2008 Kansas Jayhawks Season

2008 Kansas Jayhawks Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

2008 Kansas Jayhawks

Dec. 31
2008 Insight Bowl
Kansas 42 … Minnesota 21
KU’s Dezmon Briscoe scored on the first play of the game on a 60-yard catch, and he didn’t stop there finishing with 14 catches with two more touchdown catches from six and 32 yards out. Minnesota answered the first score with two short Jon Hoese touchdown runs, and then Todd Reesing went to work leading the Jayhawks to a 28-point run with three touchdown passes, including a four-yarder to Kerry Meier, and Meier, a former quarterback, connected with Briscoe for a 32-yard score in the third quarter. The Gophers kept pushing with a six-yard Eric Decker touchdown catch early in the fourth, but the Jayhawks put it away with a two-yard Jake Sharp touchdown run.
Player of the Game: Kansas WR Dezmon Briscoe caught 14 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Minnesota - Passing: Adam Weber, 19-34, 176 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Adam Weber, 12-31. Receiving: Eric Decker, 8-149, 1 TD
Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 27-35, 313 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jake Sharp, 16-64, 1 TD. Receiving: Dezmon Briscoe, 14-201, 3 TD
Inside The Box Score ...  5 Thoughts on the Insight Bowl …Mike Rivera made 14 tackles for KU. Joe Mortensen made 13 stops … KU’s James Holt made three tackles … Third down conversions: KU 6-of-10 – Minn. 3-of-13 … Total yards: KU 446 – Minn. 331 … KU’s Kerry Meier caught 10 passes for 113 yards and a score … Average yards per play: KU 6.9 – Minn. 4.5

- 2008 Kansas Preview
- 2007 Kansas Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 9-3
2008 Record: 8-5

Aug. 30 Florida Int'l W 40-10
Sept. 6 Louisiana Tech W 29-0
Sept. 12 at South Florida L 37-34
Sept. 20 S Houston St W 38-14
Sept. 27 OPEN DATE
Oct. 4 at Iowa State W 35-33
Oct. 11 Colorado  W 30-14
Oct. 18 at Oklahoma L 45-31
Oct. 25 Texas Tech L 63-21
Nov. 1 Kansas State W 52-31
Nov. 8 at Nebraska L 45-35
Nov. 15 Texas  L 35-7
Nov. 22 OPEN DATE
Nov. 29 Missouri (KC) W 40-37
Insight Bowl
Dec. 31 Minnesota W 42-21

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2007 Record: 12-1

Sept. 1 Central Mich W 52-7
Sept. 8 SE Louisiana W 62-0
Sept. 15 Toledo W 45-13
Sept. 22 FIU W 55-3
Oct. 6 at Kansas State W 30-24
Oct. 13 Baylor W 58-10
Oct. 20 at Colorado W 19-14
Oct. 27 at Texas A&M W 19-11
Nov. 3 Nebraska W 76-39
Nov. 10 at Oklahoma St W 43-28
Nov. 17 Iowa State W 45-7
Nov. 24 Missouri (in KC) L 36-28
Orange Bowl
Jan. 3 Virginia Tech W 24-21

Nov. 29
Kansas 40 … Missouri 37
In a fantastic game played in lousy weather conditions, Todd Reesing scrambled to keep a final play alive and found Kerry Meier behind the Tiger defense for a 26-yard touchdown with 27 seconds to play. Missouri’s Jeff Wolfert attempted a 54-yard field goal at the buzzer, but it was partially blocked. Meier finished the day with 14 catches and two touchdowns, with the first also coming in the fourth quarter on an eight-yard play to give KU the lead, but Missouri came back and got a six-yard Derrick Washington scoring run with 1:50 to play. In the see-saw battle, Chase Daniel threw four touchdown passes including two short ones to Chase Coffman with the final throw, a six yarder, as part of a 20-point second half run before Meier’s first touchdown catch. Kansas held on to the ball for 36 minutes including 12:49 in the first quarter.
Player of the game: Kansas QB Todd Reesing completed 37-of-51 passes for 375 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions, and he ran for 17 yards on 11 carries.
Stat Leaders: Missouri - Passing: Chase Daniel, 25-41, 288 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Chase Daniel, 9-103. Receiving: Jeremy Maclin, 9-123, 1 TD
Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 37-51, 375 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Jake Sharp, 20-48, 1 TD. Receiving: Kerry Meier, 14-106, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... After a rough, inconsistent year after last season’s breakthrough shocker, Kansas came up with the win it needed to get back among the living when it comes to the bowl pecking order. 7-5 with a win over Missouri is night-and-day different than 6-6. Todd Reesing didn’t seem to be affected by the lousy weather conditions and he hung tough time and again despite getting knocked around. It’s not fair to suggest that Missouri wasn’t fully focused since this game didn’t really matter in its world; it was battling all out until the end.

Nov. 15
Texas 35 … Kansas 7
Texas didn’t have any problems KU as Colt McCoy ran for a four-yard score and hit Quan Cosby on a nine-yard touchdown pass and Brandon Collins for a 36-yard score. Kansas was down 21-0 when it got its only points on a seven-yard Dexton Fields touchdown catch in the third quarter. Vondrell McGee started off the scoring for UT on a 14-yard run. KU finished with just 47 rushing yards.
Player of the game: Texas QB Colt McCoy completed 24-of-34 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 16 times for 78 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 25-50, 258 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jocques Crawford, 7-42. Receiving: Dezmon Briscoe, 9-115
Texas - Passing: Colt McCoy, 24-34, 255 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Colt McCoy, 16-78, 1 TD. Receiving: Quan Cosby, 6-70, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Kansas was at its best throughout last year when it got great play from the lines. Against Texas, the O line didn’t have a shot at keeping Todd Reesing clean, while the defensive front couldn’t get to Colt McCoy. Reesing is a bomber, but he only threw for 258 yards on 50 pass attempts and didn’t get any help from his running game. The secondary simply isn’t going to get a break with Missouri coming up.

Nov. 8
Nebraska 45 … Kansas 35
Roy Helu Jr. ran for second half scores from 10 and 52 yards out, but the game belonged to 300-pound nose tackle Ndamukong Suh, who made 12 tackles and caught a two-yard touchdown pass after lining up at fullback in the fourth. Kansas got a big day from Todd Reesing, who threw three touchdown passes and ran for a 14-yard score, but the Husker offense proved to be too much in the second half with a 28-7 run highlighted by Helu’s scores. Reesing helped put KU ahead early with a brilliant play in the first quarter to find Kerry Meier for a 28-yard touchdown, and he later hit Dezmon Briscoe for a 53-yard score and Dexton Fields for an 11-yard score. The Huskers finished with five sacks to KU’s two.
Player of the game: Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh made 12 tackles, 2.5 sacks and four tackles for loss. He also caught a two-yard touchdown pass.
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 15-30, 304 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jake Sharp, 22-90, 1 TD. Receiving: Dezmon Briscoe, 6-176, 1 TD
Nebraska - Passing: Joe Ganz, 28-37, 324 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Roy Helu, 16-115, 2 TD. Receiving: Roy Helu, 8-61
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Kansas might not be anywhere near as good as it was last year, but it’s still not all that bad, even in a loss. The offensive line struggled against the Nebraska defensive front, and while QB Todd Reesing was under consistent pressure, He proved time and again how tough he is. He took shot after shot and kept coming back and making plays even when the tide had turned. Kansas will go bowling, the Big 12 has plenty of spots to fill, but the season is on the verge of quickly turning sour unless the lines don’t start playing better. On the flip side, it KU can beat Texas and/or Missouri to close out the regular season, 2008 will take on a different look.

Nov. 1
Kansas 52 … Kansas State 21
Jake Sharp ran for three first quarter touchdowns from four, 20 and 47 yards out, and added a two-yarder in the third on the way to a 45-7 KU lead. The Jayhawk defense got into the act by pressuring KSU QB Josh Freeman all game long and forcing five turnovers. All three Wildcat touchdown came on Lamark Brown runs in the second half, but it was far too late. KU also got a three-yard Dezmon Briscoe touchdown run and a seven-yard dash from Angus Quigley.
Player of the game: Kansas RB Jake Sharp ran 21 times for 181 yards and four touchdowns, and led the team with five catches for 76 yards
Stat Leaders: Kansas State - Passing: Josh Freeman, 22-37, 207 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Lamark Brown, 21-68, 3 TD. Receiving: Brandon Banks, 9-70
Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 14-23, 162 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jake Sharp, 21-181, 4 TD. Receiving: Jake Sharp, 5-76
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Jake Sharp demanded a bigger role in the KU offense, and it’s paying off as he continues to produce whenever given the chance. He ripped up Kansas State, taking the pressure off of Todd Reesing. The defense made the game a blowout by harassing Josh Freeman and not letting the dangerous offense get rolling. Consistent pressure and five takeaways got the job done, and now the formula needs to continue with Nebraska, Texas and Missouri to close.

Oct. 23
Texas Tech 63 … Kansas 21
Graham Harrell threw five touchdown passes and ran for another, and Darcel McBath picked off three passes as Texas Tech blew past Kansas. The Jayhawks tied it at 14 in the first quarter on a 10-yard Dezmon Briscoe catch, and then it was all Red Raiders as they scored 49 straight points with Shannon Woods running for two scores and Eric Morris catching touchdown passes from seven and 10 yards out. In all, the Texas Tech offense cranked out 556 yards of total offense while the defense forced five turnovers.
Player of the game: Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell completed 34-of 42 passes for 386 yards and five touchdowns, and he ran for 14 yards and a score. DB Darcel McBath made seven tackles and three interceptions.
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 16-26, 154 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Jake Sharp, 13-80. Receiving: Dezmon Briscoe, 8-55, 1 TD
Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell, 34-42, 386 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Shannon Woods, 14-79, 2 TD. Receiving: Michael Crabtree, 9-70, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Now that’s the Texas Tech everyone has been waiting for. The offense was flawless against Kansas, Graham Harrell was nearly perfect, the defense swarmed and came up with the big play, and there weren’t many mistakes. After a tight first quarter, Tech held on to the ball for 10:53 in the second quarter and 13:41 in the third. Ball game. This is the game that’ll serve notice that the Red Raiders belong in the national title hunt with the really, really big games coming up.  
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Kansas made mistakes, Texas Tech didn’t and that was the difference between a close battle and a blowout. Todd Reesing had to press to try to keep up the pace and ended up throwing three interceptions. The running game was fine, Jake Sharp did a nice job with 80 yards on 13 carries, but there wasn’t nearly enough production from the offense to stay alive. Reesing only threw for 154 yards; he needed to double that for KU to have a shot. Now that KU has been hammered by the big boys from the South, losing to Oklahoma last week, it’s on to the North with Kansas State and Nebraska up before dealing with (gulp) Texas.

Oct. 18
Oklahoma 45 … Kansas 31
In a game with 1,165 yards of total offense, Sam Bradford set an Oklahoma record with 468 passing yards with three touchdown passes, and DeMarco Murray ran for two short scores. Kansas WR Dezmon Briscoe caught 12 passes for 269 yards scoring from 69 and 17 yards out, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep up with the Sooner offensive attack. Up just 31-24 late in the third quarter, OU scored 14 straight points to finally put the game out of reach. Oklahoma converted 7-of-16 third down chances while KU came up with just 2-of-12.
Player of the game: Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford completed 36-of-53 passes for 468 yards and three touchdowns, and in a losing cause, Kansas WR Dezmon Briscoe caught 12 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 24-41, 342 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Jake Sharp, 12-103, 1 TD. Receiving: Dezmon Briscoe, 12-269, 2 TD 
Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 36-53, 468 yards, 3 TD
Rushing: Chris Brown, 12-92, 1 TD. Receiving: Juaquin Iglesias, 12-191
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Oklahoma might just be the second best team in America right now. Kansas did what it could, but there were too many mistakes, with Todd Reesing throwing two key interceptions, to go along with seven penalties. Jake Sharp added a little bit of pop to the running game, but the game quickly got into a shootout and it became all about the passing game. Even in the loss, KU needs to be confident; it stood toe-to-toe with a mighty OU offense and didn’t succumb until late.

Oct. 11
Kansas 30 … Colorado 14
Jake Sharp ran for three touchdowns with an eight yarder and a seven yards in the fourth quarter finally putting the game away for Kansas. Colorado had problems moving the ball, but was in the game throughout after Cody Hawkins ran for a one-yard score late in the third quarter to pull the Buffs within two. Hawkins started off the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Cody Crawford, but the Buffs only managed 233 total yards of offense and Hawkins struggled throughout. Todd Reesing threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Dezmon Briscoe in the third quarter.
Player of the game: Kansas RB Jake Sharp ran 31 times for 118 yards and three touchdowns, and caught three passes for 13 yards
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 27-34, 256 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jake Sharp, 31-118, 3 TD. Receiving: Kerry Meier, 9-94
Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 8-22, 90 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Rodney Stewart, 18-77. Receiving: Cody Crawford, 4-33, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... With nothing happening in the running game, KU has to go with Jake Sharp. He’s not the right type of back for the KU offense, but he’s a quick, shifty playmaker who wants to take the ball and be a workhorse. He showed against Colorado that he can be effective if he’s put in the right situations. If he’s asked to pound the ball between the tackles, that’s not him. Now the real schedule starts to kick in with a trip to Oklahoma next week followed up by a showdown against Texas Tech.

Oct. 4
Kansas 35 … Iowa State 33
In a tale of two halves, Iowa State got out to a 20-0 lead on a 16-yard Alexander Robinson run, an eight-yard catch from Marquis Hamilton, and two Grant Mahoney field goals. And then Kansas came out of the locker room roaring as Jake Sharp scored on a 67-yard pass play and a two-yard run, and Kerry Meier scored on catches from 23 and 21 yards out as part of a 35-7 run to go up 35-26. Iowa State got a two-yard Hamilton touchdown catch with 1:15 to play, and recovered the onside kick, but Austen Arnaud missed on all four of his passes.  
Player of the game: Kansas RB Jake Sharp ran 19 times for 79 yards and a touchdown, and caught three passes for 107 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Iowa State - Passing: Austen Arnaud, 27-45, 268 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Alexander Robinson, 10-51, 1 TD. Receiving: R.J. Sumrall, 10-106, 1 TD
Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 18-26, 319 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jake Sharp, 19-79, 1 TD. Receiving: Kerry Meier, 7-125, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Kansas showed just how explosive it can be when everything is clicking. After an awful first half against Iowa State when everything was working, it seemed like the offense came out focused as Todd Reesing put every throw where it needed to be and Jake Sharp and Kerry Meier were fantastic. Now the goal has to be to put together a full 60 minutes. With no running game to speak of, that’s hard, so it’ll be up to Reesing to be sharp throughout. Losing four turnovers didn’t help, but again, give credit for overcoming the pumped up Cyclones in a tough environment.  

Sept. 20
Kansas 38 … Sam Houston State 14
It was the Todd Reesing show for Kansas as the junior ran for a one-yard score, connected with Kerry Meier for a 68-yard touchdown, and came up with a brilliant, twisting scramble to get free to connected with Dezmon Briscoe for a 57-yard touchdown has part of a 21-point second quarter. Sam Houston State and former Oklahoma QB Rhett Bomar kept pressing and made it interesting with an eight-yard Bomar touchdown run and a 46-yard scoring pass to Justin Wells, but the Jayhawks scored the final ten points of the game. SHSU finished with just 45 yards rushing.
Player of the game: Kansas QB Todd Reesing completed 23-of-38 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a score.
Stat Leaders: Sam Houston State - Passing: Rhett Bomar, 26-46, 340 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: James Aston, 7-33. Receiving: Justin Wells, 8-111, 1 TD
Kansas- Passing: Todd Reesing, 23-38, 356 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Angus Quigley, 16-61, 1 TD. Receiving: Kerry Meier, 8-136, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Where would this team be without Todd Reesing? Yeah, he scrambled a bit too much and he didn’t always connect on the short to midrange plays he needed to make, but he did a little bit of everything else for the offense against Sam Houston State. The running game wasn’t bad, with Angus Quigley and Jocques Crawford each cranking out some yards, but neither tore off any big runs. It can’t be all Reesing all the time at Iowa State in two weeks.

Sept. 12
South Florida 37 ... Kansas 34
South Florida's Nate Allen picked off a Todd Reesing pass to set 43-yard Maikon Bonani field goal as time expired to give the Bulls the thrilling win. Kansas dominated for most of the first half with Reesing running for a four-yard score and connecting with Jonathan Wilson for a 36-yard touchdown on the way to a 20-3 lead. And then USF got hot reeling off 31-straight points highlighted by a 21-yard Taurus Johnson juggling scoring catch, but KU rallied. Reesing marched the Jayhawks to a 78-yard drive finishing with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Wilson, and tied the game on a 14-yard pass to Angus Quigley. Reesing appeared to be on his way to a game-winning score before throwing the pick to Allen. The loss overshadowed a great game from KU's James Holt, who made 12.5 tackles, a sack, three tackles for loss and forced two fumbles.
Player of the game: South Florida QB Matt Grothe completed 32-of-45 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns, and ran 11 times for 30 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: South Florida - Passing: Matt Grothe, 32-45, 338 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: James Taylor, 11-72, 1 TD. Receiving: Taurus Johnson, 7-82, 1 TD
Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 34-51, 373 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Angus Quigley, 3-22. Receiving: Kerry Meier, 11-120
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Todd Reesing will be kicking himself for the rest of the year for the one bad pick he threw at the end of the South Florida loss. It's unfortunate because he had a fantastic game under tremendous pressure. The KU offensive line had an awful second half, while the defensive line didn't do anything to generate pressure. USF QB Matt Grothe had ten days to throw in the second half and picked the Jayhawk secondary apart. KU looked slow, ineffective in the running game, and a step short defensively, but it had the chance to rally and win and blew it.

Sept. 6
Kansas 29 ... Louisiana Tech 0
In the rain and lousy conditions, Todd Reesing was razor-sharp throwing for 412 yards with touchdown passes of three and 39 yards to Daymond Patterson and a 48-yarder to Dezmon Briscoe. Jacob Brandstetter added three short field goals, while the Jayhawk defense kept the Bulldogs to 267 yards of total offense and just 119 through the air. KU held on to the ball for 35:16.
Player of the game: Kansas QB Todd Reesing completed 32 of 38 passes for 412 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Louisiana Tech - Passing: Taylor Bennett, 12-33, 119 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Phillip Livas, 2-80. Receiving: Dustin Mitchell, 3-27
Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 32-38, 412 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Angus Quigley, 15-84. Receiving: Kerry Meier, 9-71
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Considering the weather conditions weren't perfect, the shutout win over Louisiana Tech was just about perfect. Todd Reesing was masterful as he mixed up his short throws with his big plays well enough to keep a good Bulldog defense on its heels, while the running game did just enough to help out. Tech doesn't have a juggernaut of an offense, but a shutout is a shutout. This was the type of performance needed going into the showdown at South Florida.

Aug. 30
Kansas 40 ... FIU 10
Kansas scored the first 24 points of the game highlighted by a 75-yard punt return for a score from Daymond Patterson and an eight-yard Dezmon Briscoe touchdown grab. FIU finally got on the board with a  74-yard T.Y. Hilton punt return for a score, but KU was never threatened. Briscoe finished with three scoring grabs, and Alonso Rojas hit field goals from 47 and 37 yards out. KU held on to the ball for 37:49.
Player of the game: Kansas WR Dezmon Briscoe caught nine passes for 55 yards and three touchdowns and ran once for five yards.
Stat Leaders: FIU - Passing: Paul McCall, 10-28, 73 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: A'mod Ned, 12-42. Receiving: Jeremy Dickens, 2-21
Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 37-52, 256 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Angus Quigley, 6-47. Receiving: Kerry Meier, 9-62
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It wasn't exactly the perfect performance that KU got used to putting up last year, but it was an easy win over FIU as the offense figured out what it has to work with. Using three different backs, the ground game was fine, and Todd Reesing did what he needed to do, but it was the defense that stood out. The Jayhawks only allowed FIU to convert two of 14 third down chances and came up with two second half turnovers to end the fun. Against Louisiana Tech, a steady workhorse has to emerge for the ground game.

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Jocques Crawford  RB 6-1 230 Memphis, Tenn. (Cordova/Cisco JC)
The Junior College star was honored by NJCAA and JC Gridwire as All-American First Team Running Back and also SWJCFC Player of the Year. Crawford rushed for 1,935 yards as a sophomore and scored nineteen touchdowns in nine games the past season. He averaged 6.8 yards per carry and just over 190 yards per game. He accounted for over half his teams offense each game. His best game for the 2007 season was a 328 yard tour de force when he carried the ball 42 times and scored three touchdowns. As a freshman Crawford rushed for 1,069 yards and scored eight touchdowns. Crawford was a three year letterman in high school in three sports, football, basketball and track.

Potential Instant Impact Players

Nathan D'Cunha  OL  6-6  307  Campbelltown, NWS, Australia (St. Gregory's/Santa Barbara CC)
The Australian native played amateur football in his birthland, but took a scholarship to junior college in California and will now play the rest of his career at Kansas. D'Cunha enrolled in January.

Rod Harris, Jr. WR 6-2 200 Bryan, Texas (Bryan/Blinn JC)
Harris caught 20 passes for almost 400 yards at Blinn College. He was a qualifier out of high school so he will leave junior college after his freshman year. He will have four years to play three for the Jayhawks.

Rest of the Class

Tim Biere	TE	6-4	240	Omaha, Neb. (Westside)
Greg Brown	DB	5-11	164	Cedar Hill, Texas (Cedar Hill)
Tanner Hawkinson	TE	6-6	245	McPherson, Kan. (McPherson)
Ben Lueken	OL	6-6	300	St. Louis, Mo. (Chaminade)
Trevor Marrongelli	OL	6-4	285	Rolling Rock, Texas (Westwood)
D.J. Marshall	DE	6-4	230	Mesquite, Texas (Mesquite)
Darius Parish	DT	6-4	325	Wichita, Kan. (North)
Daymond Patterson	WR	5-9	175	Mesquite, Texas (North Mesquite)
Kale Pick	QB	6-2	200	Dodge City, Kan. (Dodge City)
Nick Plato	TE	6-6	228	Edwardsville, Ill. (Edwardsville)
Corrigan Powell	DB	5-10	161	Garland, Texas (Lakeview Centennial)
Sean Ransburg	Ath.	6-1	195	Harrisonville, Mo. (Harrisonville)
Josh Richardson	OLB	6-4	200	Dublin, Ohio (Scioto)
Alonso Rojas	P	6-3	200	Miami, Fla. (Killian/Bowling Green)
Lubbock Smith	DB	5-11	190	Dallas, Texas (Carter)
John Williams	OL	6-4	335	Tulsa, Okla. (Washington)
Duane Zlatnik	DE	6-4	260	Rossville, Kan. (Rossville)

2007 Recap

Recap: In a season surprises, Kansas was one of its poster children, counting an Orange Bowl victory over Virginia Tech as one of its school-record 12 victories.  Ranked an unthinkable No. 7 in the final polls, the Jayhawks relied on a diverse offense and a no-name defense that led the Big 12 in total defense, scoring defense, and turnover margin.  The absurdity of Kansas’ success was encapsulated in first-year starter Todd Reesing, an undersized, lightly-recruited quarterback that parlayed 36 touchdowns and 3,683 total yards into one of the greatest seasons in school history.

Offensive Player of the Year: QB Todd Reesing

Defensive Player of the Year: CB Aqib Talib

Biggest Surprise: The season was basically a wire-to-wire shocker, but the Nov. 3 win over Nebraska still looks like a misprint.  No, a Jayhawk win over the Huskers no longer qualified as an upset, but the 76-39 final score looked like something that belonged at Allen Fieldhouse.  Kansas racked up 572 yards and six Reesing touchdown passes, nearly eliminating decades of frustration against Nebraska in one afternoon.  

Biggest Disappointment: Losing the Border War to Missouri on Nov. 24 ended the Jayhawks’ perfect season, and quests for a Big 12 and national championship.  Although Kansas rallied in the second half to make the game more palatable, Mizzou dominated, never looking back jumping out to a 21-0 lead.         

Looking Ahead: Gushing with goodwill after last year’s magical 12-1 season, Mark Mangino needs to capitalize on the recruiting trail right now.  While there’s enough momentum and returning starters to think big again in 2008, losing Talib and LT Anthony Collins early to the NFL Draft are substantial hits.