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Game 3
UC DAVIS AGGIES (1-1) vs. PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (0-2)
Saturday, September 16, 2 p.m. • Providence Park (18,627), Portland, OR
Complete notes and stats in pdf

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TV: Eleven Sports (DirecTV channel 623) • Play-by-play: Bill Doleman • Analyst: MIke Kramer
RADIO: Rip City Radio 620 AM, www.ripcityradio.com • Pregame Show: 1 p.m. • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Analyst: Mike Lund
INTERNET: Live video stream: Pluto TV Channel 232 (www.pluto.tv) • Live stats: www.ViksLive.com
 
THE SERIES RECORD: VIKINGS vs. AGGIES
All-Time Series: Portland State leads 11-4 • PSU leads 6-2 in Portland •PSU leads 5-2 in Davis
Big Sky Conference Series: PSU leads 3-0 • PSU leads 2-0 in Davis • PSU leads 1-0 in Portland
 
Sept. 14, 1974: UCD 50-21 @ Davis
Nov. 15, 1975: PSU 32-21 @ Portland
Nov. 21, 1992: PSU 42-28 @ Portland*
Oct. 7, 1995: PSU 40-13 @ Portland
Oct. 12, 1996: PSU 32-27 @ Portland
Nov. 20, 2004: PSU 38-21 @ Portland
Sept. 10, 2005: PSU 14-12 @ Davis
Sept. 8, 2007: UCD 26-17 @ Portland
Sept. 13, 2008: UCD 38-24 @ Davis
Oct. 24, 2009: UCD 34-31 @ Portland
Sept. 11, 2010: PSU 41-33 @ Davis
 
Big Sky Conference games
Sept. 27, 2012: PSU 49-21 @ Davis
Sept. 21, 2013: PSU 41-10 @ Davis (NC)
Oct. 4, 2014: PSU 23-14 @ Portland
Nov. 5, 2016: PSU 51-29 @ Davis
 
*NCAA II playoff game
(NC) played as non-conference game
 
VIKINGS HOST HOME OPENER AGAINST UC DAVIS
Portland State finally gets to come home for a season opener as the Vikings host UC Davis at Providence Park. The game kicks off a 2 p.m. this Saturday and will be televised by Eleven Sports. Though both teams are members of the Big Sky Conference it will be played as a non-conference game.
     
PSU, which has played well in its first two games but come away empty, seeks its first win. The Vikings lost 20-6 at BYU and 35-32 at Oregon State before getting last Saturday off. The extra week of preparation may help as Portland State tries to refine an offense that looked potent at OSU and a defense that has had back-to-back solid performances.
     
The Aggies are 1-1 going into this week's game. UCD defeated the University of San Diego 35-7 in its home opener last week. The Aggies lost their season-opener 38-17 at San Diego State.
     
Portland State has won five in a row against UC Davis dating back to 2010. Last year, the Vikings rolled to a 51-29 victory in Davis. Of those five wins, only one of the games was played in Portland. PSU leads the all-time series, 11-4.
     
Saturday's game is the first of two in a row at home for Portland State. The Vikings will get another bye on Sept. 23 (due to opening the season on zero week), then host Montana on Sept. 30. That game will be played at Hillsboro Stadium due to a scheduling conflict with the Portland Thorns soccer club at Providence Park.
     
In addition to being televised on Eleven Sports, Saturday's game can also be viewed via live stream on Pluto TV channel 232 (www.pluto.tv). The game airs on Rip City Radio 620 AM and www.ripcityradio.com. Live stats are available at www.ViksLive.com.
 
GAME WEEK ACTIVITIES
VIKINGS ON THE RADIO: All Portland State football games can be heard on Rip City Radio 620 AM and www.ripcityradio.com. The Viking Pre-Game Show begins one hour prior to kickoff each week... Tom Hewitt (play-by-play) and Mike Lund (analyst) call the action.
 
VIKINGS ON THE INTERNET: Live streaming video of all Portland State home and Big Sky Conference games can be seen free at a link on www.GoViks.com/Live... Live stats for Portland State home games are at www.ViksLive.com.
 
VIKING FOOTBALL LUNCHEONS: Portland State Athletics will host five football luncheons at the Old Spaghetti Factory this season (Sept. 1, Sept. 29, Oct. 13, Oct. 27 and Nov. 10), located at 0715 SW Bancroft. Coach Barnum and Viking players will speak and be available for questions. The luncheon starts at noon and is open to the public and costs $14.
 
BRUCE BARNUM ON THE RADIO: Viking football Coach Bruce Barnum can be heard every Wednesday afternoon on Rip City Radio 620 AM. Barnum joins Travis Demers and Chad Doing as he reviews and previews Viking football games.
 
TICKETS: Single-game tickets range from $15 to $30. Student tickets are $10 each. Kids 14 and under are $5. Portland State Students tickets are FREE with valid ID. Visit www.GoViks.com of call 1-888-VIK-TIKS for all details and pricing.

STORYLINES
• UC Davis is a football-only member of the Big Sky Conference.
• This year's game is considered a non-conference matchup and does not count in the Big Sky standings.
• Dan Hawkins took over as Head Coach at UC Davis in 2017. Hawkins was previously a head coach at Willamette, Boise State and Colorado.
• UCD Wide receiver Keelan Doss was named All-Big Sky Conference last season.
• Portland State and UC Davis have played 15 times previously, 10 times since 2004. PSU has won five in a row in the series, with four of those games at Aggie Stadium.
 
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
UC Davis comes into this week's game with a 1-1 record. First-year Head Coach Dan Hawkins led the Aggies to a 35-7 win over San Diego last week. Quarterback Jake Maier threw for 369 yards and three touchdowns in that game while the UCD offense totaled 518 yards.
     
Through two games, Maier has 627 passing yards and five touchdowns, but has also thrown three interceptions. Wide receiver Keelan Doss has 12 receptions for 281 yards and two touchdowns.
     
UC Davis has committed five total turnovers while forcing two through two games.
     
Defensively, the Aggies are giving up 405.5 yards per game, including 193.0 on the ground. They have allowed 22.5 points per game. Safety Vincent White leads the team with 16 tackles.
     
The Aggies were 3-8 last season, 2-6 in the Big Sky Conference. That included a home loss to the Vikings, 51-29.
 
LAST MEETING, Nov. 5, 2016: Portland State 51, UC Davis 29
Portland State gained over 600 yards of offense, forced three turnovers on defense and had little trouble dispatching of the Aggies in Davis.
     
The Vikings scored on their first eight possessions and led 51-16 before UC Davis added two late touchdowns.
     
Quarterback Alex Kuresa completed 16-20 passes for a career-high 384 yards. Big plays were a huge factor as Kuresa and Josh Kraght combined to complete six passes of 34 yards or longer.
     
Paris Penn scored three touchdowns, two on the ground and one on a 34-yard pass from Kuresa.
     
Kicker Jonathan Gonzales added three field goals.
 
ON THIS DATE: Sept. 16, 1999
Portland State defeated Eastern Washington, 48-39, in Providence Park (then Civic Stadium) in a Thursday night game televised on Fox Sports Net. The game featured the longest play in Portland State history; a 99-yard touchdown pass from Jimmy Blanchard to Terry Charles. The Vikings are 4-4 all-time in games played on Sept. 16.
 
THE VIKINGS ON TELEVISION
PSU is scheduled to have six games televised this season (ESPN, Pac-12 Network, Root (2), Eleven Sports (2)). That ranks as the second-most games available locally in school history (there were nine in 2012). PSU is 22-42 all-time on television since joining Division I (1996). The Vikings are 14-15 at home and 8-27 on the road.
     
This week's game is televised on the Eleven Sports Network. Eleven Sports Network is available on DirecTV channel 623. It is also available on AT&T Uverse (Channel 1665), Verizon FiOS (Channel 597) and Google Fiber (Channel 251).
 
WHAT TO MAKE OF THE VIKINGS AFTER TWO GAMES
Figuring out just where the Portland State Vikings stand in 2017 is a tricky proposition.
     
Sure, the Vikings played up both games against FBS opponents, at BYU and at Oregon State, and came away 0-2, and winning is what it is all about. The record doesn't sound good, but wins against FBS opponents are not expected and the play on the field has revealed an extremely competitive team.
     
On Aug. 26, PSU took BYU to the fourth quarter with the game still in doubt, trailing 14-6, before losing 20-6. And, the Vikings had an upset brewing in Corvallis on Sept. 2 at Oregon State. PSU led 32-28 with 2:43 to go. After giving up a late touchdown, the Vikings still had a shot to extend the game. They drove into OSU territory and attempted a 46-yard field goal on the final play. That kick peeled just a few feet wide right and the Vikings lost 35-32.
     
The Vikings now face nine straight Big Sky Conference opponents. The true measure of who they are as a team probably doesn't come until this week when they play UC Davis (a Big Sky school, but counting as a non-conference game) and then Montana on Sept. 30 (in a Big Sky Conference opener). Meanwhile, this is what we've learned:
• The Viking defense is vastly improved over 2016: PSU held both FBS opponents under 400 yards of offense. BYU totaled 365 yards and 20 points. Oregon State had 389 yards and 35 points (though seven came on an interception return for touchdown). PSU forced five three-and-outs against the Beavers (one resulted in a missed 51-yard field goal). BYU and OSU combined to go just 7-23 on third downs (30%) and 0-1 on fourth downs against the Vikings. The Vikings gave up 478 yards per game last year against ALL opponents. This year they have given up 377 yards per game against two FBS opponents.
• The revamped running game looks just fine: Portland State rushed 54 times for 291 yards against Oregon State. It was an impressive performance, led by a 106-yard game from SR RB Za'Quan Summers. FR QB Jalani Eason had 11 rushes for 95 yards and two touchdowns. FR RB Jason Talley carried nine times for 54 yards. SR WR/QB Josh Kraght had eight carries for 50 yards and a touchdown. In two games, Summers leads the team with 161 rushing yards.
• The young players are talented: Head Coach Bruce Barnum had 10 true freshmen on his travel roster, with eight of them playing, while redshirt freshmen and sophomores have all played big roles as well. In all, 25 freshmen and sophomores played against BYU and OSU. Notably, true FR QB Jalani Eason started the first two games and played well. Eason is 27-54 passing for 298 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also has 20 rushes for 104 yards and two scores. FR P Hayden Cowden has averaged 47.7 yards per punt in the first two games and earned Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week in his first game.
• But the old guys have been great leaders: All four senior team captains have made significant contributions through two games. SR WR/QB Josh Kraght scored three touchdowns against Oregon State and took over at quarterback in the fourth quarter when Eason was injured. He scored a go-ahead rushing touchdown with 2:43 remaining in the game. SR WR Darnell Adams has five receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown through two games. SR LB Beau Duronslet had an interception and a fumble recovery at Oregon State, with both leading to Viking touchdowns. Duronslet has made a team-high 19 tackles. SR DE Davond Dade has made seven tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and forced a fumble.
• SO TE Charlie Taumoepeau is going to be a major offensive weapon: Taumoepeau has 10 catches for 125 yards in two games. Most important, all 10 catches have gone for first downs, with four coming on third-down plays and one on a fourth-down play.
• Portland State fears no opponent: The Vikings gave themselves chances to win in the fourth quarter of both games. PSU controlled the line of scrimmage at Oregon State, out-gaining the Beavers, 515-389. PSU had a 28-18 first-down advantage and controlled time of possession with 36:22 to 23:38.
• There are areas that need to be fixed: The Vikings have committed four turnovers in two games, probably twice as many as the coaching staff would comfortably live with. The kicking game needs to be solved. PSU is 0-3 on extra points, 0-1 on field goals and needs to find confidence in its kicking game among three freshman candidates.
 
BEAU DURONSLET NAMED BIG SKY DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Portland State senior linebacker Beau Duronslet was named the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week following his performance in a 35-32 loss at Oregon State on Sept. 2.
     
Duronslet, from Portland's Central Catholic High School, made eight tackles in the game. He also intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble in the third quarter against the Beavers. Both takeaways led to touchdowns by the Viking offense.
     
For the season, Duronslet has a team-high 19 tackles. He is also the Vikings' active career leader in tackles with 204. Duronslet now has five takeaways in his career as well.
     
He is the second Viking in as many weeks to win Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week. Davond Dade won the honor last week after the game at BYU.
 
QUICK SNAPS
 
IT'S ABOUT THE WINS: Portland State went 9-2 in the regular season in 2015. Since that time, the Vikings are 3-11. Included was an NCAA playoff loss, four losses to FBS opponents, an overtime loss, and four losses by a touchdown or less.
 
18 IS THE NEW 28: Portland State Head Coach Bruce Barnum named true freshman Jalani Eason his starting quarterback on Aug. 18. He is the second true freshman to earn the starting nod under Barnum (the other was Kieran McDonough in 2012 when Barnum was offensive coordinator). Barnum pointed to the poise and maturity his 18-year old signal caller had shown throughout camp. That has proved out so far against formidable competition (BYU and OSU on national TV). Eason is 27-54 passing for 298 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also has 20 carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
 
SOME THINGS HAVEN'T CHANGED: Although Portland State has installed a new signal caller for 2017 in FR Jalani Eason, the Vikings continue to employ a number of quarterbacks. Considering SR Josh Kraght plays a dual role as a quarterback and a slot receiver, the Vikings frequently have two QBs on the field. And with RS FR Davis Alexander and SO Cade Smith both getting snaps at Oregon State, the Vikings had four different quarterbacks behind center during the game. That foursome combined to throw for 224 yards and run for another 154 yards.
 
TRUE FRESHMEN FEATURED ON 2017 VIKINGS: A total of 10 true freshmen made the travel squad for the first two games. Included were QB Jalani Eason, RB Antwone Williams, LB Dylan Hanley, LB Tanner Sallee, S Anthony Adams, S Ryan Swanson, TE AJ Ruffin, RB Jason Talley, K Noah Brosio and P Hayden Cowden... Eason, Williams, Ruffin, Talley, Brosio, Hanley and Cowden have all played in the first two games... another true freshman who is expected to play against UC Davis is DT Semise Kofe.
• In all, PSU has played 25 underclassmen (true freshmen, redshirt freshmen, sophomores).
• Last season, Portland State played six true freshman on defense, in part due to numerous injuries. DE Kenton Bartlett, DT Anthony Del Toro, DT Sione Taumoe'anga, CB Montre Brown, LB Devin Thompson and DE Mason Vega all played... the Vikings also played true freshmen TE Charlie Taumoepeau and LS Riley Shackelford (who handled every special teams snap).
 
DEFENSE HAS MADE GREAT STRIDES: Portland State's defense has been impressive through two games. The Vikings allowed only 20 points and 365 yards to BYU, then 35 points (though seven came on an interception return) and 389 yards to Oregon State. That is an average of 377 yards and 27.5 points per game against two FBS programs. Last year PSU gave up 39.5 points and 478 yards per game against all opponents.
• SR LB Beau Duronslet has a team-high 19 tackles. Duronslet is the Vikings' active career leader in tackles with 204.  With an interception and a fumble recovery (both leading to Viking scores) against OSU, Duronslet now has five takeaways in his career. He was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week for Sept. 2.
• JR S Artuz Manning had a game-high 10 tackles and a forced fumble at Oregon State.
• SR DE Davond Dade made four tackles, with two for losses, including a sack, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry against BYU, earning Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors.
• The Vikings have seven pass breakups, including three each by SR CBs Chris Seisay and Donovan Olumba.
 
JUST CALL HIM MR. FIRST DOWN: SO TE Charlie Taumoepeau is the Vikings' leading receiver this season with 10 catches for 152 yards.
• Taumoepeau had career-highs of six receptions for 73 yards at BYU.
• All 10 of his receptions have been good for first downs. Four of those were third-down plays, and one was a fourth-down play.
 
OLD MAN RIVER KEEPS ON FLOWING: Head Coach Bruce Barnum likes to call SR WR Darnell Adams "Old Man River." Why? Well, Adams is in his sixth season at Portland State, and will turn 24 years old on Nov. 15. In the off-season Adams was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA due to losing two seasons to injury (2013 - knee; 2016 - foot).
• Adams has five catches for 52 yards and a touchdown this season.
• He is PSU's career leader in receiving with 60 catches for 915 yards and eight touchdowns in 36 career games played.
 
THE NATION'S BEST PUNTING AND COVERAGE: Through two games, FR P Hayden Cowden leads not only the Big Sky Conference, but also the nation, in punting average at 47.7 yards per boot. In addition, the Vikings have allowed -5 punt return yards. Due to touchbacks, the Vikings' net punting is 41.6, which ranks 10th in the nation.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES:
• Portland State started three freshmen on special teams with P Hayden Cowden, PK Noah Brosio and KO Thomas Ciobanasiu. FR K Graycen Kennedy played at Oregon State, attempting a 46-yard game-tying field goal with three seconds left. It was wide right by only a few feet.
• Cowden has averaged 47.7 yards on nine punts. He had a 70-yarder against BYU and was named Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.
• SR WR/KR Kahlil Dawson now ranks fifth all-time in kick return yards at Portland State with 1,147.
 
RUN, PASS, CATCH - JOSH KRAGHT DOING JOSH KRAGHT THINGS: SR WR/QB/PR Josh Kraght began his Portland State career as a quarterback, earning three starts at the position as a freshman. However, the past two seasons he has played slot receiver and punt returner while remaining a backup QB. Kraght has played slot receiver again this year but was pressed into duty at quarterback in the fourth quarter against Oregon State after FR QB Jalani Eason went down with injury. Kraght nearly led the Vikings to a win, scoring a go-ahead touchdown with 2:43 remaining on a five-yard run. For the game, he had three receptions for 82 yards and touchdowns of 42 and 37 yards. He added eight carries for 50 yards and a TD. And, he completed 4-9 passes for 59 yards. That's a total of 191 yards and three TDs.
• In 2016, Kraght led the team with 36 receptions for 518 yards and a touchdown. He had eight rushing plays for 47 yards and a touchdown, 11 punt returns for 64 yards, and completed 3-5 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown... for his career, Kraght has been a quadruple threat:
• He has completed 57-113 passes for 705 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
• Kraght has rushed 61 times for 328 yards and four touchdowns.
• Kraght has 57 career receptions for 851 yards and four touchdowns.
• He has 28 punt returns for 153 yards.
• In total, he has accounted for 2,037 yards and 11 touchdowns.
 
VETERANS: Among Portland State's returning players, here are the most experienced:
• Most games played: SR WR/QB Josh Kraght, 37; SR FS Beau Duronslet, 37; SR WR Darnell Adams, 36; SR DE Davond Dade, 32, SR DT William Dawson, 30; SR WR Kahlil Dawson, 30.
• Most career starts: SR FS Beau Duronslet, 25; SR LT Randin Crecelius, 22; SR WR/QB Josh Kraght, 15; SR WR Trent Riley, 15; SR OL Chad Bach, 15; SR WR Darnell Adams, 15.
• Consecutive starts: SR LT Randin Crecelius, 17; SO DT Anthony Del Toro, 13; SR S Tyler Foreman, 13; SO LS Riley Shackelford, 13
 
ROSTER BREAKDOWN: On Portland State's current 92-player roster, there are 23 seniors, 14 juniors, 12 sophomores and 43 freshmen (30 true, 13 redshirt)... Portland State has 40 players on the roster from the state of Oregon.