5 Thoughts ...
2008 Insight Bowl
Kansas 42 ... Minnesota 21
GAME RECAP:
Reesing & KU too much for Minnesota
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5 Thoughts on the Insight Bowl
- 2008 CFN Insight Bowl
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2008 Insight
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1. With Michael Crabtree and
Jeremy Maclin likely headed to
the NFL, there’s going to be a
void at wide receiver in the Big
12 next to Dez Bryant and Jordan
Shipley. Dezmon Briscoe of
Kansas is prepared to fill it.
After taking a backseat to the
other high-profile wideouts in
the league, he could become a
household name in 2009,
especially since QB Todd Reesing
still has one more year of
eligibility. The 6-3, 200-pound
Briscoe added an exclamation
point to his second year by
running circles around the
Minnesota secondary for a
bowl-record 14 catches for 201
yards and three touchdowns. -
Richard Cirminiello
2. Is 2009 going to be when Todd
Reesing becomes a superstar? He
was a fringe Heisman candidate
in KU's breakout 2007 season,
and he pressed a bit too much
this year with little help from
the running game. Next year, he
could be the Big 12's signature
star with Chase Daniel and
Graham Harrell graduating and
Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford
likely to duck out early. McCoy
has talked about coming back,
but that might be a 50/50 shot
after seeing how lousy the crop
of NFL QB prospects are, but no
matter what he does, Reesing
will be a big presence in the
conference. He's a tough,
heart-and-soul type of leader
who gutted it out to beat
Missouri in the regular season
finale, and after blowout out
Minnesota, he showed just how
explosive he can make this
offense. -
Pete
Fiutak
3. Minnesota might have closed
out the season with a clunker of
a second half and a blowout in
the bowl game, but the team
showed up. This wasn't the
Gopher squad that was dead in
the water against Iowa, or
strangely absent against
Michigan. This team showed some
fight, especially early on, and
even though the defense couldn't
contain the Jayhawk passing
game, and reverted to its old
ways in the secondary, this was
still an effort the team can
build on. Remember, after the
1-11 2007 season, getting to a
bowl game was a tremendous next
step needed. Now Tim Brewster
and his staff have to get the
program to another level next
year and get out to a hot start
early. There will be a new
stadium, a veteran team, and
after this game, there needs to
be more production on both sides
of the ball. -
Pete
Fiutak
4. By the start of the 2009
season, Kansas has a chance to
be where rival Missouri was at
the start of the 2008 season.
The Jayhawks have an undersized
gunslinger behind center, an
All-America candidate at wide
receiver, and a young line that
has a chance to gel into a
really formidable unit. Just
like the Tigers. They’ll also
have some issues on defense
that’ll need to be addressed
through recruiting and by some
of the program’s younger
players. Just like the Tigers.
With back-to-back bowl wins
versus teams from BCS
conferences, Mark Mangino has KU
on a steady northern path, and
the best may be yet to come in
Lawrence. -
Richard Cirminiello
5. Minnesota might be a running
back away from having a special
offense next year. QB Adam Weber
and WR Eric Decker should form
one of the Big Ten's most
dangerous pass-catch
combination, but Weber can't be
the main man for the running
game again. Minnesota got into a
shootout with KU and had to
throw to keep up, but it
would've helped to have had a
running back to count on. Losing
Duane Bennett earlier this year
was a crushing blow as Shady
Salamon and DeLeon Eskridge
didn't pick up the slack. This
is a far, far different offense
and a far, far different system
than when the Gophers had Marion
Barber, Laurence Maroney, and a
string of 1,000-yard rushers
working behind an effective and
efficient offensive line. Weber
and Decker need help. They'll be
good enough to carry the offense
against the mediocre, but
against teams like Kansas,
forget it. Getting 44 yards from
the running backs in a bowl like
this isn't going to cut it. -
Pete
Fiutak