FACTS & STATS: Site: Milan Puskar Stadium (60,000) -- Morgantown, West Virginia. Television:ESPN-R. Home Record: Marshall 2-0, WVU 1-0. Away Record: Marshall 1-1, WVU 0-2. Neutral Record: Marshall 0-0, WVU 0-0. Conference Record: Marshall 2-0, WVU 0-0. Series Record: West Virginia leads, 7-0.

GAME NOTES: Instate foes lock horns in Morgantown this weekend, as the Marshall Thundering Herd square off against the West Virginia Mountaineers in non-conference play at Milan Puskar Stadium. The Herd come into the contest on a winning note, as they defeated Southern Miss, 34-27, last weekend. It was the second straight win and third in four games this season by Marshall, which suffered its only loss to nationally-ranked Wisconsin (51-14). As for WVU, it began the season ranked in the Top-25, but following back-to-back losses the team is no longer in any polls. After defeating Villanova (48-21) to open the year, the Mountaineers were defeated by East Carolina (24-3) and most recently Colorado (17-14) in overtime on September 18th. Now at 1-2, WVU is below .500 for the first time since beginning the 2003 season with the same mark. On a positive note, the Mountaineers are facing a program they have never lost to before, going 7-0 all-time against Marshall. In Huntington last season, WVU notched a 48-23 victory over the Herd.

The Herd rushed for 201 yards and threw for 228 more, as they defeated Southern Miss 34-27 over the weekend. It was another balanced effort by Marshall, which is averaging 171.0 ypg on the ground and 213.0 ypg through the air for the season. Darius Marshall led the ground attack with 112 yards and a score on 30 carries, as he continued his fast start. For the season, Marshall now leads the club with 417 yards and four touchdowns. Wideout Darius Passmore also turned in quite a performance last weekend, as he caught nine balls for 139 yards and a score. That came in addition to an 80-yard touchdown run. Passmore has certainly enjoyed a fast start to the season and he is clearly the team's go-to-guy, racking up 26 catches for 473 yards and four touchdowns. Getting him the ball is freshman Mark Cann, who has passed for 824 yards, with five touchdowns against three interceptions. Last weekend, Cann put forth one of his best efforts, completing 16-of-25 pass attempts for 228 yards and a pair of scores.

Defensively, Marshall has been pushed around at times this season and is giving up 426.8 total ypg thus far. The unit has really struggled against the pass, allowing 308.5 ypg, and last weekend's bout was no exception. The Herd's defense was abused for 431 total yards by Southern Miss, which gained 308 of those yards through the air. Still, the defense did enough to limit Southern Miss to 27 points, helping the team capture the win. Brandon Burns paced the team with nine stops last weekend and he now has 22 tackles for the year.

After three games, WVU doesn't appear to be as prolific on the offensive side of the ball like years past, averaging only 21.7 ppg and just 319.7 total ypg. The team though, is gaining 213 ypg on the ground and that includes a 311- yard rushing effort in last week's loss to Colorado. The Mountaineers may have had a high success rate running the ball last week, but they passed for just 43 yards and committed seven penalties and that helps explain why they only managed two touchdowns. Quarterback Pat White completed 10-of-14 pass attempts for 43 yards, while leading the team with 148 yards and two scores on 19 carries in the setback. The dual threat quarterback has thrown for five score this season, but has been more effective with his legs, rushing for 308 yards and two touchdowns. Noel Devine is another player that can beat opposing teams with his legs, as the speedy back has rushed for 274 yards behind a 5.8 ypc average thus far. Last week, Devin had 133 yards on 26 carries and he also led the team with three catches.

WVU gave up a pair of touchdowns in the opening five minutes of last week's game, but clamped down the rest of the way, allowing just a field goal in overtime in a 17-14 loss to Colorado. The defense held Colorado to 366 total yards, while coming up with a pair of turnovers and sacks. For the season, the Mountaineers are permitting 383.7 total ypg, and they have registered nine sacks and six turnovers. Quinton Andrews leads the club with 31 stops and he is coming off a 15-tackle effort in the loss to Colorado.

With the way WVU has played of late, this is the perfect opportunity for Marshall to pick up its first win in the series. The Mountaineers though, are tough to beat at home and with White and Devine pacing the ground game, expect WVU to get back on track this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: West Virginia 31, Marshall 21

Saturday, September 27th, 3:30 p.m. (et)