SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Dezmon Briscoe and his teammates have been spending most of their free time at the team’s hotel playing video games as they prepare to face Minnesota in Wednesday’s Insight Bowl.

But although Briscoe, a sophomore wide receiver, has been wowed with large meals, great hospitality and beautiful weather, he does have one small complaint.

“They don’t have Madden,” Briscoe said of the popular football video game that he said helped him become a better receiver. “I’ve been requesting it since we got here but they haven’t gotten it yet.”

The Jayhawks have practiced and held meetings and film sessions each morning since arriving on Friday, but the players have had most of the afternoons and evenings off to relax around the hotel and enjoy their stay in the desert.

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Kansas Football: Open Practice

The Jayhawks held an open practice session Monday morning in Scottsdale, Ariz. The team enters Wednesdays Insight Bowl with a 7-5 regular season record, matching that of their opponents, the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Though Briscoe hasn’t been able to convince the powers that be to provide a Madden 09 game for the hospitality room, he said the players were still having plenty of fun.

“We’ve been playing this little basketball shooting game,” Briscoe said. “Just chilling in the hospitality room and just being away from football.”

After enjoying the success of last year’s Orange Bowl victory in Miami, coach Mark Mangino has been pleased with the business-like approach that his players are again taking into this game.

“I think our players realize that you can have fun and still get your work done and be ready to go,” Mangino said.

He also said he thought the Jayhawks that they needed to stay focused to fulfill expectations.

“If you get carried away off having a good time and forget why you’re here," Mangino said, "that’s when you get into trouble."

Tthe Jayhawks were rookies of the big-time bowl game atmosphere a year ago, but they arrived in Phoenix knowing what to expect. Add in the fact the KU seniors are playing in their third bowl game, and the Jayhawks appear to be old pros at dealing with all the extras that come with bowl games.

“We were a young team last year and we returned a lot of starters, so we all knew exactly what we were getting ourselves into,” Briscoe said. “We came in and it’s not really a vacation; it’s more of a business trip. We all came in with the right mindset and on our free time we do what we do but when we step on the field, it’s game time.”

SHARP SICK — Running back Jake Sharp skipped Monday’s practice and remained at the team hotel with the flu. Mangino said Sharp was getting better and would play Wednesday.

“There’s no way you’re going to keep him out of Sun Devil Stadium on Wednesday,” Mangino said. “That’s not going to happen.”

Mangino said Sharp probably could have practiced, but the medical staff wanted to give him one extra day to ensure that he was as close to 100 percent as possible heading into kickoff.

“We’re keeping him in his room and we’re tending to him,” Mangino said. “We are just trying to keep it from spreading to the rest of the team, because the flu bug that he has is very contagious.”

LARSON OUT — Defensive end John Larson’s college career ended a game early. He will miss Wednesday’s game with a case of the flu. Larson was at Monday’s practice but watched from the sidelines in sweats.

RIVERA AT WIDEOUT — Senior linebacker Mike Rivera was catching balls with the receivers during the open portion of Monday’s workout. Rivera wasn’t wearing his usual knee brace and appeared much healthier than he had been in recent weeks.

Rivera hasn’t played any offense during his KU career but could be used as a tight end in goal-line situations against Minnesota, similar to how the New England Patriots used linebacker Mike Vrabel in recent seasons.

BRETT FAVRE AND TODD REESING — Minnesota linebacker Deon Hightower compared KU quarterback Todd Reesing with Jets quarterback Brett Favre on Sunday because of Reesing’s ability to turn broken plays into big gains.

Briscoe agreed with the comparison Monday, but for a different reason.

“For some reason, I just think he looks like Brett Favre,” Briscoe said. “Everytime I see those Wrangler commercials, I’m like, ‘Look, it’s Todd.’”

— — Edited by Kelsey Hayes