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UVa-Wise Highland Cavaliers vs. Union College Bulldogs Date: August 28 Time: 7 p.m. Location: Carl Smith Stadium -- Wise, Va.

TODAY'S GAME: Saturday's football game between the UVa-Wise Highland Cavaliers and Union College will be the fifth gridiron meeting between the two schools. Union holds a 3-1-0 advantage over the Cavaliers. Today's game is the 130th in the history of the UVa-Wise football program. The Cavaliers have an all-time record of 68 wins, 61 losses and no ties. UVa-Wise's overall home record is 43-27.

THE SERIES: Union College leads 3-1-0.

First Meeting: Union College won in Barboursville 48-14 in the sixth week of the 1992 season. FLast Meeting: UVa-Wise won 40-31 over Union College on October 18, 2003 at the Cavaliers' Carl Smith Stadium.

Series Streak: UVa-Wise defeated Union College 40-31 on October 18, 2003 at Carl Smith Stadium. The Bulldogs won the previous three meetings in the series. The home team has won three in the previous four meetings between the two schools. The exception was a 44-7 Union win in 1993 in Wise.

Last year's contest: UVa-Wise broke a five-game losing streak with an impressive 40-31 Mid-South Conference victory over Union College at Carl Smith Stadium last October 18. The Cavaliers had dropped five consecutive games after their 41-38 season-opening win at West Liberty State College in W.Va., but on this Saturday rallied behind a solid running game and a two-touchdown performance from freshman quarterback Josh Mabe, who had missed the past three games with an ankle injury. Mabe, running out of a shotgun formation most of the night, completed seven of his 15 passes for 147 yards and two scores. He completed four of those passes to junior receiver Dieontea Stewart for 121 yards. One of those went for a 59-yard score in the third quarter to draw the Cavaliers to within 17-14 with 11:37 on the clock. Just more than two minutes later and after a Union fumble, Mabe took a three-yard keeper into the end zone to give UVa-Wise (2-5 overall, 1-4 MSC) a 21-17 lead. The Cavs bumped their lead to 20-17 when kicker Robert Hammond booted a 33-yard field goal with 5:41 to play in the third frame. The successful field goal was the first for the Cavs since the 2001 season. Hammond later would kick a 43-yarder to put the Cavaliers ahead 40-31. Ra'Shad Morgan became the first Cavalier to rush for more than 100 yards in a game in 2003. He ran for 121 on 15 carries and added a touchdown. Union's Matt Pursel led the Bulldogs with 68 yards on the ground. Joey Waters, who split time with Pursel at quarterback, completed 14 of 19 passes for 145 yards. Waters threw an interception and was sacked once by the Cavs' Michael Hackney. The UVa-Wise offense gained a total 412 yards, while Union picked up 323. The Cavaliers defense forced four Union turnovers. On defense, Kenneth Mitchell made 18 tackles ­ two of those for negative yardage ­ and a fumble recovery. Tim Smith had an interception and broke up a pass, and Haynes Morris broke up two passes.

The Coaches
UVa-Wise: Bruce Wasem is in his third season as the head coach of the Highland Cavaliers. Wasem's career record is 6-15 (.285). Wasem is 4-13 (.235) in Mid-South Conference play. Wasem, who has been with the Cavaliers since their inaugural season in 1991, served as the team's defensive coordinator before taking over the head coaching duties when Bill Ramseyer retired in 2002.

Union College: Bulldogs' leader Tommy Reid begins his fourth season as head coach at Union with tonight's game. Reid has a 7-20 (.259) record over the last three years.

Cavs On the Air: Saturday's UVa-Wise football game with Union can be heard via tape delay at noon Sunday on WAXM 93.5 FM in Norton. The remaining 10 games on the Cavaliers' 2004 schedule will be broadcast live on WAXM. Brian Wills provides all of the play-by-play action along with color commentator Bill Smith.

Quickies
As a freshman, Larry Smith had a career game against Union College two years ago (2002) in Barboursville, Ky. Smith, now a junior, rushed for a career-high 164 yards and two touchdowns in the contest. Union, however, won the game 33-27. ...The last two games between the Cavs and the 'Dogs have produced a ton of offense. UVa-Wise won 40-31 last year, and Union scored a 33-27 victory in '02. Those scores combine for a total of 131 points in two games. The Cavs hold a slight 67-64 edge. ...According to Mid-South Conference coaches, UVa-Wise and Union should match-up pretty well and finish the regular season with similar records. The preseason coaches' poll ranked Union 7th and the Cavaliers 8th.