complete notes and stats in pdf

Game 4
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (1-2) vs. CAL POLY MUSTANGS (0-2)
Saturday, September 20, 2014, 6:05 p.m. • Alex G. Spanos Stadium (11,075), San Luis Obispo, CA
 
TELEVISION: None
RADIO: Rip City Radio 620 AM (KPOJ), www.ripcityradio.com
    Pregame Show: 5 p.m. • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Analyst: Mike Lund
INTERNET: Live video stream: www.WatchBigSky.com • Live stats: gopoly.com/sports/fball/2014-15/boxscores/20140920_pr3i.xml
 
THE SERIES RECORD: Vikings vs. Mustangs
All-Time Series: The series is tied 10-10 • PSU leads 6-5 in Portland • CP leads 5-4 in San Luis Obispo
Big Sky Conference Series: Cal Poly leads 2-0 • CP leads 1-0 in San Luis Obispo • CP leads 1-0 in Portland
 
Big Sky Conference games
Oct. 20, 2012: CP 37-25 @ San Luis Obispo
Sept. 26, 2013: CP 38-34 @ Portland
 
LAST MEETING, Sept. 26, 2013: Cal Poly 38, Portland State 34
Trailing by two touchdowns at halftime, 18th-ranked Cal Poly scored 24 straight points in the second half to take control of the game. The Vikings led 21-7 at halftime, but the Mustangs' triple-option offense ran for 297 yards in the second half and controlled time of possession.
     
Cal Poly finished with 518 yards of total offense, including 431 on 79 rushing plays. Kristaan Ivory ran 32 times for 184 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Chris Brown rushed 21 times for 129 yards and a score and passed for two touchdowns.
           
The Vikings gained 487 yards in the game. DJ Adams rushed 25 times for 126 yards. Kieran McDonagh threw for 302 yards and four touchdowns - the most TD passes by a Viking quarterback in five seasons. Victor Dean caught four of those passes for 89 yards and three TDs.
 
FINALLY AN FCS OPPONENT AND A BETTER LOOK AT THE VIKINGS
It's the fourth week of the 2014 season, but it will be the first time that Portland State will play an NCAA I FCS opponent when the Vikings travel to Cal Poly this Saturday. PSU and the Mustangs will meet in a 6:05 p.m. game that will be a non-conference affair despite both teams have Big Sky Conference affiliation.
     
Saturday's game will air on Rip City Radio 620 AM and www.ripcityradio.com. A live video stream will be available at www.WatchBigSky.com.
     
The contest with Cal Poly should be a better barometer on where the Vikings (1-2) are this season. PSU has played and lost at two Pac-12 opponents (Oregon State, Washington State), while beating a Division II opponent (Western Oregon) at home. The Vikings will also try to stop a two-game losing streak to the Mustangs after losing conference matchups each of the last two years.
     
An interesting turn this week will be Portland State matching up against a run-based offense in Cal Poly's triple-option attack. PSU's opening three games were against teams with strong passing offenses, including the nation's top passing game at Washington State. The result has the Vikings allowing 457.0 yards per game through the air, but just 90.0 yards on the ground.
     
Cal Poly will be looking for its first win of the season on Saturday. The 0-2 Mustangs have lost at New Mexico State and South Dakota State. CP averages 242.5 yards per game rushing and just over 100 per game passing.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
PSU has a bye on Sept. 27, then begins Big Sky Conference play at home on Oct. 4 against UC Davis. That game is one of three Big Sky Conference Games of the Week featuring PSU on Root Sports. PSU's home contests with Northern Arizona (Oct. 18) and Eastern Washington (Fri., Nov. 21) will also be televised on Root. The Vikings other Big Sky home game is a Nov. 1 meeting with Idaho State.
     
The UC Davis contest marks the start of three out of five games at home and includes three teams that finished behind the Vikings in last year's Big Sky standings (North Dakota, Idaho State, Weber State). Those five opponents currently have a cumulative record of 5-17 (including 2-1 by Northern Arizona).
 
LAST WEEK: COUGARS AIR IT OUT AGAINST VIKINGS, 59-21
Washington State's Connor Halliday led a record-setting passing attack, throwing for 544 yards with six touchdown passes in a 59-21 win over Portland State in Pullman. In all, the Cougars threw for a Pac-12 record 630 yards and seven TDs in the game.
 
Halliday threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter and WSU built a 28-0 halftime lead. The Vikings bounced back in the third with two quick touchdowns closing it to 28-14, but the Cougars Air Raid offense was too much.
     
Quarterback Kieran McDonagh completed 31-51 passes for 269 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the game. Wide receiver Alex Toureen turned in a career-best effort with seven receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. Kasey Closs added eight catches for 81 yards.
     
Defensive highlights included cornerback Xavier Coleman with six tackles, a sack and three pass breakups. Safety Patrick Onwuasor intercepted a Halliday pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown.
 
SCOUTING CAL POLY
The Cal Poly Mustangs have gotten off to an 0-2 start this season, then had a bye week in preparation for the Vikings. Cal Poly is coached by Tim Walsh, in his sixth season. Walsh was Portland State's Head Coach from 1993-2006 (90-68). Four other Cal Poly assistants played under Walsh at PSU.
     
The Mustangs are known for their triple option offense - a rarity in college football these days. Cal Poly led the nation in rushing last year at 308.8 yards per game. Through two games this year, the Mustangs average 242.5 yards on the ground, rushing 100 times and passing just 28 times.
     
Quarterback Chris Brown has completed 17-25 passes for 204 yards, while rushing 37 times for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Kori Garcia is the leading rusher with 28 carries for 171 yards and a TD.
     
Linebacker Nick Dzubnar leads the defense with 31 tackles this season. Cal Poly has allowed 257.5 rushing yards per game and a total of 408.5 yards of offense to New Mexico State and South Dakota State. So far, the Mustang defense has allowed opponents to convert 15-26 third downs for an excellent 58%. Last year, Cal Poly led the Big Sky in scoring defense (21.6) and rushing defense (128.4).
 
STORYLINES AND CONNECTIONS
• Cal Poly has won the first two meetings between the schools since the Mustangs joined the Big Sky Conference in 2012. The series was renewed after a 13-year hiatus.
• Former Portland State Head Coach Tim Walsh (1993-2006), has been the head coach at Cal Poly since 2009. He compiled a 90-68 record overall at PSU, leading the Vikings to the post-season four times (1993, 1994, 1995, 2000).
• Cal Poly Offensive Coordinator Saga Tuitele was an All-Conference lineman for Portland State (1997-2000), and also coached at Portland State. Mustangs' quarterbacks coach Juston Wood was an All-Conference quarterback for the Vikings (1999-2002). Neil Fendall (1993-96) and Jim Craft (1996-99) also played for Walsh at Portland State. Craft was an assistant coach at PSU for eight years.
• Tim Walsh is 5-0 in the series between PSU and Cal Poly. He was 3-0 with PSU against Cal Poly, and is now 2-0 with Cal Poly against PSU.
• Viking Coach Nigel Burton was an assistant coach under Walsh at Portland State in 2001-02.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE: VIKING QUICK NOTES
 
THE 2014 VIKINGS: A BREAKDOWN
• Portland State has 47 returning letterwinners.
• The Vikings have 14 returning starters, seven on offense, four on defense and three special teams.
• A total of 26 players return that have started games.
• There are 27 redshirts returning.
• 45 players hail from the state of Oregon, 35 are from the Portland metropolitan/SW Washington area, and 62 are from the Pacific Northwest.
 
WINS AND LOSSES:
• Portland State is 1-2 this season, 1-0 at home, 0-2 on the road.
• The Vikings are 11-7 at home since the start of 2011, 6-13 on the road.
• Head Coach Nigel Burton has a 12-10 home record, 7-19 road record, and 19-29 overall record.
• The Vikings have eight winning records in 18 years as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
• PSU is 62-36 in home games since moving to the NCAA I level, 31-74 on the road.
• PSU is 60-79 all-time in Big Sky Conference games in 18 seasons as a member. The Vikings are 37-33 at home, 23-46 on the road in BSC games.
 
RUN OR PASS?: Portland State has been known for its running offense in recent years, using concepts of the Pistol that was developed during Head Coach Nigel Burton's time at the University of Nevada. However, the passing game continues to be a larger part of the Viking scheme as time goes by. For the first time since 2009, PSU is throwing the ball more than it is running. The Vikings have thrown 111 passes through three games (37 per game), while running 95 times (32 per game). PSU has passed 54% of the time... last year, PSU ran the ball 558 times in 923 plays with was a 60/40 run-pass ratio.
 
AN ANSWER FOR THE RUN: A big part of Portland State's loss to Washington State was the Cougars ability to stop the Viking running game. PSU carried the ball 33 times for a total of only 93 yards. It was the first time the Vikings have had fewer than 100 yards in two years, and it was the fewest rushing yards since a 24-carry, 83-yard effort at the University of Washington on Sept. 15, 2012 - 23 games ago.
 
BIG GAMES AGAINST THE COUGARS: These Vikings were highlights in the 59-21 loss at Washington State:
• SR WR Alex Toureen had career-highs of seven receptions and 100 yards, catching a 24-yard touchdown pass from JR QB Kieran McDonagh.
• SR WR Kasey Closs had a season-high eight receptions for 81 yards.
• SR P Kyle Loomis punted a career-high nine times, averaging 48.7 yards. He had five punts of 50 yards or better.
• SO CB Xavier Coleman had six tackles, a sack and three pass breakups.
• JR S Patrick Onwuasor made seven tackles and returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown.
 
PENN ULTIMATE: SO QB Paris Penn has run 18 times for 159 yards this season, an average of 8.9 yards per carry. He averages 7.5 yards on 46 career rushing plays (347 total).
• This season Penn has three TDs on runs of 58, 11 and 48 yards.
• Penn ran for a career-high 112 yards on nine carries at Oregon State.
 
PLAYMAKERS: Portland State has had to face the top two passing offenses in the Pac-12 (Washington State, Oregon) and a powerful passing game in Western Oregon. The result has been a lot of yards allowed (457.0 per game) through the air. However, the Vikings have allowed only 90.0 rushing yards and 3.1 yards per carry to opponents. PSU is also making a number of big plays on defense:
• The Vikings have 23 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 20 pass breakups and have forced six fumbles through three games.
 
HE'S NOT GETTING OLDER, HE'S GETTING BETTER: 2013 consensus 1st team All-American SR P Kyle Loomis is the oldest Viking (he will be 27 on Sept. 30). But the All-American proves he is aging well, averaging 48.1 yards on 19 punts this season. That ranks second-best in the nation. Loomis averaged 46.5 yards per punt last year to lead the nation and set a new PSU record.
 
TURNOVER TALK: Portland State went into 2014 wanting to turn around a turnover issue it dealt with last season. The Vikings had 29 turnovers in 12 games last year and a -8 turnover margin. So far, it hasn't gotten any better as PSU has nine turnovers in the first three games and a -4 turnover margin.
 
YELLOW FEVER: Portland State had a whopping 18 penalties for 146 yards against Western Oregon. That came one week after commiting only three penalties at Oregon State. The Vikings were better against Washington State with six penalties for 49 yards... last year, PSU led the Big Sky in penalties with 109 for 876 yards.
 
KIERAN MAKES THE TOP 10: Last Saturday, JR QB Kieran McDonagh moved into Portland State's top 10 passing lists for yards, touchdowns, completions and total offense. Here is a look:
 
YARDS PASSING
   1.   Neil Lomax, 1977-80 13,220
   2.   Jimmy Blanchard, 1997-00  8,455
   3.   Chris Crawford, 1985-87 7,543
   4.   Terry Summerfield, 1981-85            6,501
   5.   Drew Hubel, 2007-11 6,678
   6.   Tim Von Dulm, 1969-70 5,967
   7.   June Jones, 1975-76 5,798
   8.   Juston Wood, 1999-02 5,653
   9.   John Charles, 1991-92 5,563
10.   Kieran McDonagh, 2012-14            4,610
 
TOUCHDOWN PASSES
   1.   Neil Lomax, 1977-80 106
   2.   Jimmy Blanchard, 1997-00  63
   3.   John Charles, 1991-92 58
   4.   Tim Von Dulm, 1969-70 51
   5.   Chris Crawford, 1985-88 48
   6.   Drew Hubel, 2007-11_ 44
   7.   June Jones, 1975-76_ 41
   8.   Juston Wood, 1999-02 37
   9.   Terry Summerfield, 1981-85            36
10.   Ed Gorman, 1965-68_ 32
         Kyle Allen, 1994-95___ 32
         Kieran McDonagh, 2012-14            32
 
PASS COMPLETIONS
    1.   Neil Lomax, 1977-80 938/1,607
    2.   Jimmy Blanchard, 1997-00  618/1,038
   3.   Chris Crawford, 1985-88 588/954
   4.   Terry Summerfield, 1981-85            527/928
   5.   Drew Hubel, 2007-11 506/897
   6.   Tim Von Dulm, 1969-70 500/924
   7.   Juston Wood, 1999-02 414/724
   8.   June Jones, 1975-76 375/658
   9.   John Charles, 1991-92 340/527
10.   Kieran McDonagh, 2012-14            339/621
 
TOTAL OFFENSE
   1.   Neil Lomax, 1977-80 13,345
   2.   Jimmy Blanchard, 1997-00  8,509
   3.   Chris Crawford, 1985-88 7,258
   4.   Drew Hubel, 2007-11 6,439
   5.   Terry Summerfield, 1981-85            6,046
   6.   Charles Dunn, 1997-00 (RB)           6,007
   7.   Juston Wood, 1999-02 5,681
   8.   June Jones, 1975-76 5,590
   9.   Tim Von Dulm, 1969-70 5,501
10.   Kieran McDonagh, 2012-14            5,406
     
VETERANS: SR RB Shaq Richard has the most playing experience on the Viking team, competing in 35 career games. SR DE Brandon Tobias is second on that list with 33 games played, followed by SR LB Corey Crowder (30) and SR OL Cornelius Edison (29)... players with the most career starts are Edison (26), JR QB Kieran McDonagh (23), JR LS Kameron Canaday (20) and JR CB Aaron Sibley (18).
 
TEAM CAPTAINS: SR C Cornelius Edison and SR DE Brandon Tobias have been named team captains for the 2014 season. Portland State also elects game-by-game captains each week.
 
TASTY, YET INSIGNIFICANT, TIDBITS:
• Portland State has appeared on television locally in Portland 56 times since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996. PSU is 19-37 in those games, 12-11 at home, 7-26 on the road... PSU is 0-2 in televised games this season and will play at least three more.
• Portland State is 29-37-2 all-time in season-opening games.
• The Vikings are 15-4 in home opening games since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996. They are 36-21-1 in home openers since 1958.
• The 57 points scored by the Vikings against Eastern Oregon in last year's season-opening game was the most in a season-opener in the 67-year history of the PSU program.
• With a 45-38 win over Western Oregon, the Vikings are 14-0 against lower division teams since moving to the Big Sky Conference in 1996.
• PSU has played two Big Sky Conference schools in non-conference games in the past two seasons. The Vikings lost at North Dakota, 45-37, in 2012, and won at UC Davis, 41-10, in 2013. PSU will play a non-conference game at Cal Poly on September 20.
• Head Coach Nigel Burton is 3-0 at UC Davis and the Vikings have averaged 43.7 points in those games. The Vikings host UC Davis on October 4.
• The Vikings' 14-10 win against North Dakota were the fewest points in a win since PSU beat Sacramento State, 13-7, on Nov. 11, 2006. PSU plays at UND on October 11.
• The 2007 meeting between Portland State and Weber State is the highest-scoring Division I regulation football game in college history with Weber State winning, 73-68. Amazingly, that was NOT the most points by either team in the series. Weber State earned a 74-6 win in 1965. A Mouse Davis-coached Portland State team won 75-0 in 1980. A 65-43 win by the Vikings in 2001 was the highest-scoring game in PSU history by two teams, combined, until the 2007 contest. PSU plays at Weber State on Oct. 25.
• PSU has averaged 422.7 rushing yards and 52.2 points per game over its last three meetings with Idaho State. The Vikings face ISU on November 1 in Portland.
• Portland State is 4-1 all-time in Thursday games. The Vikings have one Friday game this year, November 21 vs. Eastern Washington.
• PSU has won the Dam Cup - a multi-sport competition with Eastern Washington - in three of the four years of the existence of the competition.