Meier Hauls In Record-Setting Receptions
Oct. 10, 2009
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
On a day when teammate Dezmon Briscoe broke the Jayhawk career record in receiving yards (2,420), senior Kerry Meier etched his name in the record books by claiming the school record for career receptions and receptions in a single game. Meier bettered his previous record of 14 receptions, which came against Missouri in 2008, with 16 receptions in the Jayhawks’ 41-36 win over Iowa State.
Both Meier and Briscoe passed Mark Simmons on KU’s career reception list. Meier is the current leader with 167 receptions, followed by Briscoe with 165.
“I don’t think you can find a duo that’s better than them and if you do, I’ll challenge you and say that there’s not,” said senior quarterback Todd Reesing, who went 37 for 49, throwing for 442 yards.
Trailing the Cyclones 12-6 with six minutes left in the first half, the Jayhawks were in need of an offensive spark. Sure enough, Reesing found his dependable receiver in Meier to provide that needed spark.
The last two drives of the first half, Reesing did most of his damage connecting with Meier nine times for 84 yards and one touchdown. Reesing went 12 for 14 in those two drives, putting Kansas ahead 20-12 going into halftime.
“Kerry is our go-to guy,” Reesing said. “When we need a third-down, fourth-down conversion, I can’t tell you how many times over the last few years that we’ve hit Kerry on those big plays. You can count on him in any situation.”
Meier finished the day with 142 yards receiving which gave him his eighth career 100-plus yard game as a Jayhawk.
Head coach Mark Mangino talked about Meier’s dependability, as well as his great football aptitude: understanding the defenses, knowing where coverage would be, and finding holes to make a play. Meier’s record-setting day didn’t surprise Mangino either.
“He is playing so well and has played so well for such a long period of time that I think people expect him to do that,” said Mangino. “You know how hard it is to catch 16 balls in a game? That’s tough to do.”
Both Reesing and Meier credited the offensive line and its pass blocking for the boost in their stats. Zero sacks were allowed in Reesing’s 49 pass attempts.
“The offensive line did a great job giving Todd some time and Todd got through his reads and put the ball where it needed to be,” Meier said. “And it just so happened that I caught 16 of them.”
Meier said he felt that once the offense got into rhythm and adjusted to the Cyclones’ defense, it had a lot of answers for what the schemes they were playing.
“I got that feeling that I was catching quite a few balls,” Meier said. “Today was my day and coach was feeling my number and he kept calling it.”
