FACTS & STATS: Site: Waldo Stadium (30,200) -- Kalamazoo, Michigan. Television: None. Home Record: Temple 3-3, WMU 1-4. Away Record: Temple 1-4, WMU 3-3. Neutral Record: Temple 0-0, WMU 0-0. Conference Record: Temple 4-3, WMU 2-4. Series Record: Western Michigan leads, 5-0.

GAME NOTES: Two teams looking to close out their respective seasons on a winning note will collide this Saturday afternoon at Waldo Stadium, as the Western Michigan Broncos get set to host the Temple Owls in a Mid-American Conference tilt. It has been a season of great improvement for the Owls, as the team opened the new campaign with five consecutive losses, but since then has posted a 4-2 mark. The last time Temple was on the field, the Owls collected a hard-fought, 24-14 victory over Kent State. A win on Saturday will give the Owls a winning conference record, which would be a great achievement. As for the Broncos, they snapped a three-game losing skid with an impressive, 28-19 victory on the road against Iowa. Surprisingly, the Broncos have struggled at Waldo Stadium this season, posting a 1-4 mark overall. The first time these two schools met on the football field, the Owls posted a 49-17 victory. However, the Owls later had to forfeit the win due to ineligible players. Since then the Broncos have won four more games against the Owls, and now lead the series, 5-0.

The Owls do not possess a very dangerous offensive unit. In fact, the team is producing just 17.6 ppg, while averaging 314.9 total ypg. The team has definitely had trouble running the ball, posting just 96.8 ypg on just 2.7 ypc. Jason Harper is currently leading the way with 546 yards and five TDs. In the recent win over Kent State, the Owls put forth a solid offensive effort though, racking up 375 total yards. The team got a surprising 184 rushing yards, while also throwing for another 191 yards. Daryl Robinson led the Owls with 109 yards on 17 carries, while Harper tallied 79 yards and one score on 22 totes. As for the passing game, Vaughn Charlton, in only his third start, completed 18-of-27 pass attempts for 191 yards and one score. Since stepping in for the injured Adam DiMichele, Charlton has completed an impressive 64.3 percent of his passes for 716 yards and three scores against one INT.

As the year has progressed, so has the play of the defensive unit for Temple. As the team enters its season-finale, the squad is surrendering 27.2 ppg, while giving up 356.7 total ypg. The problem that has consistently plagued the Owls has been their inability to stop the run, as teams are currently producing 165.0 ypg on the ground. However, in the recent win over KSU, the Owls easily had their best performance of the season, holding the Flashes to 124 total yards, including just 48 yards on 23 carries (2.1 ypc). The team forced four turnovers in the game, pushing its total number of takeaways to 27 on the year. Junior Galette has been a monster for this unit all season and is currently leading this squad with nine TFLs and seven sacks.

The Broncos' offense has been predicated on the pass, as the team heads into this contest averaging an impressive 266.8 ypg through the air. Overall this unit is producing a solid 394.4 total ypg, and that has led to 27.9 ppg. Tim Hiller has been solid for the most part this year, as the quarterback has completed 63.6 percent of his attempts for 2,745 yards. In 11 games, Hiller has thrown 19 touchdowns, while tossing 14 interceptions. The top target for WMU has been Jamarko Simmons, who has grabbed 83 passes for 977 yards and six touchdowns. While the passing attack is dangerous, opponents cannot overlook the two-headed monster in the backfield in Brandon West and Mark Bonds. The two tailbacks have combined for 1,391 yards and 11 touchdowns. Despite falling to Iowa last week, Hiller still had a tremendous showing, throwing for 367 yards and three scores on 26-of-45 attempts. West did it all for the Broncos in the matchup, as the running back collected 116 yards, while also hauling in nine passes for 93 yards and one score.

There has been one major issue that the Broncos could not overcome this season and that is their inability to shut down the ground game, as teams are currently averaging a whopping 190.5 ypg with the run. Overall this defense is being bashed for 422.3 total ypg, and that has led to 31.3 ppg. In the recent win over Iowa, the team's struggles continued, as the Hawkeyes rumbled for 148 rushing yards. By the end of the matchup, the Broncos gave up 397 total yards, but just 19 points. In addition, the team collected three turnovers, while recording four sacks. On the season, the team has forced 23 takeaways, while recording 22 sacks. Boston McCornell has been one of the main contributors to this unit, as the linebacker has 93 tackles to go along with 2.5 sacks and 7.5 TFLs.

The Owls have improved tremendously on the defensive side of things, but the Broncos possess an extremely potent offense, which should be able to move the ball on Temple.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Western Michigan 31, Temple 17

Saturday, November 24th, 2:00 p.m. (et)