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FACTS & STATS: Site: Legion Field (82,000) -- Birmingham, Alabama. Television: FSN-S, SportSouth. Home Record: MSU 1-1, UAB 0-1. Away Record: MSU 1-2, UAB 0-3. Neutral Record: MSU 0-0, UAB 0-0. Conference Record: MSU 0-3, UAB 0-1. Series Record: Mississippi State leads, 3-1.

GAME NOTES: In desperate need of a victory, the Mississippi State Bulldogs invade Birmingham for a non-conference clash with the winless UAB Blazers.

After opening the season with a 59-14 romp over Memphis, Mississippi State was undoubtedly feeling good about its chances of making some noise in the ultra- competitive SEC. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs have now lost three of the four games since, and all three defeats have come against league foes. Last weekend, Dan Mullen's MSU squad suffered a 24-10 road loss to Georgia, and while a victory this weekend is essential for the team's bowl aspirations, the 0-3 SEC start won't change.

As for UAB, it opened the season with a pair of blowout losses by a combined score of 88-10. The Blazers have been far more competitive the last two times out, but both of those contests ended in disappointment. Last weekend, the club fell to Troy by a 24-23 final on the road. After this weekend's affair, Neil Callaway's club will play six consecutive Conference USA tilts.

Mississippi State owns a 3-1 series lead over UAB, which includes a 29-24 victory last season.

The Bulldogs are averaging 27.0 ppg and 384.4 total ypg this season, numbers that have certainly taken a hit the last three times out. Quarterback Chris Relf has failed to play up to expectations, as he was expected to thrive in Mullen's quarterback-friendly system. The signal caller has completed a lackluster 58.8 percent of his passes for 814 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. Chris Smith leads the receivers with 13 catches, but his average of 8.4 per reception won't scare UAB, or any opponent for that matter. The top offensive performer for MSU is tailback Vick Ballard, who has run for 430 yards and five touchdowns. Clearly, he needs to touch the ball more.

Mediocre is an accurate word to describe the Mississippi State defense. The Bulldogs are yielding 23.6 ppg and 350.8 total ypg, and 12 touchdowns have been permitted to opposing offenses in five games. Mullen's players can certainly take pride in the fact that they are allowing just 3.9 yards per rushing attempt and 8.9 yards per pass completion, as well as the fact that they have intercepted eight passes already. Still, there is room for improvement, as the defensive unit doesn't stack up to the likes of elite SEC squads.

In 60 minutes of action against Georgia last week, Mississippi State failed to score a single offensive touchdown. The only trip to the end zone for the Bulldogs came on a 72-yard interception return by Darius Slay. MSU finished with only 213 total yards, including 56 yards on 34 rush attempts. Sure, the Bulldogs did finish with three interceptions, but those defensive highlights were overshadowed by the poor play of Relf and the offense. The quarterback tossed a pair of interceptions and averaged fewer than nine yards per pass completion.

UAB is a poor offensive football team by any standards, as the club is averaging a mere 14.0 ppg and 290.2 total ypg. The Blazers are rushing for a modest 99.0 ypg at a clip of 3.5 ypc, and they have yet to register a single passing touchdown this season. Bryan Ellis and Jonathan Perry have both seen time under center, and neither possesses any threat down the field. Ellis had a head injury that may keep him off the field this weekend, but that remains to be seen. Jackie Williams is the best receiver on the team, but he hasn't made many big plays. As for the ground attack, top tailback Pat Shed is averaging a mere 3.5 yards per rushing attempt.

Opponents are posting 35.0 ppg against UAB, which is yielding a staggering 528.8 total ypg. The Blazers have been unable to stop the run, permitting 228.8 ypg at a clip of 5.3 ypc with 10 rushing scores allowed. The pass defense has been horrendous, as opposing quarterbacks have been able to complete 101-of-139 passes for 300.0 ypg. Sure the Blazers have come up with 10 takeaways, but the negatives have far outweighed the positives thus far.

In the one-point loss to Troy last weekend, UAB allowed 521 total yards and surrendered three touchdowns, all of which came on the ground. Meanwhile, the Blazers managed 356 yards of total offense and tallied just one offensive score. If not for three Ty Long field goals and a 52-yard interception return by T.J. Ballou, the final score wouldn't have been nearly as close.

There is little chance of a UAB victory in this one, as Mississippi State is simply the better team. Still, the celebration will be short-lived for the Bulldogs, who simply can't hang with the upper crust of college football's top conference.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Mississippi State 34, UAB 13