Jayhawks clash with Iowa State Saturday
Steven Sims Jr. leads Kansas with 702 yards receiving on 51 catches.
vs. Iowa State
Nov. 12, 2016
Location Lawrence, Kan.
Venue Memorial Stadium
Time 11 a.m.
TV Fox Sports Net
Listen Jayhawk Radio Network
Video Weekly Presser
Notes Game Notes
REMAINING HOME GAMES
Tickets Texas (Nov. 19)
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LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas football team returns to Memorial Stadium for its second-to-last home game of the 2016 campaign when it hosts Iowa State, Saturday, Nov. 12, for an 11 a.m. kick on Fox Sports Net.
Kansas (1-8, 0-6 Big 12) and ISU (1-8, 0-6 Big 12) have met 95 times in the history of the two programs with the Jayhawks holding the edge in the all-time series 50-39-6.
30 POINTS SHOULD DO IT
Since 1990, Kansas and Iowa State have played 26 times. Of those contests, the team that scored 30 or more points has won 21 games. The Jayhawks hold a record of 14-0-1 when they scored at least 30 points against ISU during that span. The Cyclones hold a record of 6-0-1 when they scored at least 30 points, with the lone tie happening in 1990 when each team scored 34 points a piece. During the 95-game history of the two teams, only once has a team lost when it scored at least 30 points. Kansas holds a record of 21-1-1 in games where it scored at least 30 points, while Iowa State is undefeated holding a record of 13-0-1. KU’s only loss eclipsing the 30-point mark came by way of a 38-35 decision in Ames, Iowa, on October 8, 1983.
UNDER HIS WING
After leading the nation in solo tackles in 2015, senior safety Fish Smithson has taken on another prime role during his final season as a Jayhawk – mentoring a should-be-senior in high school in freshman safety Mike Lee. The secondary tandem has combined for 108 total tackles accounting for 18.7 percent of KU’s 579 stops on the season. More impressive is that through eight games played, Lee has turned in almost identical numbers to Smithson, who leads the squad with 7.1 stops per game. Each average 5.0 solo stops per game – that ranks fifth in the conference – and have recorded 1.5 tackles-for-loss. Smithson leads the youngster with two interceptions, three more pass breakups and one more forced fumble.
REAL LIFE SIMS
Contrary to pop-culture games that simulate activities, wide receiver Steven Sims Jr. is the real deal when he lines up on the gridiron. With three games left in his sophomore campaign, Sims has grabbed 51 passes for 702 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 13.8 yards per reception and 78.0 yards per game. His 51 snags ties him for 11th all-time for single-season receptions, while his 702 yards ranks him 16th. If Sims keeps up this pace, he should finish the season inside the top-10 for receptions and yards, and could come very close to being KU’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Dezmon Briscoe in 2009.
SIMS HITS 1,000 FOR HIS CAREER
On the 78th catch of his career, sophomore wide receiver Steven Sims Jr., eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark during game No. 20 of his tenure as a Jayhawk. To date, Sims has 1,051 career receiving yards and is just 32 yards shy of cracking the top-25 in KU history. Those numbers by Sims are shades of KU’s all-time leading receiver, Dezmon Briscoe, who hit the 1,000-yard mark on reception No. 79 – five catches into career game No. 20.
BEHIND THE LINE
Despite snapping a streak of six-consecutive games recording at least one sack, sophomore defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr., continues to shine on the line as he ranks No. 8 in the FBS averaging 1.6 tackles-for-loss per game, totaling 14.0 on the season – both lead the Big 12 Conference. Only three players in the entire country average more TFLs per game than Armstrong with UCLA’s Takkarist McKinley leading the way with a 2.0 TFL average. If Armstrong keeps this pace, he should finish inside the top eight for TFLs in a season in KU history as he is only the second person since 2008 to tally 14.0 or more TFLs in a single season (Michael Reynolds, 14.5 – 2014).
ALL IN
Twenty-three different Jayhawks have combined to bring down opponents behind the line of scrimmage 72 times in 2016. Those 23 contributors are the most for a Kansas team in at least the past 17 seasons dating back to 2000. During that span, KU only had six teams that had 20 or more players record at least 0.5 TFLs in a game with 22 in 2009 the closest. Sophomore defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr. (14.0), senior defensive end Cameron Rosser (7.0), senior linebacker Marcquis Roberts (6.5), sophomore defensive tackle Daniel Wise (6.0) round out the top four TFL getters for KU.
UP NEXT
Kansas closes out its home slate Saturday, Nov. 19, as the Jayhawks play host to Texas for Senior Day. Kickoff will either be at 11 a.m. or 2:30 p.m., with a final determination to be set on Sunday, Nov. 13.
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