Tempe triumph

By B.J. Rains

Published on Wed., December 31st, 2008

TEMPE, Ariz. – While Kansas players danced and celebrated on the field following a 42-21 drubbing of Minnesota in Wednesday’s Insight Bowl, some couldn’t help but look ahead.

“Just wait ‘til next year,” wide receiver Kerry Meier screamed.

With almost every offensive weapon returning next season, the Jayhawks could be the pre-season favorite to win the Big 12 North. Even senior linebacker Joe Mortensen, who had 13 tackles in his final college game, couldn’t help but look forward to the Jayhawks’ chances in 2009.

“It’s going to be nasty,” Mortensen said. “Put them in another BCS bowl. They’ve got the same schedule. They are going to be able to play with anybody.”

The Jayhawks will worry about next year in the coming weeks, but will first celebrate bowl wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history.

The Jayhawks’ senior class, one of the best ever at Kansas, won three bowl games in four years and 20 games in the past two seasons — both firsts in the program’s history.

“We put Kansas back on the map,” Mortensen said. “This senior class, this whole team, it’s awesome, man. I love my players. I love the coaches. I just love this team.”

Mortensen and fellow senior linebackers Mike Rivera and James Holt combined for 35 tackles, including a goal line stand on fourth and inches that sealed the Jayhawks’ eighth win of the season and third straight in a bowl game.

Kansas took a quick 7-0 lead on the first offensive play of the game when quarterback Todd Reesing avoided a sack and found Dezmon Briscoe for a 60-yard touchdown strike. Minnesota stormed back to take a 14-7 lead, but the Jayhawks scored 21 unanswered points to end the half on touchdown passes from Reesing to Meier, Jonathon Wilson and a second to Briscoe.

After leading 28-14 at the break, Kansas extended its lead to 35-14 when Meier found Briscoe on a wide receiver pass for his Insight Bowl-record third touchdown of the game. Briscoe also set the Insight Bowl record with 14 catches to go along with his 201 receiving yards.

Meier’s 10 catches put him at 97 on the season and he surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark on the season with his 113-yard performance.

Briscoe, Meier and Reesing — who was 27-35 for 313 yards and four touchdowns — all return next year, fueling the early talk about the Jayhawks’ chances at being a dominant team in 2009.

And while coach Mark Mangino rarely likes to look ahead, even he knows that next year’s team could be a special one.

“I’m not really thinking about that right now,” Mangino said. “But I can say with a great deal of confidence that, stay healthy and stay on track, we have a chance to be a very good football team next year.”

As the Jayhawks head their separate ways, some will be hitting the weight room for off-season conditioning programs and some will head off into careers that have nothing to do with football.

But no matter what their futures hold, they will always be remembered for being the group that brought respectability and a tradition of winning to the KU football program.

“It’s been a great ride,” Mortensen said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

— Edited by Kelsey Hayes

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