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FACTS & STATS: Site: High Point Solutions Stadium (52,454) -- Piscataway, New Jersey. Television: ESPN3.com. Home Record: Ohio 2-0, Rutgers 1-0. Away Record: Ohio 1-0, Rutgers 0-1. Neutral Record: Ohio 0-0, Rutgers 0-0. Conference Record: Ohio 0-0, Rutgers 0-0. Series Record: Series is tied, 1-1.

GAME NOTES: In the midst of their best start since 1976 the Bobcats of Ohio will try to claw out another victory when they travel to Piscataway to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a non-league affair at High Point Solutions Stadium.

Ohio's 3-0 start to the year has been an impressive showing for coach Frank Solich's squad. The Bobcats have not started with three straight wins since 1976, but on top of that, coach Solich's team has yet to trail once through 12 quarters. Following this matchup the team will host Kent State in its Mid- American Conference opener.

The Scarlet Knights began the season with a convincing, 48-0 decision over North Carolina Central. However the quick start did not spill over into the team's next contest, as Rutgers was narrowly defeated by North Carolina, 24-22. Rutgers, which won only twice at home last year, will try to reach that total mark this Saturday before the team hits the road to square off against Syracuse in the team's Big East opener.

This will be the third-ever matchup between the two schools on the football field. The first meeting took place in 1937. That game was won by Ohio, 13-0. However, Rutgers and Ohio have clashed more recently back in 2006 and that contest was claimed by the Scarlet Knights, 24-7.

Over the past few seasons the Bobcats have relied on defense, and just tried to score enough points to land in the win column. That has certainly not been the case through the first three games in 2011.

The Bobcats have dismantled their opponents and are coming off an impressive showing in the win over Marshall. Coach Solich's squad gashed the Thundering Herd on the ground and used a gaggle of options out of the backfield. Eight different players had at least one carry, but Ryan Boykin did the most damage for the Bobcats, rushing for 130 yards and one touchdown. Quarterback Tyler Tettleton also found the end zone once on the ground and finished with 53 yards.

Tettleton was solid on the ground, but in the win over Marshall the quarterback had his best showing with his arm. Tettleton's progression will make the Bobcats that more dangerous down the road, and give coach Solich more options to work with during games.

This past Saturday Tettleton threw for 285 yards and three scores on 20-of-29 attempts, and two of those scores went in the direction of LaVon Brazill.

Through the three wins the signal caller has thrown seven touchdowns against one interceptions and is completing a healthy 61.7 percent of his passes. Brazill has been the main target thus far (11 receptions and three touchdowns) and his return from a season-ending injury a year ago has made this offense that much better.

The defense for coach Solich has kept the opposition off the scoreboard, and that is the number one goal for any defensive unit. In the win over the Thundering Herd, the defense surrendered a first quarter touchdown, but held Marshall off the scoreboard after that score.

It wasn't a flawless effort against Marshall however, as the front line for Ohio was gashed by the Herd's ground attack. Through the first two games the Bobcats stymied New Mexico State and Gardner-Webb's rushing attack, but the Herd found plenty of running room, churning out 172 yards on 5.1 yards per attempt.

Those rushing yards did not matter in the outcome of the matchup because the Bobcats were relentless in their approach to the game and finished with six takeaways, four of which were interceptions. Since the start of the season the Bobcats have collected nine interceptions (11 total takeaways) and because of their ball-hawking abilities they have been able to keep opponents from finding consistency on the field.

Gerald Moore, Xavier Hughes and Travis Carrie have two interceptions apiece, but out of the three players Moore has been the most productive and comes into this game with 17 tackles, which is second-best on the team.

The Scarlet Knights might be 1-1 on the year, but the team has not been overly impressive offensively. Even in the win over North Carolina Central the offense seemed to struggle to find running room, and the passing attack was not overwhelming.

Those issues were exposed in the loss to UNC, as the Scarlet Knights totaled just 244 yards. The rushing attack was held to just one yard on 25 carries and now through two games the team is posting a pedestrian 69.0 ypg on a weak 2.1 yards per attempt.

Since the ground game has been extremely ineffective, the passing attack has had to shoulder the load offensively, and that has put pressure on quarterback Chas Dodd. Dodd has only completed 53.1 percent of his throws and 20 of his 40 completions have gone in the direction of Mohamed Sanu.

In the loss to North Carolina Dodd and Sanu hooked up often. Dodd connected with his favorite option 13 times for 119 yards and one score. The signal caller finished with 243 yards and two touchdowns, but was under pressure throughout the game and was sacked four times.

The defense for coach Greg Schiano did everything in its power to keep the Scarlet Knights in the win column, but the lack of success offensively took away from the defensive performance.

Rutgers allowed over 400 total yards, but also forced the Tar Heels into five turnovers, which has been the key to this unit's success thus far. In the first two matchups the Scarlet Knights have collected five interceptions and nine turnovers overall.

Duron Harmon has collected three of those interceptions and one was returned for a touchdown in the win over North Carolina Central. Harmon and the rest of the secondary will have a tough task this weekend as the red-hot Tettleton and the Bobcats will try to continue their recent success through the air.

The Scarlet Knights might be home, but the offense has been very inconsistent to start the season. Sure, coach Schiano has had an extra week to iron out some of the kinks, but the Bobcats are a tenacious bunch defensively and have made tremendous strides offensively as well. With that said, the Bobcats should be able to earn a win on the road.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Ohio University 27, Rutgers 25