Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing celebrates with tight end Derek Fine.

It's easy to pick the downer of the year in a one-loss season. Justin Thornton and the Jayhawks were despondent as they left Arrowhead Stadium after a 36-28 loss to Missouri on Nov. 24.

Kansas University cornerback Aqib Talib pulls in an interception with a smile. He returned the ball 100 yards for a touchdown against Florida International, and 6News sports director Kevin Romary deemed it the play of the game in the Jayhawks' 55-3 rout of the Golden Panthers on Sept. 22, 2007.

KU's Marcus Herford (13) earned his Woody as special-teams MVP after averaging 28.6 yards per kick return.

The Woodys never have been more meaningless.

I’d like to think that for the last few years, winning a Woody was a huge accomplishment for Kansas University football players. I pictured them sending a copy back home to mama, or putting it on the fridge, or maybe recreating the scene in “He Got Game” where Booger pulls the clipping out of his sock and screams “You didn’t read the paper that day, son?”

But a Kansas team that went 12-1, had two All-Americans, the national coach of the year, a stable of All-Big 12 players and a flippin’ Orange Bowl trophy probably doesn’t give a hoot about the Woodys anymore. Come to think of it, they probably never did.

But tradition lives on anyway. So, for the third straight year, here are your KU postseason football awards.

Behold the Woodys:

Offensive MVP

Todd Reesing, quarterback. The obvious choice. Reesing won the starting job in August and immediately injected KU’s offense with a winning attitude it hadn’t had in years. Oh yeah, and he performed exceptionally in the process: 3,486 yards, 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. The best season ever by a KU quarterback.

Honorable mention: Brandon McAnderson, running back; Marcus Henry, wide receiver; Anthony Collins, left tackle.

Defensive MVP

Aqib Talib, cornerback. KU’s unanimous All-American made an enormous impact all over the field, giving the Jayhawks a tremendous playmaking talent. He had two interception returns for touchdowns, posted 66 tackles and led the Big 12 Conference in passes defended. If it is indeed his last season at KU, it was a darn good one.

Honorable mention: James McClinton, tackle; Joe Mortensen, linebacker.

Special Teams MVP

Marcus Herford, kick returner. An explosive, fearless return specialist, Herford provided the Jayhawks with prime field position time and time again. He also took two kicks back for touchdowns during the first half of the season, and averaged 28.6 yards per return.

Honorable mention: Kyle Tucker, punter.

Game of the Year

Kansas 24, Virginia Tech 21. In a season full of landmark victories, it was the last one that will remain memorable for decades to come. The Jayhawks used a determined defensive effort to stifle the third-ranked Hokies in the Orange Bowl. Three KU interceptions led to 17 points, and a blocked field goal by Joe Mortensen in the second half prevented Virginia Tech from ever having a share of the lead. It was a historical night in Miami in front of thousands of traveling KU fans. An appropriate ending to a magical season.

Honorable mention: Kansas beats Kansas State 30-24; Kansas beats Nebraska 76-39.

Run of the Year

Todd Reesing’s 53-yard scramble vs. Colorado. It’s funny – for the second straight year, the longest rush from scrimmage for KU came from the pass-first quarterback who rarely runs. Reesing had a bit of Vince Young in him on this run, slipping through two pass rushers, pump-faking a defender out of the play and streaking up the right sideline for a big gain. It led to the first points in a low-scoring Big 12 North road game.

Honorable mention: Jake Sharp’s 20-yard touchdown run at Kansas State; Pick from a number of big gains by Brandon McAnderson at Texas A&M.

Pass of the Year

Todd Reesing to Dexton Fields for 22 yards at Oklahoma State. It wasn’t so much the throw – though it was lobbed perfectly into a small pocket Fields was in – as much as it was the opportunity Reesing created. He scooted to his left, then scrambled to the other side of the pocket. Seeing nothing there, he slipped between two defenders, went back to his left and threw across his body to Fields for the incredible first down. Anthony Collins deserves credit for throwing three different blocks that allowed Reesing to get free.

Honorable mention: Reesing throwing a strike to Aqib Talib for a 58-yard touchdown vs. Central Michigan; Kerry Meier taking an option and quickly firing a 44-yard strike to Marcus Henry at Oklahoma State.

Catch of the Year

Dezmon Briscoe for 34 yards against Missouri. Cue the SportsCenter theme. When Kansas was frantically trying to get on the scoreboard in the Border War game on Nov. 24, Todd Reesing dropped back and fired down the middle of the field for Briscoe. The true freshman had a step on his man but needed to make a diving, outstretched, parallel-to-the-ground grab to haul it in at the Missouri five-yard line. Probably the prettiest catch all year.

Honorable mention: Aqib Talib’s 58-yard “electrocution” catch vs. Toledo; Kerry Meier’s over-the-shoulder, falling-to-the-ground catch vs. Missouri.

Defensive Play of the Year

Aqib Talib’s 100-yard interception return against Florida International. Talib needs to split this honor 11 ways. Yes, he made an incredible catch two yards deep in the end zone, leaping high over everyone to snag the ball. Yes, he made all the right moves in sprinting up field, cutting across and straightening out to return it 100 yards the other way for the score. But the blocking was phenomenal to give Talib the space. It was truly one the most special plays of the Mark Mangino era.

Honorable mention: Talib’s 60-yard pick-six against Virginia Tech; James McClinton and others stuffing Jorvorskie Lane on fourth-and-1 versus Texas A&M.

Hit of the Year

Darrell Stuckey vs. Missouri. The Tigers’ Chase Daniel flung a pass down the middle of the field to William Franklin. As Franklin hauled it in, Stuckey laid a jarring hit on him, popping the ball into the air. The pass breakup by Stuckey was wiped out by a defensive penalty, but it still was quite a lick.

Honorable mention: Kendrick Harper’s hit in the flat at Texas A&M; Aqib Talib taking out Adarius Bowman at Oklahoma State.

Special Teams Play of the Year

Scott Webb’s 48-yard field goal at Colorado. An off-the-mark snap was recovered beautifully by holder Kyle Tucker, but that was only part of the problem. The snap threw off Webb’s timing, and the senior kicker had to stop his approach, then re-start and basically swing for the 48-yarder with half the momentum. Didn’t matter. He nailed it to give Kansas a 3-0 lead.

Honorable mention: Joe Mortensen’s field-goal block vs. Virginia Tech; Marcus Herford’s 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Baylor.

Block of the Year

Derek Fine vs. Toledo. Aqib Talib made a flailing catch on a Todd Reesing rollout pass, then headed to the corner of the end zone. As Talib made a leap toward the pylon, Fine viciously knocked Toledo’s Lester Richmond well out of bounds and away from Talib. The somersault Talib then landed gave Kansas one of the more memorable scores of the nonconference season.

Honorable mention: Derek Fine driving a defender 20 yards downfield during Todd Reesing’s 53-yard run at Colorado; James McClinton, Maxwell Onyegbule, Darrell Stuckey and Justin Thornton during Talib’s 100-yard interception return against Florida International.

Feel-Good Moment of the Year

Mark Mangino wins national coach of the year. He insists that his story is ordinary except for the spotlight that’s on him. But Mangino’s rise from tough times to the top of his profession is an inspiring tale. Some 20 years ago, Mangino worked nights as an emergency responder on the Pennsylvania Turnpike while working days as a high school coach and raising two young kids on a tight budget. He’s now a millionaire with an Orange Bowl ring and a mantle full of coach-of-the-year trophies. Living proof that hard work pays off.

Honorable mention: Brandon McAnderson’s heroic performance at Texas A&M; Marcus Henry’s 199 receiving yards at Oklahoma State, near his hometown.

Feel-Not-So-Good Moment of the Year

Missouri 36, Kansas 28. From the scoreboard perspective, the Border War game was the only not-so-good moment of the entire year. The Jayhawks had national-championship aspirations as late as Nov. 24, but looked far inferior to a Missouri team that did whatever it wanted offensively against KU. It was a reminder that Kansas still had work to do, which isn’t a bad thing. But getting that alert against the arch-rival? Never fun.

Honorable mention: Mangino’s profanity-laced outburst toward Raimond Pendleton landing on YouTube.

Quotes of the Year

¢ “Jump ball is my ball.” – Aqib Talib after a game-sealing interception against Kansas State, Oct. 6.

¢ “I knew somebody was going to snipe us out, but I didn’t know who. It’s bound to happen : you can’t win everything.” – Anthony Collins, on his 11-win prediction in the preseason, Dec. 14.

¢ “It brings out the devil in us.” – Joe Mortensen on KU’s success wearing red jerseys, Jan. 3.

¢ “Anyone can have a bad century.” – Mark Mangino on KU’s struggles to get to big bowl games, Dec. 5.

¢ “No. I’m deaf in one ear and can’t hear out of the other.” – Defensive coordinator Bill Young, asked if he can hear Aqib Talib talking trash in practice, Dec. 30.

Five thoughts on 2007

1. Wow. The diehard Kansas fans will never forget this ride. Each week it just went on and on, when observers all over the country were muttering “This is the Saturday it ends.” It never did. Witnessing history and realizing the magnitude of it while it happens is a neat experience.

2. The impact of Todd Reesing at quarterback and Ed Warinner at offensive coordinator cannot be overstated. Both were in their first year in KU’s driver’s seat, and Warinner along with the offensive staff did an excellent job realizing what would work in KU’s strong offense. Reesing then did brilliant work taking what the coaches gave him and making this offense shine.

3. Moving Joe Mortensen from the outside in has proven to be one of Mangino’s best moves yet. Mortensen is a perfect middle linebacker – aggressive, tough and fearless. He had 106 tackles and was an All-Big 12 selection. His potential was reached, and it’s because he’s finally in the right place.

4. Don’t forget the work of Chris Harris and Kendrick Harper at cornerback. When Harper was healthy, he proved valuable. Harris was one of the top freshmen in the Big 12. They were unsung heroes lining up opposite Aqib Talib, and KU’s awful pass defense in 2006 is the only reminder one needs.

5. The perspective everyone is ignoring: If LSU wins the national championship, the Jayhawks would be one of two one-loss teams in America (along with Hawaii). They would have one of the best victories among the elite teams (over No. 3 Virginia Tech) and also have one of the “best” losses (against No. 6 Missouri).

After adding all three of those up, can it be argued that Kansas had the best season in college football this year?

Five thoughts on 2008

1. If you’re sick of all the critics calling out KU’s 2007 schedule, than the 2008 slate is just for you. The Jayhawks in ’08 do what they didn’t do in ’07 – play a tough nonconference game at South Florida. In addition, the Big 12 South rotation kicks in, and Kansas will have home games against Texas Tech and Texas and a road game at Oklahoma. If 2007 showed anything, though, it’s that the Jayhawks are ready for the added challenge.

2. Kerry Meier remains the most intriguing player on the Jayhawks. He served as the backup quarterback/part-time wide receiver/backup punter in 2007. Will his role change in 2008? The curiosity here is whether Meier might move to receiver full time, especially if someone like A.J. Steward becomes a legitimate backup quarterback. With Meier’s athleticism and hands, a little polishing could make him a pretty good, if not great, college receiver.

3. The kicking game could be a major question mark in 2008. There hasn’t been much worrying about field goals and extra points since ’04, and that’s because Scott Webb has stepped up and done a solid job for three seasons. In addition, punter Kyle Tucker had a nice career for the most part. But both graduate, and that will put the pressure-packed duties on the feet of one or two inexperienced players.

4. Will Jake Sharp be an every-down back with Brandon McAnderson out of here? Will Sharp split carries with Angus Quigley or Carmon Boyd-Anderson? Maybe a new recruit? Watch the running back situation closely in the spring.

5. Let’s hope the fans don’t get expectations higher than the clouds. A 12-1 season was an incredible ride. If Kansas goes 9-3 or even 8-4 in 2008, it shouldn’t be considered an incredible disappointment.