The Daily Toreador - Student Newspaper of Texas Tech

Issue date: 10/24/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Kansas Athletics

Like any receiver, Kansas' Dezmon Briscoe probably smiles every time he notices a defense playing man coverage.

"When you go out there and it's man-to-man," Briscoe said, "you know that you can beat them."

After his record-breaking performance against No. 4 Oklahoma last week, Briscoe could see less of those matchups. Against OU, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound sophomore receiver had 12 receptions and 269 yards - both school records - along with a pair of touchdowns.

Although it was in a loss, his 269-yard effort is best in the nation this year for any individual receiver and second best in Big 12 Conference history behind former Oklahoma State receiver Adarius Bowman's 300-yard game against Kansas in 2006.

Briscoe, whose No. 23 Jayhawks meet No. 8 Texas Tech in Lawrence, Kan., 11 a.m Saturday, gets lined up all over the field by KU in hopes of finding a mismatch in coverage.

"Most of the time he's back side. A lot of times if they overload one side with three receivers, he's bound to have the back side," McNeill said. "If they're two by two, he could be anywhere.

"The quarterback goes to him quite a bit. He's got good speed, good hands, good size, a really good competitor. He's good at all routes, and he does a good job of catching the ball and getting up field like our guys."

The reception record Briscoe broke against OU belonged to his teammate, receiver Kerry Meier, who switched from quarterback to receiver in 2007 to see playing time. Meier set the record with 11 receptions earlier this season in a loss against South Florida only to see Briscoe one-up him against OU.

"It was a heck of a performance," Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. "I like the way he went up in a crowd and caught the ball and I liked the way he ran his routes precisely. He understood the coverages. Todd (Reesing) did a good job of getting the ball to him. He has shown that he is capable of being one of the top receivers in this league."

KU quarterback Todd Reesing does a good job of distributing the ball to his sure-handed receivers. Meier, who has 632 yards receiving, leads the team and ranks fifth nationally in receptions per game with 8.14.

Reesing, who is 17-3 as a starter, is following up a stellar sophomore year with a 155.7 passer rating and 2,322 yards passing with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. Briscoe, who has stayed humble despite all the recent attention, said his preparation and attitude will be no different for the Tech game, and he expects Kansas' offense to continue its execution.

Continued...

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