Jalon Daniels Gets a Rivalry Education: The Kansas QB Learning What He Never Knew

Before Head Coach Lance Leipold gave the entire team a history lesson on the Kansas–Missouri Border Showdown, starting quarterback Jalon Daniels got an early education from KU's former running back.

Arizona State linebacker Zyrus Fiaseu (30) closes in on Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) at Mountain America Stadium on Oct. 5, 2024. | © Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

California kids don't grow up understanding what it means when Kansas and Missouri lock horns on a football field. They don't inherit the generational hatred that stems from Civil War tensions.

Not everyone wakes up knowing why a game between two neighboring states carries the weight of 134 years of bad blood. That's the reality Jalon Daniels faced as Kansas prepared for Saturday's Border Showdown renewal.

The Jayhawks' signal caller needed a crash course in rivalry history, and he got it from the perfect source. Devin Neal, KU's all-time leading rusher and Lawrence native, took it upon himself to educate his quarterback about what this Border War actually means.

The running back who broke every Jayhawks’ rushing record told his quarterback something that stung: "Dang JD, you get to play the rivalry, I don't."

Now, after 14 years, the culture clash between the two regions returns to the football field this Saturday. In that time, nearly three generations of players have come and gone. Neal was part of that stretch, which means he never got the chance to see the bad blood between the two fan bases.

As a Lawrence kid, Neal lived and breathed the rivalry. So he made sure the California transplant gets to write his name into the lore the right way.

The history lesson went deep. Neal walked Daniels through the entire background of the rivalry, explaining how this feud transcends typical college football hatred. The starter quarterback admitted he learned just how intense this matchup gets, comparing it to rivalries he understood from his West Coast background.

According to his assessment, USC vs. UCLA doesn't reach the level of venom that exists between Kansas and Missouri. Leipold's approach to managing the buildup also reflects his understanding. The head coach acknowledged during his postgame press conference that this rivalry game would become a major topic during game week.

Also Read: Kansas Football RB Legend Wishes He Could Play Against Missouri

The anticipation builds naturally when a feud this historic gets renewed after more than a decade. Neal, who was the program's most productive rusher, has passed the torch to Daniels. Now, he carries the legacy forward.

He has already successfully led the Jayhawks to a 2-0 win in the past weeks. However, on Saturday, he will be on a mission to fulfill the unfulfilled dreams of players like Neal who never got their shot at Missouri.