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FACTS & STATS: Site: UB Stadium (29,013) -- Buffalo, New York. Television: None. Home Record: CMU 2-0, Buffalo 0-1. Away Record: CMU 1-1, Buffalo 1-2. Neutral Record: CMU 0-0, Buffalo 0-0. Conference Record: CMU 1-0, Buffalo 0-1. Series Record: Central Michigan leads, 4-1.

GAME NOTES: Central Michigan will try to continue its winning ways when the Chippewas take on the Buffalo Bulls this Saturday afternoon in Mid-American Conference play at UB Stadium.

After opening the year with a 19-6 loss to Arizona the Chippewas have reeled off three consecutive wins, including a 48-21 decision over Akron on Saturday. With the victory, the Chippewas are now 22-4 in league play since the beginning of the 2006 season.

As for the Bulls, they opened their season with a 23-17 victory over Texas-El Paso, but since then the team has stumbled, losing its last three matchups, including a 37-13 setback to Temple last Saturday. It has been an inauspicious start to the year for Buffalo, which is coming off a tremendous run toward its first conference title. After not winning more than two games in a single year against league opponents from 2000 to 2006 the Bulls racked up 11 combined victories during the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

This will be the sixth all-time meeting between the two schools on the gridiron, but so far the series has been dominated by the Chippewas, who have won four of the five previous showdowns.

Dan LeFevour did it all this past Saturday against Akron, as the quarterback not only threw four touchdowns in the win, but also led the ground game with 140 yards and two more scores. As a team, the Chippewas punished Akron on the ground, rushing for 326 yards on 6.2 ypc, and finished the game with 523 total yards of production. Paris Cotton added 75 yards and one touchdown in the win, while wideout Antonio Brown rushed for 65 yards, while hauling in nine passes for 89 yards and two scores. It is no secret that the success of CMU rests heavily on the shoulders of LeFevour, but he is no stranger to leading this team now that he is in his fourth season as the starter. The senior has completed 70.0 percent of his passes in the first four games for 725 yards and seven touchdowns, and is also leading the team in rushing with 177 yards and five more scores. If LeFevour is the most important player for CMU, then Brown is a close second, as the wideout is leading the team with 28 receptions for 215 yards and three scores. However, the junior is also a terrific punt returner, and has helped out the rushing attack at times.

Usually with Central Michigan the offense gets most of the attention, but on Saturday the defense was just as impressive, as the Chippewas limited Akron to just 196 total yards, including 69 rushing yards on a mere 1.9 yards per carry. The defense only forced one turnover in the win, but collected five sacks and held Akron to just 1-of-12 on third down attempts. Last year the defense was a liability, but so far this year its has been an asset, and paired with the dangerous offense, this could be a special year for fans in Mount Pleasant. After four games the Chippewas are limiting opponents to just 274 total yards per matchup and have done a terrific job against the run, stuffing the opposition for just 113.0 on a mere 3.0 ypc. If there was a knock on this unit it would be its lack of big plays, as the team has posted just four takeaways on the year.

The Bulls racked up 380 total yards on Saturday against Temple, but that only led to 13 points, and more importantly the team's third setback on the year. The majority of the success came through the air, as Zach Maynard threw for 281 yards and one touchdown. However, the signal caller also made plenty of mistakes, including four interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Maynard's main target in the contest was Namaan Roosevelt, as the wideout hauled in nine passes for 120 yards. Unfortunately Maynard got little help from the ground game, which finished with only 99 yards on 3.3 yards per tote. However, that should not be surprising since Buffalo comes into this weekend averaging just 100.5 ypg on the ground behind a meager 3.0 ypc. With the lack of support from the run, Maynard has had to handle most of the load. Overall the signal caller has completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 1,024 yards, but has only seven TDs against six interceptions. Luckily the sophomore has a veteran in Roosevelt to lean on, as the receiver has made tremendous strides in 2009 and is currently pacing the team with 29 receptions for 445 yards and three scores.

Sure Temple finished the game Saturday with 37 points, but two of the touchdowns came from the special teams and defense, so technically only 23 points were surrendered by the Buffalo defense. Buffalo did have trouble against the run however, as the Owls churned out 198 yards on 4.9 yards per carry. Stopping the run has been a problem for Buffalo all season, as the team is being punished for 179.0 ypg and out of the 13 touchdowns surrendered by this unit, nine have come via the run. Buffalo has also had a hard time coming up with the big plays, as the team has collected just three turnovers and three sacks in four matchups. Justin Winters has done a little bit of everything, as the linebacker has collected 27 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one interception and has also recovered one fumble.

The Bulls have left a lot to be desired so far in 2009, while the Chippewas are getting better in each game they play. Even though the Bulls will be on their home field look for Central Michigan to make a statement with a victory against the defending conference champs.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Central Michigan 45, Buffalo 23