FACTS & STATS: Site: Doyt L. Perry Stadium (23,529) -- Bowling Green, Ohio. Television: Local. Home Record: WKU 2-0, BGSU 1-0. Away Record: WKU 1-1, BGSU 1-1. Neutral Record: WKU 0-0, BGSU 0-0. Conference Record: WKU 0-0, BGSU 1-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: The red-hot Western Kentucky Hilltoppers head to Doyt L. Perry Stadium to take on the Bowling Green Falcons this Saturday evening in a non- league affair. After opening the season with a terrible 49-3 setback to Florida, the Hilltoppers have won three consecutive games, including a thrilling 20-17 victory over Middle Tennessee this past weekend. Against teams currently residing in the MAC, the Hilltoppers are a meager 10-19-2, however the majority of those matchups have come against either Akron or Western Michigan. As for the Falcons, they are coming off a thrilling, 48-35 victory over Temple. It was a much needed win for BGSU, which suffered a rough, 28-17 loss to Michigan State in its previous contest. It does not get any easier for the Falcons who will be on the road for their next three contests, starting with a matchup against Boston College. This will be the first-ever matchup between the Hilltoppers and Bowling Green on the gridiron.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers continued to steam roll their opposition and the team's latest victim was Middle Tennessee. In the recent win over the Blue Raiders, the Hilltoppers tallied 346 total yards of offense, and the majority of those yards came from the ground game. The team churned out a whopping 234 rushing yards, but that should not be surprising considering the unit is producing an impressive 187.2 ypg on the ground. Tyrell Hayden led the squad with 144 rushing yards and one touchdown, while quarterback K. J. Black added 56 yards on 11 totes. Hayden has done a solid job on the year thus far, rushing for 303 yards and four scores. As for the passing attack, Black has split time with David Wolke since the beginning of the year. However, Black seems to be pulling away with the starting job, as the signal-caller has completed 71.8 percent of his passes for 356 yards and three touchdowns.

The Hilltoppers put together another impressive display defensively in their victory over MTU. Western Kentucky held the Blue Raiders to just 288 total yards of offense, including just 169 via the pass. WKU did surrender 119 yards on the ground, but the defense held the Blue Raiders to just 3.2 ypc. The team was unable to force a turnover in the contest, but held MTU to just 2-of-12 on third down attempts. Western Kentucky has done an outstanding job against teams on third down, holding the opposition to just 21 percent on third down conversions (10-of-47). In the win over Middle Tennessee, Blake Boyd led the way with 10 tackles and also grabbed one sack. He now has 24 total stops to go along with 3.5 TFLs.

The Falcons are without question a one-dimensional offense, as the team is averaging 352.7 passing ypg, while rushing for only 81.0 ypg. In the recent victory over Temple, the Falcons total 447 yards, but the majority of that yardage came via the pass. Quarterback Tyler Sheehan completed 30-of-47 pass attempts for BGSU and finished the game with four touchdowns. The signal- caller also tossed two interceptions in the setback, but was sacked only once. After three contests, Sheehan has completed 64.9 percent of his attempts and has 1,034 passing yards. The QB has also tossed seven scores against only four INTs. Fred Barnes has been the main threat for BGSU, as the sophomore is currently leading the team with 23 receptions and 275 yards. Unfortunately, the team has had very little success on the ground this year. Chris Bullock is the main tailback for BGSU, but has just 70 rushing yards on the year.

The Falcons' problem offensively is also their biggest issue defensively, as opponents are currently producing a whopping 163.3 rushing ypg. Overall the defense is surrendering 409.0 total yards per contest, which has led to 31.3 ppg. In the recent victory over Temple, the Falcons had their best performance against the run, holding the Owls to just 102 yards on 43 carries. Unfortunately, the unit was torched through the air, as Temple threw for 299 yards. Bowling Green did force three turnovers in the contest, and also finished with an impressive six sacks. The defense did allow the Owls to sustain drives and convert 3-of-4 red zone chances. Erique Dozier was tremendous in the victory, as the linebacker finished with a solid 12 tackles.

This should be an interesting matchup, as the Falcons come into this game with one of the worst rushing defenses, while WKU possesses an extremely tough ground attack. The Hilltoppers should keep this game close, but look for BGSU to pull out a slim win at home.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Bowling Green 45, Western Kentucky 38