FACTS & STATS: Site: Lincoln Financial Field (68,532) -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Television: ESPN360.com. Home Record: Miami-OH 1-2, Temple 3-1. Away Record: Miami-OH 0-5, Temple 3-1. Neutral Record: Miami-OH 0-1, Temple 0-0. Conference Record: Miami-OH 1-4, Temple 4-0. Series Record: Temple leads, 2-1.

GAME NOTES: The surprising Temple Owls will try to remain perfect in Mid- American Conference action when they host the Miami-Ohio RedHawks this Thursday evening at Lincoln Financial Field.

The RedHawks however, storm into this matchup fresh off their first victory of the season, as they defeated Toledo, 31-24. Even though the team snapped its 13-game losing skid the team is still just 1-4 in league action, and head into this contest winless in five road matchups.

As for the Owls, they became bowl eligible for the first time since 1990 with a 27-24 win over Navy. It was the six straight victory for Temple, and that is the longest winning streak for the Owls since 1974. The Owls come into this matchup with a flawless 4-0 mark in league action, and have set themselves up nicely for a run at the East Division title.

Last season the Owls defeated Miami-Ohio, 28-10, and now hold a slim 2-1 edge over the RedHawks in the all-time series.

The RedHawks put forth their best offensive performance of the season, as they racked up 436 total yards en route to their first win on the season. Miami- Ohio rushed for 92 yards in the win, but the majority of the success for the RedHawks came through the air, as quarterback Zac Dysert threw for 344 yards and one touchdown. Dysert also paced the ground game, as the signal caller rumbled for 60 yards and two more scores. Dysert has done everything for this team since taking over for Daniel Raudabaugh, as the quarterback has thrown for 1,732 yards and eight touchdowns. Dysert also comes into this weekend with a team-best 237 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. However, as a whole, the offense for Miami-Ohio has been terrible on the year, posting just 13.8 ppg behind an equally poor 329.3 total ypg.

The RedHawks allowed 17 third quarter points against Toledo, but held the Rockets to just seven combined points in the remaining quarters, which was good enough to help Miami-Ohio grab a win. Even though the team was victorious, the defense surrendered 444 total yards, including 216 rushing yards on 4.9 yards per carry. Miami-Ohio did force two turnovers in the win, and also limited the Rockets to just 3-of-11 on third down attempts. Throughout the season this defense has struggled to contain the opposition, as teams are racking up 378.4 ypg against Miami-Ohio and that has led to 33.2 ppg. Stopping the run has been a major issue for this unit, as opponents are punishing the RedHawks for 181.4 ypg, and have scored 20 times on the ground as well. Miami-Ohio has also struggled to make many big plays, as the team has forced just nine turnovers, while racking up only 11 sacks.

Bernard Pierce put the Owls on his shoulders this past weekend and ran Temple past Navy, 27-24. The freshman tailback rumbled for 267 yards and two touchdowns, and became the first player at Temple to rush for back-to-back 200-yard games since Paul Palmer accomplished the feat back in 1986. Fortunately Pierce was unstoppable, because Vaughn Charlton was terrible under center, as the quarterback threw for just 37 yards on 5-of-17 passing and was intercepted twice. The Owls have gotten better as the year has progressed and it is mainly because of Pierce, who has rushed for 1,033 yards and 11 touchdowns. The 11 scores for Pierce is the most for a freshman running back in one season at Temple. Thankfully the passing game is the second option because Charlton has been very erratic, throwing for just 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns, while completing just 50.2 percent of his passes. As a whole the Owls head into this weekend posting 26.1 ppg behind a modest 313.2 total ypg.

The Owls faced a tough task on Saturday trying to stop the running game of Navy, and while the team surrendered 227 rushing yards, Temple did limit the Midshipman to just 3.7 yards per attempt. Temple collected an interception and two sacks against Navy, even though the Midshipmen only threw the ball seven times. Despite giving up over 200 rushing yards to Navy, the defense has been outstanding against the run for most of the year, and heads into this game holding teams to just 113.5 rushing ypg on 3.2 yards per attempt. Temple has been able to live off the big play this season as well, as the defense has forced 19 turnovers (11 interceptions and eight fumbles), while collecting 20 sacks. Adrian Robinson has been a menace on the front line, as the defensive end has collected half the team's sacks.

It was a confidence boost for the RedHawks when they grabbed their first win, but their hopes for a winning streak are bleak. Temple has proved to be a dominant force, especially on the ground and should run right through Miami- Ohio.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Temple 35, Miami-Ohio 13

Thursday, November 5th, 7:30 p.m. (et)