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Portland, OR - Portland State's dream season died hard Saturday night.
The Vikings fell victim to three lightning-bolt touchdowns by quick-striking Northern Iowa and went down 29-17 at Providence Park.
The Panthers of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, who were 2-4 early in the season, scored on runs of 59, 61 and 69 yards to move on to the third round of the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision.
The Vikings, one of the best feel-good stories in college football this season, ended the year at 9-3. They will be able to claim a six-game turnaround from last season, two victories over NCAA Division 1 teams, their first victory over a Pac-12 team an an unending stream of national attention for it all.
But it's the Panthers who will move on to the next round of the playoffs next week against North Dakota State.
They can thank Aaron Bailey for the ticket to Fargo. The junior quarterback, who is UNI's leading rusher and passer both, was all over the Vikings all night. He scored on touchdown runs of 61 and 69 yards, ran for 200 yards on 26 carries and delivered in the clutch most of the times his team needed him.
PSU quarterback Alex Kuresa, scrambling all night in the face of a ferocious rush (he was sacked three times) kept the Vikings in the game until the late running with both his arm and legs.
"They were a strong, physical front seven," Viking Coach Bruce Barnum said of Northern Iowa's defense. "and when you go to throw, they have good safeties and corners. They did an outstanding job in the first half in taking out of our offense."
The Vikings never were tied or led in the game, but they shook off a rocky first half to get within six points of the visitors twice.
The first time was on their second drive of the second half. Kuresa led his team on a 68-yard drive with an 11-yard scramble for a critical first down and a 20-yard pass to Thomas Carter III that took the ball into UNI's half of the field.
On yet another third down from the Panther 16, he ducked away from a sack, stepped up in the pocket, and with Panther rushers about to land on him rifled a shot into the end zone to Chase Loftin. With 8:22 left in the third quarter, the Vikings were back in it at 16-10.
The Viking defense, working all night to keep track of Bailey and running back Tyvis Smith, stopped the visitors three straight times to finish out the third quarter, but PSU's luck ran out on the third play of the final quarter. That was Bailey from his own 31, faking a dive to Smith, then pulling the ball out and fleeing 69 yards around the left side for the score and a 23-10 lead.
The Vikings had one bullet left in their chamber, and they fired it on the next drive with a 73-yard march on the ensuing drive. David Jones went around the right side on a draw play to bring the Vikings within 23-17 with 12:11 left in the game.
So there was still hope, but there was still Bailey, too. After the two teams exchanged a punt, the Vikings stacked for Bailey, Smith went 59 yards up the middle on a simple dive for the final points of the game with 8:02 left.
The second of two interceptions by UNI linebacker Brett McMakin killed PSU's last shot.
"I liked how our kids came back and had a shot, but we were always one score back. Kudos and salute to Northern Iowa. They played a heck of a football game," said Barnum.
In the first half, the Panthers took advantage of two critical PSU mistakes in the closing moments of the second quarter to score nine points in the last 2:38 and take a 16-3 lead into the locker room at the half.
UNI was nursing a 7-3 lead late in the first half, but momentum had swung over to the Vikings. PSU had driven from its own 20 yard line to the Panthers' 18 — thanks mostly to Nate Togo's 41-yard burst up the middle — when Paris Penn and David Jones missed connections on a handoff into the middle of the line and the ball squirted free.
Northern Iowa lineman Preston Woods ate it up at the Panther 20 and the PSU drive died with 4:24 left in the half.
Worse than that, though, was that the Panthers struck back quickly for a touchdown. They punched the ball out to their own 39, then Bailey popped into the middle on a quarterback draw. Three Vikings missed tackles and Bailey pulled away for a 61-yard touchdown. PSU got some consolation when Aaron Sibley blocked the extra point to keep the UNI lead at 13-3.
PSU's subsequent drive went nowhere and Marcus Kinsella pinned UNI back on its own 35 yard line with a punt. There was only 1:20 left in the half, but the Panthers made good use of it.
They got to the PSU 32 with just two seconds left until the break. Kicker Michael Schmadeke, who had missed from 30 yards on UNI's opening drive, lined up for a 49-yard field goal. But a Viking mistimed his rush and jumped offside.
That brought Schmadeke five yards closer, and it mattered. His 44-yard field goal just cleared the crossbar, and the Panthers had a 16-3 lead at the half.
Northern Iowa's other touchdown came with 5:47 left in the first quarter, when the Panthers went 66 yards in 11 plays — and a critical pass interference penalty on PSU. Tyvis Smith ended it with a three-yard bolt into the left side.
PSU responded two drives later with their only points of the half. A pass interference penalty and some Kuresa creativity drove the ball from the PSU 38 to the UNI 15, where the drive stalled. Jonathan Gonzales saved the situation with a 32-yard field goal with 13:18 left in the half.
The Panthers rolled up 432 yards of total offense and held Portland State to just 285.
GAME NOTES: Portland State was making its second appearance in the FCS Playoffs in 20 seasons as a member of the Big Sky Conference. UNI was making its 18th appearance in the playoffs… at 9-3, PSU flipped its season from a year ago when it was only 3-9. "What a magical ride to see that group come together like they did," Barnum said of his team. "To flip the attitude and the belief in Portland State football. To see what they built come together so quick just tells you about this team and what a great group of kids this is."
