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FACTS & STATS: Site: Rice Stadium (70,000) -- Houston, Texas. Television: FSN. Home Record: Tulsa 2-1, Rice 2-0. Away Record: Tulsa 1-2, Rice 0-4. Neutral Record: Tulsa 0-0, Rice 0-0. Conference Record: Tulsa 1-1, Rice 1-2. Series Record: Tulsa leads, 8-7-1.

GAME NOTES: The Golden Hurricane come storming into this weekend and will look to continue their strong play when the Rice Owls host Tulsa in a Conference- USA bout at Rice Stadium.

The Golden Hurricane might be 3-3 on the year, but the three losses came against some of the top teams in the nation in Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Boise State. Clearly those are tough matchups, but against opponents on their level the Golden Hurricane have fared much better, defeating Tulane, North Texas and more recently UAB.

As for the Owls, they have lost four of their first six games, and are coming off a 24-20 setback to Marshall. It was a much better showing however, as the team was defeated by double figures in each of its previous three losses. A bright spot for the Owls has been their play at home, as the team has won both of its matchups at Rice Stadium.

Rice took charge of the series in the earlier years, but recently the tide has turned and the Golden Hurricane have won the last four meetings, and seven of the last eight contests, taking an 8-7-1 edge in the all-time series. Last year the Golden Hurricane clobbered Rice winning by a 64-27 margin.

The Golden Hurricane are quickly forming into a dangerous offense, and are right on the edge of averaging 30.0 ppg. The reason for such a high point total is because the team possesses a potent ground game, and an equally impressive passing attack.

Tulsa does not have one main option out of the backfield, but instead the team has a duo of horses in the stable. Ja'Terrian Douglas is pacing the squad with 433 yards and three touchdowns, while Trey Watts is contributing 384 yards on 5.5 yards per carry.

The success on the ground has opened up the field for G.J. Kinne and he has picked apart the opposition, throwing for 1,303 yards and 12 touchdowns. However, the signal caller has tossed seven picks in six games, which is cause for concern.

Kinne threw an interception in the matchup with UAB, but that was his only blemish as the quarterback finished with 341 yards and three scores through the air. Clay Sears hauled in two of those touchdowns and finished with 1-5 yards on nine receptions.

Once again though the passing attack was able to feed off of the success on the ground, as the Golden Hurricane finished with 218 yards and one score on the ground. Douglas did most of the damage, as he scored the touchdown and finished with 137 yards on just 14 carries.

The offense for Tulsa needs to play with that high level of intensity because the defense continues to be abused by the opposition. So far this unit is being punished for 32.3 ppg, and that is largely because the secondary is being torched for 308.0 ypg and has already surrendered 13 passing touchdowns.

Tulsa's inability to stop the pass was evident in the team's win over UAB, as the Golden Hurricane allowed 298 yards and two touchdowns. The defense did grab two interceptions, giving the team seven on the season. However, pressuring the quarterback has been an issue for the Golden Hurricane, as the team comes into this weekend with just eight sacks.

There is one player that is playing ahead of the pace, and that is Curnelius Arnick, who has already racked up 74 tackles.

On the other end of the spectrum are the Owls, who do not have a potent offensive attack and could be worse off with Taylor McHargue dealing with a head injury. Rice's quarterback is probably for this contest, but it is unclear if he will be at 100 percent.

Even when he is fully healthy though the signal caller has been mediocre at best, throwing for 1,029 yards and eight touchdowns against three interceptions. The ground game has not been able to bail out the passing attack, as the team is rumbling for just 133.8 ypg on less than 4.0 yards per carry,

The Owls were able to fight back against Marshall in their last matchup, but even fell in the final two minutes of action. McHargue had 150 yards and one score before he left the game, but what helped the Owls charge back was the rushing attack, which finished with 194 yards and one touchdown. Sam McGuffie led the way with 70 yards and one score, while Turner Peterson added 55 yards.

The offense has showed signed of success at times, but the same cannot be said of the defense, which has been punished throughout the season.

Rice is allowing nearly 250.0 ypg through the air, but that is not the worst of it because the front line has been embarrassed by the run, surrendering 229.2 yards per matchup. Rice's inability to stop the run continued in the team's loss to Marshall, as the Owls were dismantled for 217 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Since Marshall relied heavily on the run there was plenty of work to be done by the players for Rice and Cameron Nwosu had a huge showing, racking up 16 tackles, giving him a team-best 67 on the year.

The Owls might be undefeated at home, but that should change Saturday night. The Golden Hurricane are simply too tough offensively and should have an easy time scoring points against Rice.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Tulsa 38, Rice 21