Norman, Okla. ? Two-hundred sixty-nine receiving yards weren’t enough to put a smile on Dezmon Briscoe’s face.
“It would mean a whole lot more if we would have won,” the KU receiver said after his team’s 45-31 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. “It’s an individual stat, but I’m really more of a team player.”
Perhaps the smile will come in 20 years when, most likely, Briscoe will look back and say that his finest day as a collegian came on a sunny afternoon in Norman, Okla.
The sophomore’s 12 catches for 269 yards were more than career-highs – they were also the best marks in KU’s 109-year football history.
“Every time the ball was in the air, I just knew it was mine,” Briscoe said. “That’s how I felt as a receiver.”
Quentin Smith’s 221-yard day against Louisville in 1989 stood as KU’s school record for nearly 20 years; Briscoe topped that by 48 yards Saturday.
Briscoe, a 6-foot-3 wideout from Dallas, also broke the school’s reception mark of 11, previously held by several players, including Kerry Meier.
The breakout effort came after a pair of pedestrian performances from Briscoe in the first two games of Big 12 play. He had just two catches for 22 yards against Iowa State, and last week he pulled in five grabs for just 53 yards.
“I guess adrenaline (helped),” Briscoe said. “The coaches trusted me, and (KU quarterback) Todd (Reesing) gave me the ball where I could make plays. I guess that’s it. Me and Todd had a connection today.”
Briscoe’s biggest play came at the end of the first half, as he pulled in a 69-yard touchdown pass after his defender fell down.
It was the longest play of his career and also KU’s longest play from scrimmage this season.
“He made some plays and went up and caught the ball. He did what you would like to see your receivers do,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “I thought that he made some really nice catches in coverage.”
Briscoe secured the school record for receiving yards on KU’s final possession when he caught a 47-yard reception down the sideline. Later, he added a 17-yard TD grab on the same drive.
With a shootout looming against high-scoring Texas Tech next Saturday, Briscoe said he couldn’t afford to be content with his one big day.
“Next week,” he said, “we have to come out and make more plays and go from there.”