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FACTS & STATS: Site: ASU Stadium (30,406) -- Jonesboro, Arkansas. Television: None. Home Record: Troy 1-0, Arkansas State 1-0. Away Record: Troy 0-2, Arkansas State 0-1. Neutral Record: Troy 0-0, Arkansas State 0-0. Conference Record: Troy 0-0, Arkansas State 0-0. Series Record: Arkansas State leads, 7-4.

GAME NOTES: The defending Sun Belt champion Troy Trojans will begin their title defense this weekend when they open their league schedule at ASU Stadium against the Arkansas State Red Wolves.

The Trojans are coming off their first victory of the new campaign, defeating UAB, 27-14. Troy's season however, began with back-to-back losses to Bowling Green (31-14) and top-ranked Florida (56-6). Troy, who had a share of the conference title in 2006 and 2007 and won it outright in 2008, has posted an impressive 18-3 ledger against conference foes over the past three seasons.

As for the Red Wolves, they opened the 2009 campaign with a convincing 61-0 victory over Mississippi Valley State, but fell back to earth in their next matchup, as Nebraska pounded ASU, 38-9. The Red Wolves, who were off this past weekend, have tallied a strong 10-2 mark at home since the beginning of the 2007 season.

The Red Wolves hold a 7-4 edge over Troy in the all-time series, but the Trojans have won the last two matchups by a combined score of 55-9.

After only scoring 20 combined points in their first two games, the Trojans put forth their best effort in the victory over UAB, amassing 27 points behind 551 total yards. Levi Brown had his best game of the season, as the quarterback threw for 413 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-32 passing. This could be the type of game Brown needed, as the signal caller has struggled thus far, throwing for just 742 yards and three scores, with four interceptions. Surprisingly the Trojans also had success on the ground in the win, rumbling for 138 yards on 4.3 yards per attempt. DuJuan Harris led the way with 61 yards and one score against UAB, but the tailback suffered a knee injury and is questionable for this weekend's matchup. However, despite the strong showing, the ground game as a whole has been inconsistent, churning out just 84.0 yards per contest on 2.9 ypc.

The Troy defensive unit also put forth its best showing of the 2009 season, holding UAB to just 14 points after surrendering 87 combined points in its first two matchups. Troy limited the Blazers to just 285 total yards, including just 109 yards through the air. It was a surprising effort considering teams are torching Troy's secondary for 273.3 yards per matchup. Unfortunately the Trojans did have trouble containing UAB's ground game, surrendering 176 yards on 5.0 yards per attempt, and are now being punished for 172.3 rushing yards per game. Boris Lee racked up seven tackles in the win, and is now pacing Troy with 27 tackles on the year.

The Red Wolves had this past Saturday off, which gave the team time to regroup after being shut down by Nebraska. ASU opened the year with 61 points against Mississippi Valley State, but dropped the ball against the Cornhuskers, scoring just nine points in the setback. The Red Wolves tallied just 276 total yards, and the majority of the team's success came from the ground attack, which churned out 143 yards on 38 carries. Reggie Arnold led the way in the loss with 83 yards and one score on 14 carries, while Derek Lawson added 37 yards. After two games, Arnold has 209 rushing yards and five touchdowns, but those numbers are inflated due to his outstanding performance against MVSU. Quarterback Corey Leonard had trouble in the loss to Nebraska, completing just 11-of-20 passes for only 131 yards. With two games under his belt, the signal caller has completed 57.6 percent of his throws, but for just 260 yards and one score.

After shutting out MVSU, the Red Wolves had a much tougher time against Nebraska, as the Cornhuskers racked up 494 total yards and that led to 38 points. Arkansas State really struggled against the pass, as Nebraska racked up 358 yards and four touchdowns. Arkansas State allowed 27 first downs in the setback, and did not force a turnover. The Red Wolves were also unable to make big plays, allowing Nebraska to convert on 8-of-13 third down attempts and all four of its red zone chances. After two games it is hard to tell exactly how good or bad this defensive unit is. However, at the present moment Arkansas State is allowing just 19.0 ppg and just 281.5 total yards per matchup.

The Trojans have been the class of the Sun Belt for a few years now, so this should be a major test for Arkansas State. The Red Wolves should make this a close matchup, especially since they are home, but look for Troy to leave Jonesboro with a victory.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Troy 35, Arkansas State 31