Why Kansas Jayhawks tight end Mason Fairchild seeks redemption in Tuesday’s bowl game
Kansas Jayhawks tight end Mason Fairchild is hyper-focused on one thing.
He wants to end his KU career with a win.
The tight end from Andale, Kansas gets one last chance to don the blue and crimson against UNLV in Tuesday’s Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field (8 p.m., ESPN).
Fairchild is dead set on proving KU isn’t just a flash in the pan.
“It starts with winning the game on Tuesday. It’s something that we’ve got to do,” Fairchild said. “We can’t just go to bowl games and slack off and lose.
“I’m not saying that we have been slacking off. We have to say that we can get to these games and win these games and continue to carry that on to the next season. I think we have a good team next year.”
Last season, of course, the Jayhawks made their first bowl in 14 years. But KU lost to 55-53 to Arkansas in a triple-overtime thriller at the Liberty Bowl.
For Fairchild, getting this chance at redemption is like a late Christmas present.
“Because I have been here, this is my fifth season,” he said. “First three, I didn’t get to go to the bowl game. Any time you can play into December, that’s awesome. I hadn’t experienced that until last year, and to get to experience it again this year, it’s truly special.”
Although KU is a 13-point favorite over UNLV, Kansas coach Lance Leipold isn’t taking the Rebels lightly.
“The thing that really caught my eye — and we knew it — was their explosiveness on offense,” Leipold said. “When you look at the long play of each player, whether a receiver or running back, 80 yards, 70 yards, 60 yards, 50 yards, they have been highly explosive. They are one of the best teams in turnover margin, so they haven’t beaten themselves.
“Probably top 15, top 20 in special teams overall. So, again, a very well-coached, solid football team that probably never got the credit it deserved nationally this year based on the new additions that they added — I think over 50.”
Fairchild is ready to do anything required to secure a win.
“The win is the most important thing,” he said, “but I want to do whatever I can to help get us there. If I have to be the run-blocker the entire time, if it means I have to catch some passes, whatever it takes to win the game.
After all, this year just feels different than the rest for these Jayhawks.
“Last year, I think we were just more content in being there and this year, we are focused on winning the game,” Fairchild said.
We’ll soon see if the Jayhawks can do just that.
This story was originally published December 25, 2023 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Why Kansas Jayhawks tight end Mason Fairchild seeks redemption in Tuesday’s bowl game."
