FACTS & STATS: Site: Lincoln Financial Field (68,532) -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Television: None. Home Record: Army 2-2, Temple 2-1. Away Record: Army 1-1, Temple 1-1. Neutral Record: Army 0-0, Temple 0-0. Conference Record: Army 0-0, Temple 3-0. Series Record: Army leads, 4-2.

GAME NOTES: The Temple Owls will try to continue their winning ways when they step out of Mid-American Conference play to battle the Army Black Knights this Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Black Knights head into this contest fresh off a hard-fought, 16-13 overtime victory against Vanderbilt last weekend. It was the third win on the year for Army, and also snapped the team's two-game slide. The Black Knights are 2-0 against MAC opponents this season (Eastern Michigan and Ball State), and all-time the team has collected a 19-11 mark against teams currently in the league.

As for the Owls, they opened the season with two straight losses, but the team seems to have righted the ship and rolls into this weekend riding a three-game winning streak. This past Saturday the Owls slipped past Ball State, 24-19, marking the first time since 1967 that Temple opened conference play with a 3-0 ledger.

The Black Knights lead the all-time series by a 4-2 margin, but the Owls won the last matchup a 35-7 decision a year ago.

The Black Knights only collected 269 total yards on Saturday against Vanderbilt, but it was enough to grab a thrilling three-point overtime win. Once again it was Army's ground game that led the team to victory, as the Black Knights punished Vandy for 222 yards and one score on 57 carries. Quarterback Trent Steelman led the way with 97 yards and one score, while Patrick Mealy contributed 48 rushing yards, and Malcolm Brown chipped in 39 yards. Six games into the year and it seems Mealy and Steelman are the most dangerous threats out of the backfield. Mealy is pacing the squad with 351 yards on the year, while Steelman has rumbled for 340 yards and a team-best three touchdowns. Considering Army is primarily a running team, the passing attack has done very little, as Steelman comes into this weekend with just 210 passing yards and one score, while completing less than 50.0 percent of his throws. Overall the team is averaging a meager 294.2 total ypg, and that has translated into an equally poor 18.7 ppg.

The reason for the team's win over Vanderbilt was the play of the defense, which held the Commodores to just 304 total yards. Army surrendered 160 yards on the ground, which is definitely a problem, but the unit shut down Vandy's passing game, limiting the team to just 144 yards through the air. The Black Knights also grabbed two interceptions, and finished the contest with three takeaways and held Vandy to just 6-of-15 on third down attempts. Throughout the season the defense has bailed out the offense's lack of production. After six games the Black Knights are holding teams to just 301.0 total ypg, and have done a terrific job against the run, bottling up opponents for just 120.0 ypg on 3.6 yards per attempt. Army has also collected 13 takeaways this season (eight interceptions and five fumbles), and has put solid pressure on opposing quarterbacks, racking up 12 sacks.

The Owls reeled off a 24-19 victory over Ball State this past Saturday, and once again the majority of the damage was caused by freshman Bernard Pierce, who rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 26 totes. He became the first Owls' freshman to rush for over 100 yards in three games and his three straight 100-yard performances are the most since Tanardo Sharps rumbled for over 100 yards in four consecutive games in 2002. Vaughn Charlton did an admirable job under center in the win, completing 17-of-30 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown. Charlton has been rather inconsistent on the season however, as the signal caller has completed just 52.4 percent of his throws and comes into this matchup with just 926 yards and five scores against four interceptions. However, this is quickly becoming Pierce's team, as the freshman is vastly becoming the best newcomer in the MAC. He has rumbled for 489 yards and five touchdowns on 5.8 yards per attempt in five games, but he only saw limited action in the beginning of the year. Overall, the offense for Temple has put forth a modest showing, averaging 331.4 total ypg, while posting 23.0 ppg.

On top of the solid production from the ground game, the Owls also used a tenacious effort from the defense, which limited Ball State to just 290 total yards, including just 53 rushing yards on 2.3 yards per attempt. The Owls played with a menacing attitude throughout the contest and finished the game with five takeaways and five sacks. The performance against Ball State has become a trademark showing for this unit, which comes into this weekend with 14 turnovers (eight interceptions and six sacks), and 14 sacks. Another area where this defense has shined has been against the run, as the Owls are currently limiting teams to a mere 90.4 ypg on just 2.9 yards per attempt. However, this unit must improve its play against the pass, as opponents are torching Temple for 242.8 ypg through the air, and out of 10 touchdowns surrendered by this squad, seven have come via the pass.

The emergence of Pierce has been great for the Owls, and if he continues to produce at a high level, the Owls should be fine this weekend. Also look for Army's rushing attack to struggle against a stout Temple run defense. If the Owls can run the ball, and stop the run, then they should have no trouble grabbing their fourth straight victory.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Temple 31, Army 14

Saturday, October 17th, 1:00 p.m. (et)