FACTS & STATS: Site: University Stadium (39,224) -- Albuquerque, New Mexico. Television: The Mtn. Home Record: CSU 2-3, UNM 0-5. Away Record: CSU 1-4, UNM 0-5. Neutral Record: CSU 0-0, UNM 0-0. Conference Record: CSU 0-6, UNM 0-6. Series Record: Colorado State leads, 32-24.

GAME NOTES: Two teams vying for their first Mountain West Conference wins of the season collide at University Stadium this weekend, as the New Mexico Lobos try to take out the Colorado State Rams.

Not only has New Mexico gone 0-6 in league play this season, the same as the Rams, the home team in this case has dropped all 10 games in 2009. In fact, the Lobos have been so poor that their skid has reached 14 games in a row, the second-longest losing streak in the country. Last week was more of the same for the Lobos as they bowed to nationally-ranked BYU, but at least made things interesting in the 24-19 loss.

As for the Rams, they kicked off the campaign with three straight wins over Colorado, Weber State and Nevada, but then the roof fell in on the squad with seven consecutive setbacks. Last week, Colorado State was watching from the sidelines, enjoying its first bye of the season. Prior to that, the Rams were dealt a 35-16 by the UNLV Rebels on the road in Las Vegas. After this weekend's trip to Albuquerque, CSU will be home to the Wyoming Cowboys to close out the regular season.

Last year, CSU picked up a 20-6 victory at home against the Lobos, giving the Rams a 32-24 lead in the all-time series.

Quarterback Grant Stucker is trying to keep the offense for the Rams moving in the right direction as he is averaging 184.6 ypg. However, at the moment he has completed less than 53 percent of his passes and has as many interceptions (12) as he does touchdowns. Top receiver Rashaun Greer has reeled in 38 passes for the team over 10 games, resulting in 657 yards, but even though he has had his hands on the ball more than any other receiver on the roster, Greer has still not made it into the end zone, which is one of the reasons why the offense might stall. The rushing offense for the Rams currently ranks fifth in the conference and 76th in the country with 136.7 ypg, the overall offense hitting for 348.8 ypg. In terms of point production, CSU ranks seventh in the MWC and 96th in the country with a mere 21.7 ppg.

In the last four games, the Rams have given up no less than 34 points, which is why the squad's defensive efforts have appeared to suffer. At this point the squad is giving up an average of 31.2 ppg, a number that is seventh in the Mountain West and 101st in the country after 10 games. One of the top defenders for Colorado State right now are Mychal Sisson with a team-best 75 tackles to go along with his team-best 12.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. Right behind Sisson are Elijah-Blu Smith and Nick Oppenneer who have tallied 58 and 51 tackles, respectively, while also tying for the team lead with three interceptions apiece. Even though Sisson has more than a dozen TFLs so far this season, the team as a whole has had trouble making such tackles a regular routine in 2009, averaging just 4.4 TFLs per contest to rank eighth in the conference and 108th in the nation.

Donovan Porterie threw a pair of touchdown passes in the second half and also ran for a score in the first quarter to kick off the games action against BYU, but it wasn't enough as the Cougars held on for the road victory last weekend. Porterie hit 28-of-44 passes for 272 yards, but he was sacked five times and that brought his rushing numbers down to minus-14 yards on 11 attempts. Because the QB was taken down so many times behind the line, the team as a whole was credited with only 88 net rushing yards. As much as Porterie tries to lift this team from the depths of the conference, the fact remains that the offense is still ninth in the MWC and 104th in the nation with a paltry 314.5 ypg generated. The lack of ball movement means this team is having to fight long and hard for points which are coming few and far between at just 15.7 ppg (115th in the nation).

Against one of the more explosive offenses in the Mountain West this season, the struggling Lobos actually limited BYU to just 24 points. However, where New Mexico did ease up was in the passing defense as the squad permitted 314 yards and two touchdowns, which was enough to keep UNM out of the win column yet again. Kendall Briscoe tried to keep the Lobos in the mix with his three tackles for loss and his sack on Max Hall, while Tray Hardaway led the group with his eight tackles. Carmen Messina, who is used to leading the team with double-digit stops, was limited to just seven tackles. Even though Messina had an off-day, he is still the nation's leader with his 13.4 tackles per game, but no matter how hard he has worked the result is still the same. The scoring defense for this unit has been very weak, in spite of the effort versus BYU, as it is now 112th in the country with 35.3 ppg allowed. The biggest problem is having a pass defense that is last in the conference and 113th in the country with 263.9 ypg.

As bad as both of these teams have been, the Lobos showed some positive signs last week against a nationally-ranked opponent. As long as New Mexico can come close to that sort of effort this might be the right time for the team to finally get into the win column.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: New Mexico 24, Colorado State 17

Saturday, November 21st, 6:00 p.m. (et).