FACTS & STATS: Site: Joe Aillet Stadium (30,600) -- Ruston, Louisiana. Television: ESPN Regional. Home Record: Idaho 1-2, LaTech 2-0. Away Record: Idaho 0-4, LaTech 0-3. Neutral Record: Idaho 0-0, LaTech 0-0. Conference Record: Idaho 0-3, LaTech 0-2. Series Record: Louisiana Tech leads, 2-1.

GAME NOTES: The last two teams in the Western Athletic Conference searching for a league victory collide on the field in Ruston this weekend, as the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs host the Idaho Vandals. More than just being winless in conference action thus far, the Vandals have had to suffer through a 1-6 start as well in 2008. After being crushed in the season opener versus Arizona (70-0), the Vandals posted their first and only win of the campaign with a 42-27 triumph over Idaho State. Since then the team has bowed in five straight, including a 45-32 contest against former nationally-ranked Fresno State last Saturday. The 32 points for Idaho was its top effort this year, aside from the win against the Bengals. As for the Bulldogs, they've come up short in both of their WAC bouts thus far, the most recent coming last Saturday night versus Hawaii in Honolulu in a 24-14 final. Of LaTech's 80 points scored so far this season, 41 of those came against Southeastern Louisiana in a 15-point victory back on September 20th. As far as the all-time series is concerned, the Bulldogs hold a 2-1 advantage over Idaho, thanks in part to a 28-16 win over the Vandals last year in Moscow.

Idaho rolled up 215 yards rushing and another 237 yards through the air on Saturday, yet that still was not enough to allow the team to get past Fresno State on the road. Quarterback Nathan Enderle finished the contest 22-of-39 for three touchdowns and avoided being sacked and intercepted, while Preston Davis reeled in six balls for 77 yards and two touchdowns in the setback as well. Deonte Jackson accounted for a team-best 93 yards rushing, leading to a ground score. Jackson has been a decent asset for the team coming out of the backfield with his 445 yards and three touchdowns on 95 carries, but by no means has he made the team into a viable running threat. After seven games the Vandals are 70th in the nation in rushing with just 134.1 ypg. Enderle's numbers have been looking better of late, now that he has 12 TDs, against seven picks, but he still seems to be running for his life far too much with the offense having allowed more than two and a half sacks per game.

What hurt the Vandals the most last weekend was the team's inability to slow down the running game of Fresno State. The Bulldogs opted to keep the ball on the ground 38 times, one less than the Vandals, yet still managed to come up with a massive 318 yards and four touchdowns. Jonathan Faraimo tallied a game- high 13 tackles for the visitors, while Virdell Larkins (eight stops) recorded a forced fumble. The run defense has been beaten down over and over again by the opposition, which now has the group ranked eight in the conference and 113th in the country in yards allowed with 232.1 ypg. Unfortunately for the Vandals, the pass defense isn't much better these days, permitting an unsightly 263.1 ypg which, when all added together, means Idaho is 117th in the country in total offense with nearly 500 ypg allowed. Not only is the unit ranked last in the WAC in both tackles for loss (3.71 per game) and sacks (.57), it is last in all of college football in the latter category entering this week.

Patrick Jackson scored on a five-yard run and Myke Compton recovered a fumble in the end zone late in the fourth quarter, accounting for all of the team's scoring in the 10-point loss to Hawaii on the road last weekend. LaTech quarterback Taylor Bennett finished 11-of-29 for 152 yards, but was intercepted twice in the losing effort. Phillip Livas, collected six balls for 80 yards receiving and also accounted for 101 yards on four kickoff returns. Kicker Brad Oestriecher probably had a game he'd rather forget after missing a short 33-yard effort and having a 53-yard attempt blocked. Jackson has accounted for three of the team's five rushing touchdowns so far this season, but his mere 3.3 yards per carry has done little to scare defenders. Supposed to be the savior for this group, Bennett is completing only 39.1 percent of his attempts and has delivered a mere two TD passes (none to Livas) and has tossed five picks in as many games. As the one player that most teams have had to scheme against, Livas leads the Bulldogs with his 20 receptions for 330 yards, but he has yet to visit the end zone for a team that is 115th in the nation in scoring with a mere 16 ppg.

Senior linebacker Brannon Jackson had just two tackles on the night for the Bulldogs, yet both brought down the opposing quarterback, which was a good sign for him personally, but did little to change the outcome of the decision. Defensive back Antonio Baker tied for second on the unit with his six stops, one of which came behind the line of scrimmage, and also forced a fumble for the visitors, yet they still surrendered a whopping 177 yards rushing to a predominantly passing team. The run defense for the Bulldogs overall this season has been pretty strong, allowing just 117.8 ypg to rank third in the conference and 40th in the nation, so permitting a team like Hawaii (90th in rushing) to post such a huge chunk of yardage on the ground is hard to understand. As for the pass defense, LaTech has been beaten and battered for 320.4 ypg, second-to-last in the WAC and 118th in the country this week. In terms of total defense, the squad has allowed 438.2 ypg, a number that has them eighth in the WAC and 110th in the nation entering play this weekend.

As two of the weakest defenses in all of college football get together on the field this weekend, one would think that perhaps one offense would take advantage. However, this meeting doesn't appear as though it will be an offensive showcase for either program, so lean in favor of the Vandals who at least showed last week that they could somewhat compete with the other Bulldogs from the WAC.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Idaho 27, Louisiana Tech 13

Saturday, October 18th, 7:00 p.m. (et).