Photo Credit: annependleton.comDezmon Briscoe
- 92 catches
- 1407 yards (school record)
- 15.3 ave
- 15 TDs (school record)
Let's face it, you knew Dezmon Briscoe could be a special player when he caught that first touchdown against Central Michigan back in 2007. It happened in the north endzone, right in front of the student section. As Briscoe left himself prone to gather in the ball along the endzone sideline, a CMU defender layed him flat. Dezmon held onto the ball and KU fans knew the true freshman was a new kind of talent.
He blew open his legacy when he took the wide receiver screen to the house against Kansas State in Manhattan a month later. That got him a nice spread photo in Sports Illustrated. He was part of a talented wide receiver arsenal and a key component for the Jayhawks in that magical 2007 season. However, with the graduation of Marcus Henry and an early season injury to Dexton Fields in 2008, all of the sudden Dezmon became the top threat and the top target for opposing defenses. Sure, he was making big plays againt LA Tech and FIU, but we didn't see much out of him against USF. That didn't last long though as Briscoe stepped up in Big 12 play. He had a huge game against OU with 269 yards and two TDs on 12 catches. We saw his toughness and desire to win in the Border War. He hauled in nine receptions for 115 yards and his kickoff returns turned a KU weakness into a huge positive that day.
In the bowl game, we saw what he could do against a mid-level team (really in one play). He tied Kerry Meier's brand new school record of 14 catches in a game. In the final analysis, he's the future Mangino/KU football model player -- a perfect blend of real talent and a team first/sawing wood attitude.
Cozzen's Award Winners--The Complete List:
1997 Ron Warner
1998 Patrick Brown
1999 Carl Nesmith, Chad Coellner
2001 Algie Atkinson
2002 Marcus Rodgers
2003 Bill Whittemore, Gabe Toomey
2004 Charles Gordon, Nick Reid, John Randle
2005 Charlton Keith, Jon Cornish, Banks Floodman, Mark Simmons
2006 Jon Cornish
2007 Todd Reesing, Anthony Collins, James McClinton, Brandon McAnderson, Aqib Talib
2008 Kerry Meier, Todd Reesing, Dezmon Briscoe, ???, ???, ???
Awards Schedule
Part I: Play of the Year
Part II: Wes Welker Award
Part III: Blog Awards
Part IV: Monte Cozzens Award
Photo Credit: annependleton.com