6B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY AUGUST 21, 2007
FOOTBALL
Inexperienced receiving group boasts depth
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Junior Dexton Fields leads an inexperienced but deep group of receivers this season. Fields led the team with 45 catches in 2006. Fields will become the team's top possession receiver.
Fields, Henry will lead pass-catchers but younger back-ups also capable
BY ASHER FUSCO
afusco@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer Asher Fusco is previewing KU football, position by position. Tomorrow's edition will profile the offensive line.
WIDE RECEIVER
With most of the preseason media attention focused on the Todd Reesing versus Kerry Meier saga, one important offensive unit has flown under the radar — the receivers.
Kansas lost leading receiver Brian Murph to graduation but could field an improved fleet in 2007. Depth is the calling card of the 2007 group. Quarterback Todd Reesing will throw to a largely inexperienced but versatile and athletic group of passcatchers this season.
"I like some of the playmakers we have," coach Mark Mangino said. "I like the guys who have been around and are developing. I also like some of the young kids."
The "guys who have been around" are junior Dexton Fields and senior Marcus Henry.
Fields lined up as the team's slot receiver instead of going out wide in preseason practices. At 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, the Dallas native will replace Murph as the Jayhawks main possession receiver. He pulled in a team-high 45 catches in 2006.
Mangino tabbed Henry as the team's starting "X" receiver before the spring game. In other words, Henry should be Kansas' No. 1 option on the outside this season. The 6-4 senior starred in the spring game, gaining 150 yards on six receptions.
WIDE RECEIVER
Fields and Henry are the most experienced wide receivers on the roster, but thanks to several years of strong recruiting at the position, Kansas also has several young receivers challenging for playing time.
"We've had talent in the past, but
WIDE RECEIVER
**Marcus Henry** - senior - 6-foot-4,
210 pounds - 25 receptions, 316
yards, 12.6 yds per catch, 3 TD
**Dexton Fields** - junior - 5-11,
205 pounds - 45 receptions, 455
yards, 10.1 yds per catch, 5 TD
**Dezmon Briscoe** - freshman - 6-3,
200 pounds - First team all-district
at Cedar Hill High School
**Marcus Herford** - junior - 6-1,
205 pounds - eight receptions,
137 yards, 17.1 yds per catch,
1 TD
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Raymond Brown - junior - 6-2
205 pounds - played cornerback in 2006 (11 tackles)
TIGHT END
TIGHT END
Derek Fine - senior - 6-3, 250 pounds - 28 receptions, 355 yards, 12.7 yds per catch, 5 TD
Marc Jones - senior - 6-2, 250 pounds - appeared in nine games, recorded no catches
Senior Derek Fine returns for his third season as starting tight end. Fine, a team captain, has shown great consistency during his career, and his production could increase this year.
now we have more," offensive coordinator Ed Warinner said. "If a starter gets tired or hurt, we can bring in that second guy and there isn't a big dropoff. We don't have to rely on one guy to play every snap all year."
The youngest receivers in the running are true freshmen Dezmon Briscoe and Jonathan Wilson. Briscoe and Wilson made favorable impressions on the coaching staff early in the preseason and will most likely not redshirt this season.
"Briscoe and Wilson are talented young guys with tremendous football aptitude." Mangino said. "We're really amazed with the things they understand about this game already."
Briscoe, from Dallas, is highly regarded by the offensive coaching staff. Warinner said Briscoe excelled in the first few practices and Mangino recently said the lanky freshman was making a case to earn a start job.
season after switching from cornerback to receiver in the spring. When asked about the receiving corps, junior cornerback Aqib Talib said Brown had played well and displayed a bit of swagger in practice.
Two older receivers also have a shot at significant playing time in 2007 — junius Marcus Herford and Raymond Brown. Herford is one of the most athletic lajayhows and was an All-Big 12 second team selection for his work as a kick returner last season.
TIGHT END
Senior Derek Fine has a grasp on the starting tight end job for the third consecutive season. Fine, a team captain, has been one of the Jayhawks' most consistent players throughout his career. He utilizes his 250-pound body as a powerful run-blocker and his soft hands as a sturdy, pass-catching option.
Brown occasionally worked with the first team in practice this pre-
Fine has recorded 50 catches and six touchdowns in the past two seasons and should see his numbers increase in an offense that could rely heavily on rollout pass plays.
The Jayhawk receivers are not the flashiest players on the team, but they could be some of the most productive. The youth and athleticism of players like Briscoe and Wilson combined with the stability and reliability of Fine and Fields make the receivers a special group. Just ask one of the players responsible for covering them in practice:
"They've got good size, they know how to go to get the ball, and they're fast," Talib said. "If things play out we should have a pretty explosive offense."
Edited by Matt Erickson
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