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FACTS & STATS: Site: Jones AT&T Stadium (52,882) -- Lubbock, Texas. Television:FSN. Home Record: UNM 0-3, TTU 2-0. Away Record: UNM 0-1, TTU 0-2. Neutral Record: UNM 0-0, TTU 0-0. Conference Record: UNM 0-0, TTU 0-1. Series Record: Texas Tech leads, 33-6-2.

GAME NOTES: The New Mexico Lobos and Texas Tech Red Raiders renew their rivalry this weekend, as they clash in non-conference action in Lubbock.

The Lobos have had no luck at the onset of the season and recently capped an unsuccessful three-game homestand with a tough 20-17 loss to rival New Mexico State this past weekend. It marked the fourth loss in as many games for UNM, which last began 0-4 in 1994. The start has certainly been a tough one for first-year head coach Mike Locksley, but the Lobos are a young team with a lot of growing up to do.

As for TTU, it was also involved in a nail-bitter last weekend and it came up short, 29-28, in its upset bid of nationally-ranked Houston. It marked the second straight loss by the Red Raiders, who were coming off a 34-24 setback to second-ranked Texas. The team though, has won both its home game thus far, outscoring its opponents by 93-23 margin.

TTU and UNM are meeting for the 42nd time, but the first since 2004. The Red Raiders own a commanding 33-6-2 lead in the rivalry and have won the last seven encounters in Lubbock.

After four games, the Lobos have to be concerned with their offense, as they are averaging a mere 11.5 ppg behind 262.0 total ypg. Last weekend, UNM gained an above average 356 total yards, but the offense managed only three points in the second half of a 20-17 loss to NMSU. James Aho also missed a pair of field goals, including a game-tying 47-yard attempt on the last play. Tailback Demond Dennis was a bright spot, as he toted just 16 times for 98 yards and a score in the setback. He had only 102 yards in the team's prior three outings, so last weekend's performance was certainly a step in the right direction. Quarterback Donovan Porterie also showed some signs of life against NMSU, as he threw for 206 yards and his first touchdown of the season. The senior gunslinger hasn't looked all that sharp this season, but hopefully for UNM he can build off last weekend's showing. Ty Kirk was on the receiving end of seven passes that went for 105 yards in clearly his best showing of the year.

UNM hasn't really fared any better on defense, as the unit is allowing 35.5 ppg and 421.0 total ypg. The group, which is being abused for 204.0 rushing ypg, is permitting opposing clubs to convert 47 percent of the time on third down and that is simply too much. The defense, however, is coming off its finest effort of the season, holding NMSU to just 218 total yards while recording three sacks and a pair of takeaways. With that said, the Lobos' defense still spent nearly 38 minutes of the game on the field and allowed NMSU to put together a 17-play drive that spanned seven minutes and ended with a a game-winning touchdown pass with 39 seconds remaining. Carmen Messina paced the defense with 15 stops and an interception, while Johnathan Rainey had nine stops and 2.5 sacks. Despite the unit's struggles, Messina and Rainey have been bright spots, with Messina racking up 57 stops and Rainey recording 8.5 TFLs and 5.5 sacks.

TTU and its prolific pass attack had its way with Houston early, but the unit managed only seven points after the intermission and that allowed the Cougars to come from behind for the victory. The Red Raiders still accumulated 484 total yards of offense, close to their season average of 475.8 ypg, and they nearly tripled their rushing average by gaining 163 yards on the ground. Baron Batch had his biggest game of the season with 114 rushing yards and two scores on 19 carries and he also had three catches for 39 yards. He had just 65 rushing yards heading into the game, so it was obviously a productive night for him. Quarterback Taylor Potts continued to churn out the yards, throwing for 321 and a touchdown on 30-of-45 attempts. Mike Leach's pass-happy offense has always produced big numbers for quarterbacks and Potts has now thrown for 1,602 yards and 13 touchdowns through the first four games. Seven different players have caught at least 10 passes for TTU, as spreading out the ball is a priority of this offense. Lyle Leong leads the team with 263 yards and five touchdowns, although he was held to just two catches for 11 yards last weekend.

The Red Raiders faced one of the elite offenses around last weekend and held their own for a large part of the game. TTU allowed a whopping 579 yards of total offense, but kept the Cougars from running away with the game by forcing them into five field goal attempts. The defense however, was unable to come up big in the clutch and allowed Houston drive 95 yards on 16 plays to win the game on a four-yard touchdown run with 49 seconds remaining. The Red Raiders had several chances to put a stop to the drive, but just couldn't get the job done. Daniel Howard had 11 tackles and 1.5 sacks in the loss and he now leads the team with 3.5 sacks for the season.

TTU is coming off a pair of tough losses, but should have no trouble rebounding this weekend. Expect a blowout, with the Red Raiders being on the positive end.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Texas Tech 44, New Mexico 14