Nov. 4, 2002
Portland, Ore. - He had been there before, so the chip shot facing Mike Cajal-Willis on the final play of the Top 20 showdown between Portland State and Idaho State last Saturday was easy duty. The senior kicker made the 20-yard field goal as time expired, giving PSU a 27-24 win. For his crucial kick, Cajal-Willis has been named Big Sky Conference co-Player of the Week for Special Teams.
Cajal-Willis shares the honor with Nate Cook of Montana State who kicked a 36-yard field goal to defeat Sacramento State, 31-30. Montana State quarterback Travis Lulay is the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week, and Montana defensive end Tim Bush earned defensive honors.
The game-winning field goal was the third of Cajal-Willis' two-year career. Last season he kicked a 46-yarder with four minutes left to lead PSU to a 16-13 win at Stephen F. Austin, and he kicked a 27-yarder in the final play against Northern Arizona for a 33-30 win. He also earned Big Sky Player of the Week honors for those performances.
Cajal-Willis also had a 22-yard field goal in the second quarter of the win over Idaho State, giving PSU a 10-7 lead at the time. This season, the Viking kicker ranks ninth in the nation in field goals made (1.33 pg). He is now 12-18 this year on field goals, the third-most in school history for a season (Dan Frantz holds the record of 14). Cajal-Willis has hit nine of his last 11.
With the win over Idaho State, Portland State is now 6-3 on the season. If the Vikings can win their final two games of the year (this week at Weber State, next week at Montana State), they will finish second in the Big Sky and be all but guaranteed a berth in the 16-team NCAA 1-AA playoffs beginning on Nov. 30.
VIKINGS MOVE UP TO 13TH IN NCAA 1-AA POLL
The Portland State Vikings, fresh off an exciting, last-second victory over Idaho State, have moved up to 13th in this week's two major polls. PSU defeated then-#19 Idaho State, 27-24, on a Mike Cajal-Willis 20-yard field goal on the game's final play. With the win, PSU moves up from being 14th in last week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, and 15th in The Sports Network Poll.
Portland State (6-3, 3-2) will continue its drive to the playoffs this Saturday on the road. PSU plays at Weber State in a game at noon Pacific Time. The Wildcats are 2-6, 0-5 in the Big Sky. PSU's final game will be at Montana State (4-5, 2-2) on Nov. 16. If the Vikings win those two games, they will be second place in the Big Sky and all but guaranteed an at-large berth in the NCAA 1-AA playoffs which begin Nov. 30.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
This Saturday's game at Weber State can be heard on KFXX 910 AM, KSLM 1390 AM and www.GoViks.com. with Tom Hewitt and Matt James on the call. Air time is 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time for the pregame show, with kickoff at noon.
THE SPORTS NETWORK POLL FOR NCAA 1-AA - NOV. 4
Rk. Team W-L Points LW This Week
1. Montana (95) 9-0 2,591 1 Sacramento State
2. McNeese State (8) 7-1 2,486 2 Southwest Texas
3. Northwestern State 8-1 2,311 3 at Jacksonville State
4. Furman 6-2 2,154 4 Georgia Southern
5. Maine 8-1 2,084 5 Delaware
6. Eastern Illinois 6-2 1,989 6 at Tennessee-Martin
7. Grambling State 8-1 1,878 7 Alabama State
8. Western Illinois 8-1 1,842 8 at Northern Iowa
9. Georgia Southern 7-2 1,788 9 at Furman
10. Bethune-Cookman (1) 9-0 1,698 10 at Hampton
11. Villanova 7-2 1,631 11 at Northeastern
12. Massachusetts 7-2 1,356 13 at New Hampshire
13. Portland State 6-3 1,213 15 at Weber State
14. Appalachian State 6-3 1,193 14 VMI
15. Wofford 7-2 1,010 18 at East Tennessee State
16. Lehigh 7-2 928 16 Colgate
17. Eastern Kentucky 7-3 895 17 Southeast Missouri
18. Northeastern 7-2 773 20 Villanova
19. Western Kentucky 7-3 760 22 OPEN
20. William & Mary 5-3 757 12 Rhode Island
21. Pennsylvania 6-1 434 24 at Princeton
22. Nicholls State 6-3 423 23 at Sam Houston State
23. Idaho State 5-3 331 19 Northern Arizona
24. Florida A&M 7-3 299 NR vs. Troy State
25. Gardner-Webb 7-1 225 NR at Charleston Southern
Dropped Out: No. 21 South Carolina State, No. 25 Illinois State
Others receiving votes (in order of points, minimum of five required): Duquesne, Alcorn State, South Carolina State, Harvard, Alabama A&M, Youngstown State, Southeast Missouri, Towson, Southwest Missouri State, Fordham, Northern Arizona, Illinois State, Dayton, Eastern Washington, Princeton, Northern Iowa, Colgate, Howard, Montana State
