Kansas University wide receiver Mark Simmons answered questions from KUsports.com readers during an online chat Thursday. Simmons discussed the Jayhawks’ talented receiving corps, his pregame rituals and his favorite routes to run, among other topics.

Moderator: We’ll begin out chat in just a minute or two. Thanks to Mark Simmons and our readers for their time today.

Peter: Have you enjoyed your time in Lawrence so far? Would you recommend KU to other recruits?

Mark Simmons: Lawrence is a beautiful town to go to college in. I like the fans and all the people in town. I would definitely tell recruits to come here. We’re doing something with this program, going in the right direction and expecting big things for the future.

Andy: Is there a team this year that you have played against that is similar to NC State?

Mark Simmons: I feel that Oklahoma State did the same thing. Their offense is the same. They like the throw the ball a lot, but also have a good tailback and their defense plays a lot of man coverage. I think Oklahoma State and NC State have a lot of similarities on both offense and defense.

Young Jedi: Mark, how good can this Jayhawk receiving corps be? The trio of yourself, Gordan, and Rideau were great this year. Can you top it in the bowl game and next season?

Mark Simmons: With me, Charles and Brandon it was great this season, but it wasn’t what we expected. We expect more of our ourselves, and in the bowl game we’re going to try to do even more and next year we’re going to try to be the best receiving corps in the nation.

Ross: What is the thought process and practice routine for the receiver group to recognize and react when the quarterback is forced to scramble? Are there set bailout locations to run to, do you just start blocking, how does that work?

Mark Simmons: When the quarterback scrambles, you have to have good whereabouts of where he wants you to be. We like to have one guy deep, one guy short and one guy sprint to the sideline. You just have to have good recognition of the quarterback so he knows where you’re going to be. And with Bill, he obviously likes to throw the deep ball.

Larry: Do you have any superstitions or pregame rituals?

Mark Simmons: For the pregame I always tape my wrists and I have to have two wristbands on. I don’t know why, but I feel that makes me play better. I always have to dress nice, because I feel that if I look good when I play, I play good. And right before I come out of the locker room I always say a prayer to the Lord.

Brad: Describe the feeling of catching a pass in full stride and sprinting through the open field to the end zone. It occurs to me that that’s a feeling I’ll never know (at least, not outside of a two-hand-touch or flag football game with my friends). That must be an amazing feeling to be able to do it in a Divison I atmosphere.

Mark Simmons: When you catch a deep pass like a post and you catch it in stride, it’s a great feeling. All you can think about is running your fastest so you don’t get caught, because if you do everyone’s going to laugh at you. When you hit the end zone that’s a great feeling because everything you did cashed in for you and now it’s time to go celebrate with your teammates.

Brad: What made you choose KU?

Mark Simmons: Choosing KU was a hard decision for me. It came down to KU or Oklahoma State, and I had committed to OSU earlier, but I felt Lawrence was the right place for me to be. I like the player and the coaching staff knew what they wanted and were going in the right direction. I felt that it would be a better situation for me in the long run.

Brad: What’s your favorite pass route to run? Do you like trying to beat the other guy deep on a fly route or a deep post, or do you prefer quick, short routes like slants and screens?

Mark Simmons: My favorite pass play to run is either the go route or the post route, because if you catch either one you have a step on them and if you break a tackle or make a guy miss, you’re going to the house. The fans like the big play and I like to give them the big play.

Brad: What is your favorite memory from this past season?

Mark Simmons: I guess my favorite memory from this past season was when the clock hit zero and we realized we had beaten Missouri and the fans rushed the field. We were on TV and let all the fans know where our program was headed and what we’d done.

Brad: In your opinion, what was the biggest difference between last season’s 2-10 team and this season’s 6-6 team?

Mark Simmons: The difference between this year’s team and last year’s team is more confidence. We have confidence in our abilities to go out and compete with everyone we play. We think we can win every game, and that’s how we approach everything. We think anyone we face we should be able to beat. It gives us more confidence and we when face teams people think should beat us we come out on top or we put up a good fight and never give up. We fight until the end.

Troy: How does it feel to be playing in your first Bowl Game.

Mark Simmons: Playing in my first bowl game is going to be something special. Everyone watches when you play in a bowl. You get to play a team that you’ll probably never play again. unless you face them in another bowl. It’s going to be a great experience. We’re going to go down to Orlando, have a lot of fun and hopefully come out with a victory. It’s not going to be as much fun if we go down there and lose. We want to win and have more fun.

Brad: Talk a little bit about the toughness and leadership of Bill Whittemore. How badly do you think the team will miss his leadership and presence next season? Do you think Adam Barmann will be able to fill Bill’s shoes?

Mark Simmons: Bill Whittemore is just a great guy to be around and to play with, and overall. His toughness is incredible. Most people with his injury would have been out for at least two more weeks, but Bill came back to play his last game as a senior. Adam Barmann is going to be a great quarterback. He’s not the same has Bill; he’s going to fill his own shoes. After he leaves, people are going to ask who’ll fill his shoes. It’s about making your own mark, and I think that’s what he’s going to do.

Moderator: Again, we’d like to thank Mark and our readers for their time today. We have time for one more question.

Jamie: How will the extra practice time help prepare the team for next year?

Mark Simmons: The practice time will help us tremendously. With a bowl game and more practice we’re getting more reps in so it’s like another spring ball. It gives the younger players more time to develop so they’re ready to help us get another winning season next year.

Moderator: That finishes our chat with KU’s Mark Simmons. Be sure to log on to KUsports.com at 1 p.m. Friday for our chat with head coach Mark Mangino.