Receiver Danario Alexander quickly becoming a star for Missouri

Blake

I'm goin' lamb bruh.
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Messages
7,620
Reaction score
269
By Mike DeArmond
McClatchy Newspapers
(MCT)

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Gary Pinkel said it wasn’t fair to compare Danario Alexander to Jeremy Maclin, the two-time All-American at Missouri who now plays wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Then Pinkel made just that comparison. Then another to All-America tight end Chase Coffman, now with the Cincinnati Bengals. Then another to Brad Smith, Missouri’s greatest running quarterback, now with the New York Jets.
Rev up the DVR of a play during Missouri’s game last Saturday night at Oklahoma State. There, you will find the justification for such comparisons.
Tearing off the line of scrimmage near midfield, Alexander raced open over the top of the defense, just like Maclin.
He skied, caught the ball and fought to keep his feet, seeking a few yards after the catch, just like Coffman.
Alexander then simply ran away from any and all pursuit, 48 yards to a touchdown, ala Smith in his heyday as a Tiger.
“If they combine all three of those guys, that would be ideal,” Alexander said when told of the comparisons.
And yet, Alexander allowed, “I want to be myself. When they see somebody, they can compare them to me.”
Perhaps that sounds cocky. However, consider a few other comparisons.
Kansas’ Kerry Meier leads the Big 12 Conference in catches per game with nine; Alexander is averaging 7.3.
Kansas’ Dezmon Briscoe leads the league in average yards receiving per game at 134.2; Alexander is averaging 104.5.
Briscoe’s 671 yards receiving tops the Big 12; Alexander’s 627 is second.
Texas’ Jordan Shipley has the longest reception of the season at 78 yards. Alexander’s longest covered 74 yards. And in the first half of Missouri’s game at Oklahoma State, Alexander not only had that 48-yard scoring catch and run, but another reception for 50 yards.
Heck, in the first quarter alone, Alexander caught four passes for 105 yards.
“That’s been a part of my game since I came here,” Alexander said. “I feel I’ve always been a great receiver. I just haven’t had a chance to show it.”
A broken wrist and three knee surgeries saw to that. Alexander still wears a knee brace.
“People have no idea how much time he spent in that training room, rehabbing,” Pinkel said. “He gets hit in the mouth. He gets back up. He just keeps going. Talk about persistent.”
Without those injuries, which cost Alexander six full games and parts of three others in the previous two seasons, he might be in the conversation for All-America honors.
Thus far, he is not. In fact, among the likes of Meier and Briscoe, Alexander and Texas’ Shipley, who would be the three first-team pass-catchers on your All-Big 12 Conference team this year? Which star would be left out?
Perhaps none, if you don’t pick a tight end, justifiable so far this season.
“All-American status,” MU receivers and tight end coach Andy Hill said, “you’re talking some preseason hype and stuff like that.
“The fact of the matter is he’s made plays in all of our games so far. Certainly, he deserves recognition.”
Typically, Alexander ranks team success over individual accomplishments.
“Honors are going to be there, as long as you win and you play your best game,” Alexander said.
Alexander’s best is what Missouri has received in every game this season. In addition to the career-high 180 yards receiving and the TD he had against Oklahoma State, he caught nine passes for 170 yards and touchdowns of 31 and 74 yards against Nevada and even threw a 40-yard TD pass to fellow senior wideout Jared Perry against Furman.
Small wonder that Pinkel says:
“He’s a guy that if he’d have been healthy his entire career, he’d have been considered maybe one of the top 10 or so receivers in the country.”
“He’s got range like Chase Coffman, probably even more because he can jump even higher. He’s got a 40-inch vertical.”
“Yeah, (like Brad Smith), he’s a real smooth runner and nobody can catch him.”
Perhaps the singular attribute that earns Alexander admission into the pantheon of current top receivers in the Big 12 Conference is his ability to gain yards after the catch.
“They run with intent,” Hill said. “When they catch the ball, the idea is to go. J-Mac did that. Danario does that. You catch it, their first thought is, ’Let’s go!’
“Some guys are looking to see where everybody is. Some guys are looking to score.”
Alexander has scored five receiving touchdowns in six games this season. Only Oklahoma’s Ryan Broyles (eight) and Meier (six) have more. Only Mizzou’s Perry has as many.
Alexander came to Missouri pretty much under the radar. He was merely 5 feet 11 as a high school junior. No wonder the home-state Longhorns — Texas is Mizzou’s opponent at 7 p.m. Saturday in the homecoming game in Columbia — were not in on his recruitment.
Others, like Texas Tech and Baylor, were. But not until his senior season, when “I grew up to be 6-3” and drove his mother crazy.
“I ran through a lot of clothes,” Alexander said, laughing. “My mom told me to stop growing. I told her, ’I can’t help it.’ “
Alexander now stands 6-5. He’s obviously become quarterback Blaine Gabbert’s favorite target. Nearly one out of every three completions by Gabbert has been to Alexander, who has 44 catches.
Alexander isn’t satisfied.
“Every ball he throws,” Alexander said, “I want to catch it.”
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Who Wins Game 5?

  • Tampa Bay Rays (Away)

    Votes: 5 33.3%
  • Houston Astros (Home)

    Votes: 10 66.7%
Top