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FACTS & STATS: Site: Scheumann Stadium (25,400) -- Muncie, Indiana. Television: ESPN3.com. Home Record: Army 1-1, Ball State 1-0. Away Record: Army 0-1, Ball State 0-1. Neutral Record: Army 0-0, Ball State 1-0. Conference Record: Army 0-0, Ball State 1-0. Series Record: Army leads, 2-0.

GAME NOTES: The Ball State Cardinals will host their second straight matchup when the Army Black Knights head to Scheumann Stadium this Saturday afternoon.

It wasn't easy, but the Black Knights were able to break into the win column with a 21-14 victory over Northwestern this past weekend. The win came after the team opened the season with losses to Northern Illinois and San Diego State.

The Cardinals might have two victories on the year, but they did not come easily, either. Ball State opened the year with a 27-20 decision over Indiana and after a loss to South Florida (37-7), the Cardinals regained its composure by narrowly defeating Buffalo, 28-25.

This is the third-ever meeting between the two schools. The first one took place back in 1999 and Army dominated the Cardinals, 41-21. Nearly a decade later the Black Knights got the better of Ball State once again, but this meeting was closer, as Army won 24-17.

The Black Knights are currently second in the nation in rushing, but that is not surprising since the team is an option-oriented offense. Through three games Army is churning out an impressive 362.3 yards per matchup.

The Black Knights proved to be too much for Northwestern this past weekend, as coach Rick Ellerson's squad rumbled for 381 yards and three scores on 5.1 yards per attempt. Quarterback Trent Steelman led the way with 108 yards and scored all three touchdowns for Army. Raymond Maples added 95 yards, while Malcolm Brown contributed 79 yards on just six totes.

Steelman has been the best out of the backfield, rushing for 302 yards and seven of the team's nine touchdowns. Brown has 248 yards, while Maples has rumbled for 157 yards.

Because Army is committed to the run the team tends to dominate time possession, which means the defense is not on the field all the time and gets plenty of chances to rest and stay fresh for all four quarters.

That was certainly the case in the win over Northwestern, as the defense was on the field for less than 20 minutes. However, in that time the Black Knights did surrender 194 passing yards and two scores through the air.

Eight of the 11 touchdowns scored against this unit have come from the pass, but the bigger problem for coach Ellerson's defense has been its inability to stop the run. Through three games the Black Knights are yielding 183.3 yards per game on 5.6 yards per carry.

The Cardinals almost let a win slip through their hands, but thanks to a four-yard touchdown pass from Keith Wenning to Willie Snead, Ball State was able to hang on for the win.

Wenning finished with 226 passing yards and two touchdowns in the win. The signal caller has thrown for four touchdowns and 547 yards. He has completed over 70 percent of his passes and has yet to throw an interception on the year, and his ability to limit mistakes makes him key to the team's success.

Wenning has managed the games for Ball State, while the rushing attack has done the bulk of the work. The Cardinals are averaging a healthy 153.7 ypg on the ground and in the win over Buffalo, coach Pete Lembo's squad rumbled for 174 yards. Jahwan Edwards did the majority of work, rushing for 112 yards and two scores on 22 carries. The tailback comes into this weekend with a team- best 237 yards on 5.3 yards per attempt.

The Cardinals might have a winning record at the present moment, but if the defense continues to struggle, Ball State will find the loss column more often than not.

As of now the Cardinals are allowing 27.3 ppg and have been unable to stop the opposition on the ground, or through the air. Against the Bulls this past weekend the Cardinals were gashed for 177 yards and two rushing touchdowns, and now through three games the defense for coach Lembo has allowed five touchdowns on the ground, to go along with 142.3 ypg.

To make matters worse, the defense is also allowing 273.3 yards per contest through the air. In the win over Buffalo, the Cardinals only surrendered 176 yards, but did get beat twice for passing touchdowns, one that came during Buffalo's comeback bid.

Buffalo used a heavy dose of its rushing attack against Ball State and found plenty of success regardless of the outcome. Look for coach Ellerson's team to take full advantage of Ball State's weakness, en route to a victory on the road for the Black Knights.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Army 31, Ball State 27