COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou freshman TE Daniel Parker, Jr. (Blue Springs, Mo.) is the SEC Freshman of the Week, announced Monday by the league office. Parker has earned the weekly distinction for the first time in his career and Monday marks the third time that a Mizzou freshman has taken home this award this season. WR Jalen Knox had the other two after his performances at Purdue and against Memphis.

A converted defensive end turned tight end, Parker’s team-first attitude has been welcomed and admired by Mizzou’s coaching staff and fans, and his work ethic paid dividends last Saturday against Vanderbilt. With Mizzou’s TE group depleted by injuries and much of Mizzou’s offense being dependent upon the TE position, Parker stepped up and made a huge impact in Mizzou’s 33-28 win over Vanderbilt, helping the Tigers gain bowl eligibility for the second straight season.

He earned the first start of his career and hauled in three catches for 42 yards and a big 20-yard TD strike, the first of his career, to help Mizzou pull within one score during its comeback from down 11 points. His first catch came on a second-and-six and went for a first down. His second catch was the 20-yard TD to cut Vanderbilt’s lead to 28-26 in the third quarter. His final catch came on a third-and-three on Mizzou’s eventual game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, taking a Drew Lock pass for 15 yards and first down.

In addition to what he did in the passing game, his contributions were equally noticeable in the ground game as his blocking helped pave the way for 253 yards on the ground. Mizzou’s offense was perfectly balanced Saturday, going for 253 yards through the air and 253 on the ground, marking just the ninth time in program history that Mizzou had at least 250 rushing yards and 250 passing yards in a league game. Parker’s contributions were a huge part of that.

Parker and the Tigers return to the road for the final time in 2018 as they head to Tennessee for a 2:30 p.m. (CT) game at Neyland Stadium this Saturday.

— Mizzou Athletics —