Kansas University’s football team didn’t produce a receiver with more than 500 yards in 2001 or 2002.
This year, junior Brandon Rideau, sophomore Mark Simmons and red-shirt freshman Charles Gordon each reached that standard.
Not good enough, Simmons said Thursday on kusports.com.
“With me, Charles and Brandon it was great this season, but it wasn’t what we expected,” Simmons said. “We expect more out of ourselves, and in the bowl game we’re going to try to do even more and next year we’re going to try to be the best receiving corps in the nation.”
KU set school records this season with 235 completions and 23 touchdown passes. Simmons led the way with seven TDs, including five that went for 39 yards or more.
“When you catch a deep pass like a post and you catch it in stride, it’s a great feeling,” said Simmons, who has 39 catches for a team-high 771 yards. “All you can think about is running your fastest so you don’t get caught, because if you do everyone’s going to laugh at you. When you hit the end zone, that’s a great feeling, because everything you did cashed in for you, and now it’s time to go celebrate with your teammates.
“My favorite pass play to run is either the go route or the post route, because if you catch either one you have a step on (the defensive back) and if you break a tackle or make a guy miss, you’re going to the house. The fans like the big play, and I like to give them the big play.”
With senior quarterback Bill Whittemore in the lineup, Simmons has been most dangerous. He averaged 90 yards per game through the first seven games, but has averaged 28 yards a game since Whittemore suffered a collarbone injury Oct. 25 at Kansas State.
Whittemore returned for the season finale against Iowa State and will be under center when KU (6-6) faces North Carolina State (7-5) Dec. 22 in the Tangerine Bowl at Orlando, Fla.
“Bill Whittemore is just a great guy to be around and to play with and overall,” Simmons said. “His toughness is incredible. Most people with his injury would have been out for at least two more weeks, but Bill came back to play his last game as a senior.”
Six of Simmons’ seven TD catches have come from Whittemore, who set a KU single-season record with 16 touchdown passes.
Most of Whittemore’s TD passes been long bombs, but one exception was the short pass Simmons caught from a scrambling Whittemore during the season opener against Northwestern. The DeSoto, Texas, product turned it into a 74-yard score.
“When the quarterback scrambles, you have to have good whereabouts of where he wants you to be,” Simmons said. “We like to have one guy deep, one guy short and one guy sprint to the sideline. You just have to have good recognition of the quarterback so he knows where you’re going to be. And with Bill, he obviously likes to throw the deep ball.”
Simmons would like to haul in one of those deep balls against N.C. State on national television.
“Playing in my first bowl game is going to be something special,” he said. “Everyone watches when you play in a bowl.”
Sophomore linebacker Nick Reid, who leads the team with 126 tackles, received honorable-mention status along with junior guard Tony Coker, senior offensive tackle Adrian Jones, Whittemore and punter Curtis Ansel.
Gordon was honorable mention as an all-purpose player. He leads the Jayhawks with 53 receptions and also has played cornerback and returned punts.
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