FACTS & STATS: Site: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (30,000) -- Annapolis, Maryland. Television: CBSCSN. Home Record: Temple 3-1, Navy 4-0. Away Record: Temple 2-1, Navy 2-2. Neutral Record: Temple 0-0, Navy 0-0. Conference Record: Temple 4-0, Navy 0-0. Series Record: Navy leads, 5-4.

GAME NOTES: Temple has been the surprise story in the Mid-American Conference this season, racing out to a perfect 4-0 start in league play. The days of the Owls being the NCAA's doormat are long gone. Under fourth-year head coach Al Golden, they've reeled off five straight wins for the first time since 1979. Last week, they notched a 40-24 triumph over Toledo to take over sole possession of first place in the MAC's East Division.

The Owls face a stiff test playing on the road at Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, where Navy is unbeaten through four games this year. Overall, the Midshipmen have also won five straight, including last week's 13-10 triumph over Wake Forest. Their last two wins, and three of the last four have come by a three-point margin.

Navy has won four straight meetings with Temple to take a 5-4 lead in the all- time series.

When trying to pinpoint a reason for Temple's resurgence, look no further than dynamic freshman running back Bernard Pierce. Against Army two weeks ago, Pierce was carried off the field in a stretcher after suffering a shoulder injury following a vicious second-quarter hit. But he returned last week at Toledo and ran for 212 yards and three touchdowns, breaking the school's single-season record for rushing yards by a freshman. Pierce has eclipsed 100 rushing yards in four of the last five weeks, and he had 65 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries before leaving the Army game. On the season, Pierce is averaging 109.4 rushing yards per game and has scored a team-high nine touchdowns. Without him, it's hard to imagine where this offense would be. Even with Pierce's production in the ground game, the Owls rank 105th in the nation in total offense (313.6 ypg).

The strength of the Temple defense is against the run, as the Owls lead the MAC and rank 15th nationally in run defense, allowing just 97.3 yards per game. Toledo found that out first-hand last week after being limited to 48 rushing yards (2.1 ypc) as a team. Rockets' quarterback Alex Pettee threw for 265 yards and a touchdown, though he also tossed a pair of interceptions. The Rockets scored on only one of their three red-zone chances and held the ball for just 23 minutes. Elijah Joseph led the Owls defense with 10 tackles and a forced fumble. On the season, Joseph ranks second on the team with 40 tackles, behind team leader Jaiquawn Jarrett, who has 44. Defensive end Adrian Robinson has collected a team-high eight sacks. Temple leads the conference in total defense (319.3 ypg) and ranks third in scoring defense (19.9 ppg).

Quarterback Ricky Dobbs, who is the key cog in Navy's option game, missed last week's contest with a right knee injury and is listed as questionable for this contest. Dobbs' absence, compounded with heavy rains, aided in the Navy offense sputtering for much of last week's game. Kriss Proctor stepped in for Dobbs and carried 23 times for 89 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown scamper in the third quarter. Proctor did not throw a single pass, which was attributed partly to the weather conditions, and partly to the fact that Navy seldom passes anyway. But with Proctor under center, the Mids racked up 338 rushing yards and averaged 5.3 ypc as a team. They were able to keep the chains moving by converting 9-of-16 third downs. Vince Murray led the way with 175 yards on 27 carries.

The Midshipmen kept Wake Forest out of the end zone until midway through the fourth quarter, and they thwarted the Demon Deacons on their final drive. With the exception of a 38-35 shootout win over SMU two weeks ago, the Navy defense has been airtight throughout the month of October. The Mids have allowed an average of 12 points in victories over Air Force, Rice and Wake Forest this month. On the season, Navy is allowing a respectable 316 total yards and 20.1 points per game. The team doesn't get a whole lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks, as they have just 11 sacks through eight games. Senior linebacker Ross Pospisil leads the team with 61 tackles on the year. Against Wake, Tony Haberer led the charge with eight tackles and two sacks, while Pospisil also had eight stops.

The Owls have been turning heads all season long, although this week will be their toughest test to date. With a stout run defense and with Pierce toting the rock on offense, Temple matches up pretty well on paper. Expect coach Golden to have his players well prepared for Navy's option game, with or without Dobbs.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Temple 27, Navy 23

Saturday, October 31st, 3:30 p.m. (et).