#7

Performance #7 came at the beginning of a brutal stretch of games for the Kansas Jayhawk football team.  A stretch of games that would include four teams ranked in the top 24 in their final six games.  For the first contest in the series Mark Mangino would return to his old stomping grounds, for the first time with a ranked team, in a battle against his former employer and friends.   

The #4 ranked Oklahoma Sooners would welcome the 5-1 Kansas Jayhawks to Norman Oklahoma on October, 18 2008.  It was no surprise that this game turned into a shootout and for one Jayhawk it turned into a breakout performance.  While this particular Jayhawk has had several big games, none had come against this caliber of competition and in fact no Jayhawk in history has ever put up these types of numbers.

Dezmon Briscoe’s record breaking performance checks in at #7 in the countdown of top 10 Kansas football performances of 2008.  If the Big 12 didn’t know him already they certainly did after Briscoe stormed onto the scene in the game in Norman.

The game between the Sooners and the Jayhawks featured many record breaking performances and after a fast and furious start the Sooners led 24-17 at halftime.  One of the Jayhawks key plays in the half came on a Todd Reesing pass to Briscoe for a 69 yard touchdown just before halftime. 

In the second half the Jayhawks struggles to keep pace with the juggernaut OU offense and after 3 quarters the 2 teams had combined for over 1000 yards of total offense, but the Jayhawks now trailed by 14.  Briscoe would once again take the ball into the end zone late in the fourth quarter but at this point it was just too late and the Sooners would win 45-31 in what would be the last time in the 2008 season that the Sooners would be held under 60 points.

When it was all said and done despite the loss Dezmon Briscoe had set two school records with his 12 receptions, 269 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Briscoe had checked in with big performances in the past but never on this big of a stage.  With a win this likely would have been much higher on the list, but in a year of elite receivers in the Big 12 conference Dezmon Briscoe put in one of the most elite performances and earned himself his second appearance on the countdown of top 10 Kansas football performances of 2008.