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FACTS & STATS: Site: Kibbie Dome (18,000) -- Moscow, Idaho. Television:ESPN-Regional. Home Record: Hawaii 1-1, Idaho 2-0. Away Record: Hawaii 1-2, Idaho 3-1. Neutral Record: Hawaii 0-0, Idaho 0-0. Conference Record: Hawaii 0-2, Idaho 2-0. Series Record: Hawaii leads, 8-1.

GAME NOTES: A pair of teams headed in opposite directions collide at the Kibbie Dome this weekend, as the fading Hawaii Warriors tangle with the surging Idaho Vandals in Western Athletic Conference play.

The Vandals have certainly been a pleasant surprise up to this point and they are coming off yet another close win, a 29-25 triumph at San Jose State this past weekend. It was the team's fourth win in a row, with the last three all coming by four points or fewer. Idaho now sits atop the WAC standings at 2-0 and its five wins are the most for the program since 2000. The Vandals won a total of just three games between the prior two campaigns, so obviously they on the rise and close to notching their first winning campaign since 1999.

As for Hawaii, it opened the season with two straight wins, but has suffered three loss in a row since, marking its longest losing skid since 2000. The injury plagued Warriors were most recently at home, only to suffer a 42-17 setback to Fresno State. Coupled with a loss to Louisiana Tech the prior week, Hawaii has now dropped back-to-back WAC games for the first time since 2005.

The Warriors do own an 8-1 edge in the all-time series with Idaho and that includes wins in each of the past seven meetings.

The Warriors' pass-happy attack took a big hit when starting quarterback Greg Alexander was injured in a the game against Louisiana Tech. Alexander, who led the nation in total offense through three games, has been ruled out for the season with a knee injury and backup quarterback Brent Rausch is still out with a broken pinkie. The injuries moved third-stringer Bryant Moniz to the top of the depth chart and the sophomore walk-on made his first career start last weekend, throwing for 283 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Fresno State. He looked out of place at times and converted just 24-of-52 pass attempts with two picks, but he still is the team's healthiest option with Rausch being listed as questionable. Rodney Bradley hauled in seven of his passes for 94 yards and a score, while Greg Salas finished with six receptions for 79 yards in the setback. Salas is off to a big start with 680 receiving yards and Bradley follows closely with 517 yards through the air. Hawaii is averaging 372.2 ypg through the air and only 70.8 ypg on the ground, so don't expect the team to change things around despite its quarterback issues.

Hawaii had little success trying to slow down Fresno State last weekend and allowed 412 total yards, including 277 on the ground. Stopping the run has been an issue so far for the Warriors, who are giving up 201.8 ypg on the ground. Opponents are also converting 48 percent of the time on third down against the Warriors' defense and last weekend Fresno State went 7-of-11 in those situations. The defense has obvious issues and that could lead to a tough campaign considering the offense has some problems of its own now. Corey Paredes paces the defense with three sacks, while Mana Silva is tops on the roster with three interceptions.

Trailing 25-22 late in the fourth quarter, Idaho put together a nine-play, 67- yard drive in which it capped off with a DeMaundray Woolridge five-yard touchdown run with just over a minute left for a 29-25 win over SJSU this past weekend. It was a dramatic finish and a positive end for the Vandals, who overcame four turnovers by gaining 501 total yards of offense. Idaho is generating a solid 420.3 total ypg on the season, but it hadn't had trouble hanging onto the ball, committing just three turnovers prior to last weekend. Woolridge finished the game with 93 yards and two scores on 18 carries, while Princeton McCarty led the charge with 125 yards and a score on 16 totes. Despite not having started a game, Woolridge tops the ground attack with 449 yards and eight scores and McCarty checks in second with 331 yards and a pair of touchdowns. At quarterback, Nathan Enderle has started all six games and he has thrown for 1,509 yards, with eight scores and six picks. Last weekend though, Enderle struggled with three interceptions and ended up giving way to backup Brian Reader on the final drive. Reader mostly handed the ball off on the drive, but the lack of confidence shown in Enderle is something to keep an eye on. Max Komar and Eric Greenwood are the top threats in the passing game and they have combined for 53 catches, 826 yards and four scores this season.

Defensively, Idaho had a decent effort last weekend and compensated for the 347 yards it allowed to SJSU by forcing three turnovers. The Vandals had forced just seven turnovers in the prior five games, so it was an obvious improvement. The Vandals continued to shine against the run, as they limited SJSU to just 48 yards on the ground. Idaho is allowing only 99.2 rushing ypg on the year though, the defense has had some trouble getting into the backfield with just six sacks to its credit. Jonah Sataraka has accounted for half of the team's sacks, including one last weekend, while Shiloh Keo tops the club with 57 stops.

The Vandals are playing with a lot of confidence right now and with Hawaii unsettled at quarterback, this is a great opportunity for Idaho to keep things going. Expect the Vandals to exploit the Warriors' soft defense and capture the victory this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Idaho 38, Hawaii 28