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FACTS & STATS: Site: Falcon Stadium (46,692) -- United States Air Force Academy, Colorado. Television: The Mtn. Home Record: Wyoming 3-1, Air Force 2-1. Away Record: Wyoming 1-1, Air Force 1-2. Neutral Record: Wyoming 0-0, Air Force 0-0. Conference Record: Wyoming 2-0, Air Force 1-1. Series Record: Air Force leads, 24-20-3.

GAME NOTES: Sporting a perfect 2-0 record against the rest of the Mountain West Conference, the Wyoming Cowboys try to keep pace with nationally-ranked BYU as the Pokes encounter the Air Force Falcons in Colorado on Saturday.

Since suffering back-to-back losses against the likes of second-ranked Texas and Colorado on the road in September, Wyoming has ripped off three straight victories, two of which have come against conference foes. First, there was a narrow 30-27 triumph versus UNLV at home, and that was followed by a tight 30-28 win over Florida Atlantic on the road. Wyoming came up with a heavy 37-13 defeat of New Mexico this past weekend, battling not only the Lobos but also Mother Nature, to move to 4-2 on the season overall. The current three- game win streak for Wyoming is the program's first since the 2006 campaign.

As for the Falcons, a squad that won three times in its first four games, they have since dropped consecutive decisions and are now an even 3-3 on the season. Following the team's overtime defeat versus Navy in Annapolis on October 3rd, the Falcons followed that with a hard-fought 20-17 setback versus ninth-ranked TCU at home, in horrid weather conditions last Saturday.

The Pokes were crushed by Air Force last season in a 23-3 decision, pushing the academy to a 24-20-3 advantage in the all-time series as a result.

Needing an escort just to get to the stadium on Saturday, the Cowboys took a little bit of time to warm up in what was frigid conditions as temperatures came close to single digits as snow fell. A Mitch Unrein safety late in the first quarter was the start of the assault on the Lobos, with quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels again starting and completing 15-of-30 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Add to that another 179 yards and two TDs on the ground and it became an easy win for the host team. Carta-Samuels has been a huge addition to the UW offense this season, having completed almost 60 percent of his passes for 983 yards and six touchdowns. More importantly, the signal-caller has been picked off just once in 158 attempts which has lifted his quarterback rating to an impressive 123.02. Receiver David Leonard has become one of the more potent offensive forces in the MWC this season, tied for third in the conference and 17th nationally with seven catches per game. Despite having just a single TD reception, Leonard still gives defenses a reason to plan for his every movement on the field.

Beating up on the Lobos has become commonplace this season for all the team's opponents, and Wyoming certainly took advantage of the opportunity to bolster some stats in the meeting last Saturday. The run defense for the home team allowed a mere 47 net yards on 32 attempts, came up with five sacks and a total of 11 tackles for loss along the way. Four players, led by Gabe Knapton with 11 stops, finished with double-digit tackles in the event, while Weston Johnson tallied 10 stops, two TFLs and an interception. Turnovers have been a big part of Wyoming's play through six games this season, the team currently ranking second in the MWC and fifth in the nation with plus-1.50 turnovers per contest. Really, that has more to do with the offense not giving up the ball as much as it has in the past, but it still bodes well for the defense nonetheless. What Wyoming's defense really needs to focus on more though, if it wants to give the top schools in the conference a run for their money, is putting a stop to aggressive passing attacks. At the moment the Pokes are last in the league and 115th nationally with 270.5 ypg allowed through the air.

The Falcons knew they were going to have a hard time matching up with TCU, one of the top defensive programs in the nation again this season, but perhaps the frigid weather helped to even things out, giving Air Force a chance to stay competitive. Quarterback Connor Dietz, who started for an injured Tim Jefferson, completed just 6-of-17 passes for 42 yards, but his one rushing touchdown and team-best 71 yards on the ground was enough reason to give the Falcons a fighting chance. TCU entered the week with the top run defense in the country, permitting just 47 ypg, but clearly something had to give since Air Force was one of the top running teams in the nation and came up with 229 yards on the day. The lack of continuity at the quarterback spot hasn't been as much of an issue for the Falcons as it has been for other programs across the country, especially when one considers what little emphasis the Falcons place on their passing attack to begin with. The squad is second-to-last in the country with a mere 77.7 ypg passing, instead focusing its efforts again in the trenches as it generates 281.3 ypg, which is first in the MWC and third in the nation at the moment. Having a huge stable of runners has been important for the Falcons because it keeps fresh legs shuttling in and out of the lineup and forces opponents to be on their toes at all times.

The Falcons have some very good defensive numbers so far this season, mainly because the majority of their opponents have been considerably weak on that side of the ball to begin with. Nevertheless, Air Force still found a way to keep the Horned Frogs from running away with another league victory last Saturday, limiting the visitors to just 195 yards and two touchdowns on 52 running plays and another 198 yards through the air. In fact, while the passing yardage might sound a little high, the Falcons didn't give up a TD, sacked Andy Dalton three times and also had Andre Morris come up with an interception. Ben Garland accounted for a pair of sacks and Justin Moore amassed a game-high 12 tackles for the academy. Garland leads the team in sacks with four and a half and is also tops with his six TFLs thus far. The team as a whole is averaging five TFLs per game and has also jarred loose countless balls that have resulted in 11 fumble recoveries. With three interceptions, two of which he has returned for touchdowns, Anthony Wright is another player that opponents have to keep an eye on, especially since he is a critical piece to an Air Force defense that has helped the team rank first in the nation with plus-2.67 turnovers per game.

The weather could certainly play a factor in this game, just as it did for both teams last weekend, which is why keeping the ball on the ground will be the smart move. As long as Carta-Samuels can adapt his game, the Cowboys should give Air Force a run for its money, otherwise the meeting should belong to the Falcons.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Air Force 28, Wyoming 17