Parker Eshelman photo

Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert looks to pass during the second half of the Tigers’ victory over Southeast Missouri State on Saturday. The Tigers opted to burn Gabbert’s redshirt in order for him to gain experience for the future.

4-of-11 passing … 27 yards … one interception.

That’s what the stat sheet said after Chase Daniel’s unspectacular cameo against Arkansas State on Sept. 3, 2005, his first game in a Missouri uniform. Other than his game-winning comeback charge against Iowa State, most of Daniel’s appearances that season went much like the opener. Getting a series or two as Brad Smith’s backup, Daniel had five games in which he threw two or fewer passes.

Daniel could have redshirted, leaving him a year of eligibility for 2009, but he considers the rookie experience invaluable and can’t help but think it’ll pay off the same way for teammate Blaine Gabbert, who made his MU debut Saturday in a backup role against Southeast Missouri State.

"Very helpful," Daniel said yesterday. "Not only from the aspect of playing and getting into games, but the planning and what goes on the week before and what goes into being a good quarterback. Blaine’s in the quarterback meetings with us. He gets an aspect of how I prepare and how" senior backup "Chase Patton prepares. That’s a big difference from high school."

Gabbert’s first college game didn’t go much better than Daniel’s. In four second-half possessions against SEMO, he completed 3 of 8 passes for 27 yards and ran for 17 on three carries. He improvised with a nifty 30-yard scramble down the right sideline but also took a 10-yard sack on a delayed linebacker blitz. Three of his series ended in punts, the other a turnover on downs.

"He was pretty nervous when he went out there," Daniel said of Gabbert, who alternated series with Patton in the second half. "We told him he was going to start the second half for us, and you should have seen his eyes when Coach" David "Yost said that to him. For the most part, I thought he did well. … The stats don’t pop out at you, 3 of 8. But I’m pretty sure I was a lot worse my first game. I threw a pick my first game. He’ll be fine."

Daniel has told Gabbert to make the most of his experiences this season, especially considering he’ll be the presumptive heir apparent behind center next year.

"He just said, ‘When you get out there, just soak it all in,’ " Gabbert said. " ‘Do as much as you can, but be smart with the football and make responsible decisions.’ "

Heading into Saturday’s game against Nevada (1-1), Gabbert and Patton will continue to split practice reps with the second-team offense, though Patton is listed as the backup. Against SEMO, they worked with a slice of the playbook that amounted to 70-80 percent of the entire game plan, offensive coordinator Dave Christensen said.

How will No. 6 Missouri (2-0) distribute the backup snaps the rest of the season? The quarterbacks are on a need-to-know basis, and as of yesterday, Gabbert didn’t know much.

"We just have to go out and practice hard and let everything handle itself," he said. "Any time you can get in there and play, I guess it doesn’t matter how many games you play or plays per game. Any time you’re out there, that’s experience that’s very valuable for the future."

● INJURY UPDATE: After sitting out against SEMO, free safety William Moore (sprained foot) is expected to practice today and will likely play against Nevada. The same is true for wide receiver Danario Alexander, who’s undergone two surgeries on his left knee since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in last year’s Big 12 championship game.

"I don’t think I’ll start," said Alexander, who required a second surgery in June when the surgically installed graft unexpectedly tore. "This is pretty much to get me back into the flow of the game."

Linebacker Van Alexander (knee surgery) has been cleared to play, but Pinkel won’t decide until Thursday if he’ll play Saturday.

● LINE SHAKE-UP: The only change to the depth chart was the addition of junior defensive end Brian Coulter, who’s listed behind senior starter Tommy Chavis and freshman Jacquies Smith. In his MU debut against SEMO, Coulter made a tackle behind the line of scrimmage and deflected a pass.

● NEVADA CONNECTION: Pinkel’s staff has some significant history with Missouri’s next opponent. Pinkel’s Toledo teams were 3-0 against Chris Ault’s Nevada program, including a 40-37 victory in the 1995 Las Vegas Bowl, which was the first Division I-A overtime game. Toledo also won regular-season matchups in 1995 and ’97.

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