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GAME NOTES: The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles bring the nation's second longest winning streak with them to Lawrence this weekend, as they challenge the 20th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks in a non-league showdown at Memorial Stadium.

The Eagles enter the week riding an eight-game winning streak, which is tied with Ole Miss for the second longest in the nation. It is also the program's longest such streak since winning 10 consecutive outings between the 1958-59 seasons. The streak however, nearly came to an end last weekend before USM was able to rally for 37-34 victory over Virginia.

"I think it says a lot about our team," stated head coach Larry Fedora, whose club overcame a 17-point second-half deficit for the win. "I knew that we would not quit, I knew we would play all the way until the end and they have played to the end in every game, not only thin year but last year as well, that was never a question."

The victory capped off a perfect three-game homestand and gave the Eagles their first 3-0 start since 2004. USM is now 5-2 in non-conference games under Fedora, whose club is set to face its stiffest challenge of the young season.

As for the Jayhawks, they continued to punish opponents, as they kicked off a three-game homestand with a 44-16 trouncing of Duke last weekend.

"After reviewing the tape, we feel like we had a good performance against Duke," said head coach Mark Mangino. "We know there are areas we need to work on, but the key thing is we are better every week, which is what is most important for us."

With the triumph, Kansas is now 3-0 for the third time in the last five seasons, outscoring its first three opponents by a combined score of 97-26. The Jayhawks have also won 19 straight home non-conference games dating back to 2003 and that is plenty reason for optimism this weekend.

This game marks the first-ever meeting between Kansas and USM on the gridiron.

It took a little while, but the Eagles' offense came on strong last weekend and used 214 rushing yards to come from behind and defeat Virginia 37-34. Tailback Damion Fletcher took several snaps in the "Eagle" formation, which carved up Virginia, and he rushed for 115 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 26 carries. Tory Harrison also broke the century mark with 101 yards, including a 57-yard scamper to paydirt for the decisive score midway through the fourth quarter.

"We got quite a bit of yardage out of that today," said Fedora about the "Eagle" formation (Running back taking the snap). "We had planned on going into the game and calling it six or seven times and we probably called it about seven or eight maybe nine times. I think we got some pretty good yardage out of it."

USM will certainly be using that formation on a weekly basis, especially with Fletcher in the backfield. Fletcher, the school's all-time leading rusher, has 24 career 100-yard performances to his credit and he has gone for 344 yards this season, helping the Eagles average 247.7 ypg on the ground.

While USM may dominate on the ground, it is by no means a one-dimensional offense with Austin Davis calling the shots under center. Davis threw for 130 yards and a score last weekend, as he wasn't needed that much with the success on the ground. For the season, Davis has converted on 68.3 percent of his tosses with no picks in 82 attempts, displaying is efficiency.

Davis should only get better now that DeAndre Brown is back in the mix. A freshman All-American in 2008, Brown missed spring practice and the season opener while recovering from a broken leg he suffered in last year's New Orleans Bowl. Brown made two catches in his first start last weekend and his explosiveness will help keep opposing defenses from stacking the box to stop the run.

On defense, USM isn't nearly as strong, although the unit is holding foes to just 251.7 total ypg, including only 51.7 ypg on the ground. Those numbers however, are a bit skewed, as the Eagles haven't faced any dynamic offenses like the one they are about to see this weekend.

In last weekend's game, USM did a nice job shutting down Virginia's ground attack, allowing only 78 rushing yards. It marked the eighth consecutive game they have held an opponent under 100 yards on the ground.

"Our D-line is playing so good; so just by us running to the ball, great things happen," said linebacker Martez Smith. "Our D-line did a real good job of containing him [Sewell] and keeping him in the pocket."

The Eagles did a good job of recording four sacks, but they did give up 312 passing yards and that has to be a concern heading into this weekend. Ronnie Thornton and Korey Williams combined for 30 tackles and three sacks last weekend, while Smith finished with seven stops and the team's lone interception. Williams has been a force early on this season and he has notched 22 stops, four TFLs and three sacks to rank among the team leaders.

After three games, the Jayhawks have clearly shown they are an elite offensive team and are averaging 245.0 rushing ypg and an even better 292.7 ypg through the air. Last weekend, the offense continued to churn out yards, racking up 490 in a rout of Duke.

Quarterback Todd Reesing continued to shine and he completed 28-of-41 tosses for 338 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 51 rushing yards to a ground attack that amassed 152 yards.

"I like the way Todd Reesing played again," said coach Mangino. "Todd threw the ball very well. He made good decisions; he ran the ball well and managed the game extremely well."

There hasn't been much to complain about with Reesing, as he has thrown for 806 yards and six scores, in addition to rushing for 115 yards and two more touchdowns this season.

The return of Dezmon Briscoe has certainly helped Reesing and made this offense even more potent. Briscoe, who missed the opener due to a suspension stemming from academic issues, has caught 14 balls for 271 yards since returning. Last weekend, he hauled in six passes for 117 yards and a score and the best is still to come from this talent.

In the backfield, true freshman Toben Opurum carried the load last weekend, while starter Jake Sharp took some plays off after suffering an undisclosed injury in practice. Opurum carried the ball 17 times for 70 yards and a pair of scores and he also had three receptions for 50 yards.

"Toben did a good job. He was pressed into duty today," said Mangino. "He's a true freshman and he made a few mistakes but he did some really awesome things and its good to know that we have a reliable guy back there to work with Jake."

Opurum certainly fared well, but the starting job still belongs to Sharp, who leads the team with 240 rushing yards, to go with six total touchdowns. Sharp though, is listed as questionable, so look for Opurum to get more chances once again.

Kansas has really brought the pressure to opponents this season and they have recorded 14 sacks and 27 TFLs. The intense pressure has helped the Jayhawks limit foes to just 282.7 total ypg, including only 57.5 ypg on the ground.

In their win over Duke, the Jayhawks recorded five sacks and two takeaways to help compensate for the 394 total yards they surrendered.

"The defense played well most of the day," said Mangino.

Max Onyegbule, a role player throughout his career, has looked comfortable in his first go-around as a starter this season and he returned an interception 48 yards for a score last weekend. The defensive linemen also came up with a sack and three tackles in the win. He is one of three players with at least three sacks on the season for Kansas.

This should be a terrific game between a couple of teams that have the ability to light up the scoreboard. USM is a talented club, but so is Kansas, and the Jayhawks have a few more weapons on each side of the ball that should help them prevail this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Kansas 41, Southern Miss 30