Kansas University sophomore receiver Mark Simmons isn’t a speed demon, but he certainly isn’t slow.

“I’m not a burner,” Simmons said. “But I’ve got just enough speed to make it to the end zone.”

Simmons has snagged a touchdown pass from quarterback Bill Whittemore in each of KU’s first four games. Three of his scores have been strikes of 65 yards or longer, while his other tally was a 39-yarder against UNLV.

Simmons leads the Jayhawks with 343 yards on 11 catches.

“He likes to catch touchdown passes,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “He is a guy that has made big plays for us.

“He played last year as a true freshman. He probably wasn’t ready last year, but he went to the school of hard-knocks and learned the tough way.”

Simmons, a DeSoto, Texas, native, compiled 208 yards on 23 receptions a year ago, but found the end zone only once — a 14-yarder against Missouri.

“I wanted to play so bad, that it made me a little ready” Simmons said of contributing his first season. “Mentally I was ready, but physically I might not have been as ready as I am this year.”

Simmons said a summer of offseason work in the weight room paid off.

Kansas University receiver mark Simmons, right, celebrates a touchdown with teammate Brandon Rideau.

“I just catch the ball, and I know that if I get caught everyone’s going to talk about me,” Simmons said. “So I just run as fast as I can.”

Mangino said there was strategy behind Simmons’ success.

“He is a guy you can call a smart football player,” he said. “He has a knack for getting open. He can set you up. He will come off the ball with just a jaunt, then accelerate right by you. He can find the holes and settle in a zone defense. He is a sure-handed young guy. He is deceptively fast and athletic.”

KU offensive coordinator Nick Quartaro said Simmons played a special spot in the Jayhawks’ big-play offense.

“He does a great job of stretching the field,” Quartaro said, “and yet if he catches a short one, he has enough of a burst to make something happen.”

Making big plays has been Simmons’ specialty, but he wasn’t concerned about his touchdown streak.

“I’m not planning to score, I just go off what they give me,” Simmons said.

“No matter what I do, I’m always going to want more. I’m not satisfied with what I’ve been giving, I’m always going to want more.”