FACTS & STATS: Site: Rice Stadium (70,000) -- Houston, Texas. Television:None. Home Record: USM 1-3, Rice 2-0. Away Record: USM 1-1, Rice 1-3. Neutral Record: USM 0-0, Rice 0-0. Conference Record: USM 0-2, Rice 2-1. Series Record: Rice leads, 1-0.

GAME NOTES: The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles will try to snap out of their funk this weekend, as they collide with the Rice Owls in a Conference USA affair in Houston. The Eagles are off to a slow start this season and that is mainly due to a three-game homestand that ended with a 24-7 loss to nationally-ranked Boise State last weekend. The loss was the third straight for USM, which fell to 2-4 overall. The homestand also included two losses to league foes, marking the program's first 0-2 start in the 13-year history of C-USA. As for Rice, it opened conference play with two consecutive victories before being punished by Tulsa, 63-28, in its most recent outing on October 4th. It was the third loss in the past four outing by the Owls, who now stand at an even 3-3 overall. The team though, has fared well at home, going 2-0 while outscoring its foes by a 43.0 ppg margin during that stretch. Rice and USM met for the first-ever time on the gridiron last season, with the Owls capturing a 31-29 victory.

The Eagles have done well in their attempt to move the ball this season, producing 185.2 ypg on the ground and another 237.5 ypg through the air. Tailback Damion Fletcher is one of the key components to this offense and he has already rushed for 749 yards and five touchdowns. Last weekend, however, Fletcher was held in check, as he rushed 69 yards and a score in a 24-7 loss to Boise State. He only carried the ball 14 times in that game, so his production wasn't all that bad. Quarterback Austin Davis added 25 yards on the ground in the setback, and he passed for 160 and a pick on 15-of-34 tosses. It was an off game by Davis, who has thrown for 1,425 yards, with nine touchdowns and six interceptions on the season. The dual threat play caller has also been effective with his legs, rushing for 155 yards and three more touchdowns. Shawn Nelson and DeAndre Brown have been his primary targets early on and the duo has combined for 60 catches, 781 receiving yards and six touchdowns. However, neither was much of a factor versus Boise State last weekend.

Unlike years past, USM's defense appears to be a weakness of this team, as the unit is permitting 28.3 ppg and 397.7 total ypg. The defense is giving up 181.2 rushing ypg and 216.5 passing ypg and has managed only eight sacks thus far. On a positive note, the Eagles have been able to force some mistakes from their opponents, generating 13 turnovers on the year. In last weekend's loss, USM gave up all 24 points in the second quarter to Boise State, which posted 350 total yards of offense in the game. The Eagles, once again, struggled to stop the run, yielding 180 yards on 34 carries. The defense did force a pair of turnovers, but that obviously wasn't enough. Tokumbo Abanikanda guided USM with nine stops, while Gerald McRath had eight stops and a fumble recovery. On the season, McRath has been a tackling machine and he tops the roster with 63 stops.

In a conference that features several top tier offenses, the Owls have more than held their own and come into the game averaging a healthy 39.0 ppg behind 429.3 total ypg. Rice has done most of its damage through the air, passing for 309.0 ypg and 18 touchdowns. Quarterback Chase Clement has been simply sensational for the Owls, as he has completed 63.4 percent of his pass attempts for 1,748 yards, with 16 touchdowns against only four interceptions. If that wasn't enough, he also leads the squad with 323 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. In the team's last game, Clement threw for 321 yards and two touchdowns on 22-of-42 tosses, although he also accounted for a pair of turnovers in a 63-28 loss to Tulsa. James Casey hauled in nine balls for 120 yards and a touchdown in the losing effort, while Jarett Dillard had seven receptions for 142 yards and a score. With his touchdown grab, Dillard broke the NCAA career record, as he now has 51 lifetime catches at the collegiate level. Dillard obviously has a nose for the end zone and he currently leads the nation with 11 touchdown receptions. He is also tops on the team with 674 yards on 46 catches. Casey has formed a nice one-two punch with Dillard and he paces the team with 54 receptions, to go with 639 yards.

Unfortunately for Rice, its defense has been simply abused this season, allowing a whopping 39.2 ppg and 465.5 total ypg. The defense is permitting 205.7 ypg on the ground and 259.8 ypg through the air, with even split between its 32 touchdowns surrendered. A positive for the unit is that is has been able to generate quite a few turnovers, forcing 16 thus far. In the club's prior outing, the Owls were torched by Tulsa for 577 total yards, including an eye-popping 386 rushing. The defense gave up nine touchdowns in the game and 42 second half points to Tulsa, which averaged an 7.3 yards per carry. Terrance Garmon had nine stops in the loss, giving him 34 for the year. He, however, still trails Andrew Sendejo, who tops the club with 50 tackles.

The Eagles dropped three straight at home, so it's hard to pick them on the road this weekend. Rice can't seem to stop anyone on defense, but its offense is good enough to overcome those issues and that is the reason the Owls will prevail in this one.