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FACTS & STATS: Site: Rice Stadium (47,000) -- Houston, Texas. Television: CBSCSN. Home Record: Navy 3-0, Rice 0-2. Away Record: Navy 0-2, Rice 0-3. Neutral Record: Navy 0-0, Rice 0-0. Conference Record: Navy 0-0, Rice 0-2. Series Record: Rice leads, 6-5.

GAME NOTES: The Rice Owls will step out of conference play in hopes of grabbing their first win of the season, as they host the Navy Midshipmen this Saturday afternoon at Rice Stadium.

The Midshipmen come to Houston with a two-game winning streak, grabbing victories over Western Kentucky (38-22) and most recently Air Force (16-13), in overtime. Navy currently has three wins on the season, but both of the team's setbacks have come on the road.

As for the Owls, they have lost their first five games of the season, all by double-figures. The last time Rice was in action the team suffered a 27-10 setback to Tulsa. Last year the Owls won all six of their home contests, but thus far the team is winless in two games at Rice Stadium, losing both games by a combined 63-27 margin.

This has been a tightly contested series between the two schools, with the Owls holding a slim 6-5 edge. However, the Midshipmen have won the last three meetings, including a 41-9 decision back in 2005.

Navy's offense is predicated on its rushing attack, which is churning out an impressive 230.2 ypg. Overall, the team is averaging 327.0 ypg, but that has led to a solid 25.4 ppg. Quarterback Ricky Dobbs has been outstanding and heads into this contest with a team-best 386 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Dobbs has also thrown for 484 yards and three touchdowns on the year, but clearly he is better with his legs. Marcus Curry and Alexander Teich have also contributed to the rushing attack, as Curry has rumbled for 236 yards and two scores, while Teich has posted 227 yards on 4.5 yards per attempt. Navy only rushed for 173 yards on 3.1 yards per attempt against Air Force, but the team still grabbed the victory. Dobbs led the way in the win with 92 yards and one score, while Vince Murray and Teich combined for 87 yards.

What has been overlooked is Navy's performance defensively, as the Midshipmen head into this weekend holding teams to just 314.6 total ypg and that has translated into just 21.4 ppg. Navy has done a solid job against the run to this point, holding teams to 126.2 ypg on only 3.5 yards per carry, but out of the 10 touchdowns surrendered by this unit, six have come via the run. One area of concern has been the team's inability to make impact plays, as the defense has forced just eight turnovers. In the overtime victory over Air Force the defense stumbled a bit against the run, allowing the Falcons to churn out 183 yards on 53 carries. Fortunately the team forced two turnovers in the win, and also limited Air Force to just 3-of-16 on third down attempts.

Rice is about to boil over with five straight losses and an offense that is producing just 17.0 ppg. The team has been miserable on the ground, rushing for just 99.8 ypg, behind an equally poor 2.9 yards per carry. The passing attack has not been much better, as there has been a revolving door under center. John Shepherd has played in all five games for the Owls, but has completed just 52.8 percent of his throws for only 412 yards and two scores against four interceptions. Ryan Lewis has also seen time at quarterback, but he has been even worse, completing just 38.5 percent of his passes and has only one touchdown against three picks. The last time Rice was in action the team scored only 10 points on 191 total yards. Once again the ground game was bottled up, churning out a meager 47 yards on 1.6 yards per tote. Lewis and Shepherd both played in the contest, but neither was very effective. Shepherd threw for just 45 yards and also tossed an interception. As for Lewis, he completed just 12-of-32 passes for 99 yards and one touchdown, but he was also sacked four times.

On top of the lack of offensive production, Rice's defense has been woeful, surrendering an eye-popping 40.6 ppg. The unit has struggled against the run and pass, as opponents are gashing the Owls for 164.2 rushing ypg, while also torching them for another 295.0 ypg through the air. Through five games the defense has collected 10 sacks, which is a modest amount, but collecting takeaways has been a problem, as the team has forced just six turnovers (one interception and five fumbles) in five games. Rice put forth its best defensive effort on the year against Tulsa, but still managed to allow 27 points on 385 total yards. The Owls held Tulsa to just 134 yards on 3.0 yards per tote, but defending the pass was a completely different story, as the Golden Hurricane abused the Owls for 251 yards through the air. On the bright side Rice get solid pressure on the quarterback, finishing the game with five sacks.

The Owls have been awful defensively, and with Navy's rushing attack coming to town it could be a long afternoon for Rice.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Navy 38, Rice 17