KU vs. FIU: More News and Notes

More news and notes while waiting for the beer to get cold and the grill to get hot…

• There have been a couple of jersey number changes. WR Daymond Patterson will wear 28 (not 83), DT Justin Pessetto is now 55 (not 61) and DE Duane Zlatnik is now 98 (not 55).
• If KU holds the Golden Panthers to less than 200 yards rushing, it will be the 28th straight time the Jayhawks have done so to an opponent.
• If they score 30 or more, Kansas will have posted 30 or more in 17 of 25 nonconference games in the Mark Mangino era.
• If WR Dexton Fields has 100 yards receiving, he will be the first Jayhawk in history to do so in four straight games. He has caught at least two passes in 23 of the last 24 games.
• RB Jake Sharp needs 50 yards rushing to reach the 1,000 yard mark for his career.
• Eight tackles will get DB Justin Thornton to 100 for his career.
• LB Mike Rivera has recorded double-figure tackle totals in his last two games (14 vs. Missouri and 12 vs. Virginia Tech).
• LB Joe Mortensen has recorded a sack in three straight games.
• KR Marcus Herford needs three kickoff returns to tie Baylor’s Randy Davis (1999-2002) for sixth on the Big 12 career list with 63. He needs just three kickoff return yards to pass Baylor’s Willie Andrews (2002-05) for fourth on the Big 12 career list with 1,647. Finally, he needs one more kickoff return for a touchdown to tie Ben Kelly (Colorado, 1997-99) for first on the Big 12 career list (3).
• Entering 2008, LB Joe Mortensen leads the team with 25 straight starts. LB Mike Rivera has 25, DE Russell Brorsen has 21), DB Darrell Stuckey has 17 and LB James Holt has 14.
• Mortensen and Rivera are tied for the team lead in career starts with 25. Dex Fields has 24 and Russell Brorsen has 23.
• KU officials anticipate a great crowd Saturday. Kansas has had 19 home crowds of 50,000-plus, but all of those have been against Big 8 or Big 12 opponents. The biggest noncon crowd was 48,112 vs. Toledo in 2007.
• Several Jayhawks put up personal bests against Florida International last year in a 55-3 rout. QB Todd Reesing’s 368 passing yards were a career high. RB Jake Sharp had a career-best 46 receiving yards. DB Tang Bachyie had a career-high four tackles. DT Caleb Blakesley tied for a career best in tackles (three) as did LB Dakota Lewis (three), LB Joe Mortensen (13) and DB Phillip Strozier (two).
• Florida International was the opponent the last time KU produced 600-plus yards of total offense (615); a blocked punt return for a touchdown (Dakota Lewis recovered a blocked punt in the endzone); and a player with 400-plus yards of total offense (Todd Reesing, 415).
• KU is playing a football game on August 30 for just the second time in school history.  The last time, the Jayhawks lost to Northwestern, 28-20, on August 30, 2003. Other notable events that took place on August 30: Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey, Jr., became the first father and son to play on the same team as they suited up for the Seattle Mariners, both knocking singles in the first inning (1990); the Beatles released “Hey Jude” (1968); a rookie named Ty Cobb made his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers (1905); and Cleopatra committed suicide by allowing a poisonous snake to bite her (30 BC). Contrary to popular belief, Max Falkenstien was not the play-by play announcer for all those events.
• Happy birthday Saturday to Cameron Diaz (36), Warren Buffett (78) and Dr. Ruth Westheimer (80)!!!