FACTS & STATS: Site: War Memorial Stadium (53,727) -- Little Rock, Arkansas. Television: PPV/ESPN Game Plan. Home Record: UL-Monroe 0-0, Arkansas 1-0. Away Record: UL-Monroe 0-1, Arkansas 0-0. Neutral Record: UL-Monroe 0-0, Arkansas 0-0. Conference Record: UL-Monroe 0-0, Arkansas 0-0. Series Record: Arkansas leads, 7-0.

GAME NOTES: The Arkansas Razorbacks will take the field in Little Rock this weekend, as they play host to the UL-Monroe Warhawks in a non-conference clash.

This game marks the second consecutive outing against a member of the SEC for UL-Monroe, as the club opened the season with a 34-0 loss to Auburn. Later in the season, the Warhawks will take on Ole Miss, another member of the league. Clearly, ULM is trying to bring some national attention and credibility to the program by scheduling non-conference opponents from major conferences. Judging by the opener, however, the Warhawks may not be capable of competing on that level just yet.

Arkansas narrowly escaped what would have been a disastrous start to the Bobby Petrino era. The Razorbacks knocked off Western Illinois by a 28-24 final last weekend to open the season, but a four-point victory at home over a FCS opponent doesn't exactly spark optimism. There is no question that the Hogs have extra motivation heading into this tilt.

Arkansas has won all seven of its previous meetings with UL-Monroe.

Judging by the fact that UL-Monroe was shut out in the opener, it is obvious that the offense did not play well against Auburn. The Warhawks finished the contest with 220 total yards. The ground attack accounted for a mere 84 yards on an average of 2.8 ypc. Frank Goodin had a team-high 15 rushing attempts but was only able to muster 39 yards.

As for quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster, he totaled 33 yards on 11 carries. Lancaster also completed 20-of-38 passes, but his 20 connections went for only 136 yards. While the Warhawks did keep possession of the ball for 31:09, they were 2-of-18 on third down conversion attempts. The offense was clearly overmatched, but that is often what is expected when a Sun Belt Conference team faces one from the SEC.

Considering that Auburn scored 34 points in the opener, it is easy to assume that the UL-Monroe defense was dominated. That simply wasn't the case as a closer look at the box score clearly indicates. Auburn scored two touchdowns in the first half, but neither came against the UL-Monroe defense. One was on special teams and the other came on a fumble recovery. Auburn was able to run the ball at will with 321 yards on 46 carries. However, the pass defense of the Warhawks was strong, limiting the Tigers to 13-of-27 completions for 85 yards. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely, but it is hard to be upset with the effort.

Give plenty of credit to Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick, as he came through with a big effort in the narrow win over Western Illinois. Dick connected on 25-of-41 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for two scores and showed his toughness, overcoming four sacks and an interception. Greg Childs was the best of the wideouts, as he racked up six catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.

The opener was the first game for the Razorbacks without the backfield duo of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, both of whom now play in the NFL. While it is often hard to judge a team or a player by one game, it certainly appears that the running game is far from potent. After all, the Hogs finished with 76 rushing yards while averaging 3.6 ypc. It will be interesting to see if a tailback steps forward this weekend and proves capable of being a productive workhorse.

Arkansas yielded only 262 total yards to Western Illinois last weekend, so the defense certainly put forth a solid effort. Still, the Razorbacks did permit three touchdowns, concerning considering the quality of opponents that await the team. Arkansas yielded just 3.4 rushing yards per carry and allowed only 10-of-26 passes to be completed. Still, there is clearly room for improvement. After all, Western Illinois held the ball for almost 37 minutes.

Arkansas had one sack in the clash and needs to make some more big plays defensively. Don't be surprised to see the Razorbacks generate much more pressure on the quarterback this week than last.

A loss to UL-Monroe would be embarrassing for Arkansas. The Razorbacks will have a hard time hanging with the SEC's elite, but a win over the Warhawks is a certainty.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Arkansas 31, UL-Monroe 13

Saturday, September 6th, 7:00 p.m. (et).