O'Brien Foundation Names Chase Daniel QB Of The Week

FORT WORTH, Texas (September 15, 2008) - The Davey O'Brien Foundation has named Chase Daniel of the University of Missouri the O'Brien Quarterback of the Week for week three. Daniel, a senior, led Mizzou's offensive onslaught against Nevada in a convincing 69-17 win last Saturday.

Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel indicated that Daniel has improved even after his 2007 breakout season during which he was named an O'Brien Finalist.

"You look at him - it looks like he's playing better," Pinkel said during his post game comments. "Certainly he has raised the bar to the highest level."

Daniel completed 23 of 28 passes for 405 yards and four touchdowns, including a fake field goal attempt which resulted in a score. His 80-yard catch-and-run pass to wide receiver Jeremy Maclin earned Daniel a new school record for career passing yards

"Catching Chase's record-breaking pass - it's a special moment," Maclin said.

Daniel is in his third season as Mizzou's starting sign caller after taking over in 2006. During the 2007 season he led the Tigers to the Big 12 Championship game against the University of Oklahoma and completed the season with an impressive victory in the Cotton Bowl over the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Tigers now set their sights to Buffalo as they look to improve on their 3-0 record in front of a home crowd on Saturday. Daniel will lead Mizzou into the game with the nation's top-ranked offense in two major categories: total offense (597.33 ypg) and scoring offense (57.67 ppg).

Before enrolling at Missouri, the Texas native led Southlake Carroll to a perfect 16-0 record in 2004, earning a class 5A state championship. He was named the 2004 EA Sports National High School Player of the Year.

Each week a subset of the Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee will name the quarterback of the week who exemplifies the award's standards. The O'Brien honors the nation's best college quarterback of the year. Currently all 119 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) quarterbacks are candidates for the award until Semifinalists are announced on October 27. Finalists will be announced November 24. The 2008 Winner will be announced December 11.

About The O'Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for The O'Brien Fan Vote online at http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001aKiePr72HNxLQZDMhUxJXIPUeq5FcxV0qeXz8FeY9ysXq5Ww25P7tO6WQAa-myiGy80oYaxbqTcYF9TpeYq0ocfWUSabD-ej1LdCURTYMmJVPRAvueNe5w== to show their support for their favorite college quarterback. Fans will be able to choose from any of the 119 FBS quarterbacks beginning on Tuesday, September 2, leaving room for the possibility of a quarterback who is not on the Watch List to win the award. The top three quarterbacks who garner the most votes will be added to The O'Brien Semifinalist List, and the Fan Vote will then count as 5% in determining the Finalists and Winner. The 2008 Winner will be announced during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing December 11 on ESPN. The recipient will be honored February 16, 2009, at the 32nd Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

About The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award®
The O'Brien honors the nation's best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O'Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O'Brien is overseen by the Davey O'Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $750,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001aKiePr72HNyh1zG5yP9Wfs7QIDrUE1p9LvSxXJwtEPmU89e53Rj0O9Wh-IILck1R54pMWX6x_shsld0wkXV36UDVO8ffv8FesKbQOK2MO99-PjQHXX2TCQ==.