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FACTS & STATS: Site: Frank Kush Field/Sun Devil Stadium (71,706) -- Tempe, Arizona. Television: FSN-AZ. Home Record: ULM 1-0, ASU 1-0. Away Record: ULM 0-1, ASU 0-0. Neutral Record: ULM 0-0, ASU 0-0. Conference Record: ULM 0-0, ASU 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: The Arizona State Sun Devils are back in action this week, and they'll tangle with the UL-Monroe Warhawks in a non-conference bout at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.

The Sun Devils had a bye last weekend. Prior to that, they kicked off the 2009 campaign with a 50-3 trouncing of Idaho State. Coach Dennis Erickson and the Sun Devils hope to build on that, as they are coming off their first losing season since 2003.

The Warhawks didn't have a bye last weekend, though the starters got plenty of second-half rest during Saturday's 58-0 rout over Texas Southern. It was a nice rebound game for a UL-Monroe squad that was coming off a season-opening 59-20 loss to second-ranked Texas. Now the Warhawks are back on the road for the next two weeks.

This is the first meeting between these two teams on the gridiron.

ULM got off to a quick start against Texas Southern and never looked back. Quarterback Trey Revell completed his first 12 passes and the Warhawks scored on each of their first three possessions. Revell finished the game 17-of-19, breaking Doug Pederon's 29-year-old school record for best completion percentage in a game. Darrell McNeal (six rec, 99 yds) and Alvin Jordan (four rec, 16 yds) each caught touchdown passes, while the Warhawks churned out 345 yards and five TDs on the ground. Frank Goodin (16 carries, 105 yds, three TDs) and true freshman Isaiah Newsome (22 carries, 158 yds) each went over 100 yards rushing.

After getting tagged for 59 points by Texas, ULM pitched a shutout against Texas Southern. Given the contrasting strength of those two programs, expect the ULM defense to hover somewhere in between. Heisman candidate Colt McCoy threw for 317 yards and three scores on 21-of-29 passing in the opener. Last weekend, Texas Southern managed just 97 yards on 34 pass attempts. The Warhawks also held Texas Southern to six rushing yards on 21 carries as a team. Higher profile programs take those kinds of wins against lesser opponents with a grain of salt. Considering it was ULM's second-largest margin of victory in its history, it's fair to say the win was a nice confidence booster for the team.

New ASU quarterback Danny Sullivan went 13-of-25 for 165 yards in his starting debut. Considering the way the Sun Devils were gashing Idaho State with the run, Sullivan wasn't asked to do a whole lot. ASU combined for 199 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. They racked up 407 total yards and held the ball for more than 34 minutes. Coach Erickson couldn't have drawn it up much better, considering he was breaking in a new starting quarterback and getting a look at the capabilities of a few different running backs. The offensive line, with four returning starters, looked dominant.

Statistically, there wasn't much more the ASU defense could have done in its debut. That's because the defense held the Bengals to 37 total yards and forced five turnovers. It's tough to imagine a player having more of an impact than Mike Dixon did against ISU. The senior linebacker had three interceptions, including one which he returned for a touchdown, and he also blocked a punt. His blocked punt was returned to the three-yard line and eventually resulted in a field goal. Freshman Vontaze Burfict (a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss) and sophomore Brandon Magee (INT, one sack, 2.5 TFL) also had strong showings at linebacker.

It's tough to gauge how competitive the Warhawks will be this season. They showed some flashes against Texas and executed almost flawlessly against Texas Southern. This should be a pretty good litmus test for ULM, though one has to wonder whether Revell will get greedy and try to force some throws against a much stronger ASU defense.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Arizona State 31, UL-Monroe 17