniel (196.4), and Dez Bryant is fifth in the country with 110 yards receiving per game while Maclin (96 ypg) is 17th.
This week’s game at No. 3 Missouri (5-0, 1-0) provides Robinson and Bryant the chance to show off their talents on the same stage as the Tigers’ tandem, and maybe even steal some attention.
“I know that they’re a top-five team, so they’re obviously going to be talked about a lot,” Robinson said. “They have a great offense. As long as we keep winning, we know that that recognition will kind of take care of itself.”
Coming into the game, Missouri has the second-highest scoring offense (53.4 points per game) while Oklahoma State (52.6) is right behind in third.
Bryant has played as big a role as anyone in that total, scoring 11 touchdowns for a personal 13.2-point average. That’s the second-highest total, right behind Missouri running back Derrick Washington (14 ppg). Twice this season, Bryant has had games in which he caught three touchdown passes and also scored on a punt return.
Maclin, meanwhile, has five receiving touchdowns and a kickoff return TD.
“They make a difference not only on the offense but in special teams, and they’re a threat,” Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said. “I’d say that both of them are worthy of the national recommendations that they’re getting for all the awards. Those guys are making a lot of plays.”
Having Bryant to go against in practice doesn’t necessarily prepare the Cowboys to face Maclin, though.
“I feel that they’re different kind of receivers. Dez is more of a down the field, go in the air and get the ball. Maclin is more of a screen-type player, make you miss in space,” linebacker Patrick Lavine said. “I feel that they’re both really good receivers.”
red to the attention received by Maclin and Daniel, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist last season.
“He’s a little younger than Maclin, but I think his time’s going to come,” Lavine said. “His time’s definitely going to come.”
And Gundy said the Cowboys aren’t done with finding ways to keep Bryant, who already returns punts and kickoffs, involved.
“We experiment every week with doing things with Dez – flipping a reverse to him, actually bringing him in the backfield to pitch the ball to him some and doing some other things,” Gundy said.
“He’s been pretty valuable to us out on the perimeter. We just try to look each week and find different ways to get him to touch the football.”
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BAD MEMORIES: Former Nebraska quarterback Joe Dailey didn’t feel sorry for himself after that wretched night at Texas Tech four years ago, when the Cornhuskers lost 70-10 to the Red Raiders.
He felt bad for backup QB Beau Davis, who had four interceptions and a fumble on five straight second-half series in the most lopsided loss in the history of Nebraska football.
Those infamous interceptions, Dailey said, were symptomatic of what was wrong with former coach Bill Callahan’s West Coast offense at the college level.
“It was too much to process, and too much to absorb for young players,” Dailey said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press. “You saw it that game.”
ey, now a graduate assistant at Buffalo under former Nebraska player and assistant Turner Gill, measured his words carefully when discussing the Oct. 9, 2004, game in Lubbock, Texas, and his one year as starting quarterback under Callahan.
“You can’t badmouth people. Not in this business. Not a good idea,” he said.
The Cornhuskers return to Lubbock on Saturday for the first time since the flogging with Bo Pelini as their head coach.
“They wanted someone who has been there, who’s got energy, who’s going to bring fire,” Dailey said. “Bo Pelini is a great hire.”
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NO FLAGS: Part of the reason Missouri’s offense is among the nation’s best is the lack of yellow flags.
Missouri is being penalized, on average, three times per game, the fewest of any team. The average of 30.2 penalty yards per game is seventh-best.
Consider that in the Tigers’ 52-17 win at Nebraska on Saturday, the Cornhuskers committed 14 penalties. Missouri has committed 15 all season – one at Nebraska.
The No. 3 Tigers (5-0, 1-0 Big 12) play No. 17 Oklahoma State (5-0, 1-0) on Saturday.
The Tigers were among the top-20 least penalized teams in 2006 and 2007.
“We look at three or four stats that are real important to us, and being the least-penalized is one of them because it shows that we are well-disciplined and well-prepared,” defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said.
s veteran players with being focused during the games to avoid the mistakes that lead to penalties, including before a full house at Lincoln, Neb.
“I was pleased that through all the checking and noise at the line of scrimmage that we did a good job handling that because part of playing to win is to not beat yourself with different types of penalties,” Pinkel said.
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AP Sports Writer Eric Olson in Lincoln, Neb., also contributed to this report.
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