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FACTS & STATS: Site: Kinnick Stadium (70,585) -- Iowa City, Iowa. Television: BigTenNetwork. Home Record: ULM 1-0, Iowa 2-0. Away Record: ULM 0-2, Iowa 0-1. Neutral Record: ULM 0-0, Iowa 0-0. Conference Record: ULM 0-0, Iowa 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: For the first time ever ULM and Iowa will clash on the gridiron when the Hawkeyes host the Warhawks this Saturday afternoon at Kinnick Stadium.

The Warhawks have won one of their first three games, but in the two losses the team has been overmatched by elite programs. ULM opened the year with a 34-0 loss to Florida and just this past weekend the team was clobbered by TCU, 38-17. In between the lopsided losses the team was able to earn a convincing victory over Grambling State (35-7).

As for the Hawkeyes, they are coming off one of the biggest comebacks in school history. Trailing Pittsburgh 27-10 early in the fourth quarter, Iowa's offense found a way to score three touchdowns to give the Hawkeyes a much needed win. It is still early in the season, but that win was definitely needed by a team that entered that game fresh off a heartbreaking, 44-41 overtime loss to rival Iowa State.

The Warhawks had the fans of TCU shocked through one quarter of football because they were ahead of the hometown Horned Frogs, 17-14. However, the momentum switched quickly thereafter, and TCU rolled to a 21-point win.

Kolton Browning threw for 194 yards and one touchdown, but he was under pressure all game and sacked five times. Cody Wells also saw time under center and completed all five of his throws, while finishing the game with one touchdown as well. Brent Leonard proved to be the main target regardless of who was throwing the ball, as the receiver finished with 92 yards on 13 receptions.

While the passing attack for coach Todd Berry found some success, the same could not be said for the ground game, which found little room to roam. The team finished with just 82 yards on 3.2 yards per carry, but that has been the case for ULM this season. Sure the team racked up 271 rushing yards against Grambling State, but against Florida the Warhawks rushed for only 99 yards on less than 3.0 yards per attempt.

There are glaring issues for ULM in terms of rushing the ball and they will likely appear again this weekend. The problem is that the passing attack is not strong enough to carry the load. Browning has done the majority of work under center, but he has just two touchdowns against two interceptions and has completed just 57.5 percent of his throws for 440 yards.

Over the first two games the Warhawks did a tremendous job bottling up the run, but there were some large leaks in the front wall against TCU allowing the Horned Frogs to rack up 207 yards on 4.6 yards per carry. Three of the four rushing touchdowns allowed by this defense came in that loss and it will be interesting to see if the team can rebound from such a disastrous effort.

The secondary is suspect as well. TCU threw for 204 yards and one score, which are not overwhelming numbers, but so far in three games the Warhawks have surrendered six passing touchdowns and that does not bode well for this weekend against an Iowa squad that seven touchdowns through the air.

The reason for Iowa's success with the pass is largely due to the play of quarterback James Vandenberg, who has shined in his first season as a starter. Vandenberg has completed 61.9 percent of his throws for 825 yards and is coming off an outstanding performance against Pittsburgh.

In the win over the Panthers, the junior threw for 399 yards and three touchdowns. All three of those scores came in the team's fourth quarter comeback. Keenan Davis and Marvin McNutt are two reliable options at Vandenberg's disposal. Davis hauled in one of the touchdown passes against Pitt and finished with 129 yards on 10 catches, while McNutt collected eight passes for 112 yards. The two receivers have combined for 35 receptions and 567 yards.

The success of the passing attack has allowed the ground game time to work through some kinks. Marcus Coker has rushed for 267 of the team's 382 yards and has scored two of the teams four rushing touchdowns, but he is averaging just 3.9 yards per attempt. As a whole, Iowa is producing just 127.3 ypg on the ground and while that is not terrible there is definitely room for improvement.

Iowa is usually known for its tough defensive play, but so far this season the team has struggled in all areas. There were a lot of new faces for coach Kirk Ferentz on this side of the ball, so it is not completely surprising that the unit has been inconsistent.

Against Pitt the Hawkeyes surrendered 255 passing yards and two touchdowns, but the team was able to rack up three sacks to go along with two interceptions. So far Iowa has picked off four passes, but that still hasn't stopped opponents from throwing for seven scores and 24.0 yards per matchup.

Team's have even found room to run on this unit. Last year the Hawkeyes held opponents to just 102.0 ypg, but through three games this defense has been pounded for 157.0 ypg.

Stopping the run has also been a strong point for this defense and Ferentz would like to see vast improvements in this area. There is reason for optimism though, because sophomore Christian Kirksey has played outstanding, leading the team with 31 tackles, and he should only get better as the year goes on.

Look for the Hawkeyes to get back to playing Big Ten defense. Schools from that conference are usually tough defensively, so it would not be shocking to see the Hawkeyes completely shut down ULM this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Iowa 37, ULM 14