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FACTS & STATS: Site: Martin Stadium (37,600) -- Pullman, Washington. Television: None. Home Record: ASU 2-1, WSU 1-1. Away Record: ASU 0-1, WSU 0-2. Neutral Record: ASU 0-0, WSU 0-1. Conference Record: ASU 0-1, WSU 0-3. Series Record: Arizona State leads, 21-12-2.

GAME NOTES: The Washington State Cougars have been pushed around by Pac-10 opponents so far, though they'll try to push back this weekend when they welcome the Arizona State Sun Devils to Martin Stadium.

In three games against conference foes, Washington State has gone 0-3 and has been outscored, 118-25. The Cougars were dismantled by Oregon last weekend, 52-6, to fall to 1-4 on the season. In fact, the team's only victory thus far was a 30-27 overtime decision against SMU last month. The team is no doubt happy to return home, following back-to-back lopsided losses on the road to USC and Oregon.

The Sun Devils are also coming off back-to-back losses, as they were handled by Oregon State last weekend, 28-17. Both of ASU's wins came at home during the first two weeks of the season and were against Idaho State and UL-Monroe. In other words, the Sun Devils' schedule won't be getting any easier, and this is a game they certainly need to win as they get into the meat of their conference slate.

ASU holds a 21-12-2 edge in the all-time series, including five straight wins over Washington State.

Before last weekend, Arizona State hadn't lost at home to Oregon State in 40 years, a stretch of 16 games that pre-dated the Sun Devils joining the Pac-10. But history wasn't on their side last Saturday, as the Beavers jumped out to a 21-3 lead and never looked back. Thanks to that slow start, the Sun Devils were never able to get their ground game going. They finished with just 68 rushing yards and a team average of 2.2 ypc. Meanwhile, quarterback Danny Sullivan completed 32-of-58 passes for 338 yards, one touchdown and one interception as ASU tried to play catch up. Chris McGaha hauled in 15 passes for 165 receiving yards. After coasting to a 2-0 start against a pair of less imposing defenses, the Sun Devils have put up just 17 points against Georgia and OSU in each of the last two weeks.

Over the past few seasons, ASU's identity had been its pass-first offense, which often yielded shootout-type games. However, the 2009 Sun Devils currently rank third in the nation in total defense (232 ypg) and second in turnover margin (+2.25). Obviously, strength of schedule needs to be taken into account. Still, the defense has played about as well as could be expected through four games. Last week, they held a formidable Oregon State offense to 14 first downs and 295 total yards for the game. However, OSU running back Jacquizz Rodgers did run for 87 yards and two touchdowns, while wideout James Rodgers inflicted plenty of damage with 10 catches for 114 yards and a TD. On the ASU defense, Jarrell Holman had an interception and joined Mike Nixon with a team-high seven tackles in the loss. Terell Carr finished with five tackles and three pass breakups.

There hasn't been much tangible improvement from the Washington State offense on a week-to-week basis, and last weekend was no different. The Cougars went into Eugene, Oregon and managed just 139 yards of total offense. Needing something to kick-start the offense, head coach Paul Wulff went with freshman Jeff Tuel at quarterback against the Ducks. The only other true freshman to start at quarterback for WSU was Drew Bledsoe back in 1990. But the experiment was short-lived, as Tuel got his bell rung in the first quarter and had to leave the game after just two pass attempts. Tuel, who was diagnosed as having a hip pointer, did not return. His backup, Marshall Lobbestael, was battling a left knee injury and finished 7-of-13 for 48 yards and two interceptions. Wideout Jared Karstetter had a hip pointer, which limited him to two catches for 12 yards.

The Cougars' defense allowed six first-half touchdowns by the Oregon offense, and the Ducks' first-team spent most of the second half watching from the sideline. The Ducks simply dominated in all phases, as they racked up 31 first downs and 514 total yards. The Cougars had no answer for the Oregon running game, which churned out 318 yards (5.4 ypc) and six touchdowns on the night. What makes those rushing totals so startling is the fact that Oregon didn't have a single 100-yard rusher in the game, and five different Ducks players notched rushing touchdowns. As a result, WSU now ranks 119th out of 120 FBS schools in terms of total defense (505.6 ypg). The Cougars also rank 114th in scoring defense, as opponents are averaging 36.6 points per game. All in all, it was a major step backward for a defense that held USC to just seven points over the final three quarters a week earlier.

The Cougars appear headed for a long season, and some injuries have compounded the team's problems. They were completely out-classed on both sides of the ball last weekend, and with some major questions at quarterback, don't expect a major turnaround in this contest.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Arizona State 38, Washington State 7