Complete Game Notes For Portland State vs. Northern Arizona

GAME 6
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-3, 1-1) vs.#18 NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS (4-1, 2-0)
Saturday, October 11, 3:05 p.m. PT, JL Walkup Skydome (15,000), Flagstaff, AZ

TELEVISION: NAU broadcast on DISH Network (Channel 9411) and Fox College Sports
RADIO: AM 910 KTRO and www.am910ktro.com ? Pregame Show: 2 p.m. PT ? Kickoff: 3:05 p.m. PT
Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt ? Analyst: Mike Lund
INTERNET: Live video stream with radio broadcast at www.bigskytv.org.
Live stats are available at naustats.newtier.com/football/xlive.htm

THE SERIES RECORD
All-Time Series: Northern Arizona leads 11-4 ? NAU leads at Portland 6-2 ? NAU leads at Flagstaff 5-2
Big Sky Series: Northern Arizona leads 8-4 ? NAU leads 4-2 in Flagstaff ? NAU leads 4-2 in Portland

STORYLINE
Northern Arizona has long been a nemesis for Portland State, winning 11 of 15 overall and eight of 12 in Big Sky play... however, the last time the Vikings traveled to Flagstaff (2006), they pulled off a 34-26 win. That game was decided in the waning moments when PSU held NAU on a fourth-and-goal situation with 23 seconds left... NAU's Jerome Souers is 6-4 all-time against the Vikings.

LAST YEAR
Portland State went for a two-point conversion - and the win - with six seconds remaining in the game. But the Vikings failed and Northern Arizona came away with an exciting 44-43 victory in PGE Park. It was a thrilling offensive performance on both sides of the ball. Lionel Scott had 172 of the Lumberjacks 296 rushing yards, while the Vikings' Brian White tossed three touchdown passes and threw for 442 yards. Wide receiver Tremayne Kirkland had a brilliant game with 14 catches for 225 yards and a touchdown. Running back Olaniyi Sobomehin had 131 combined rushing and receiving yards and three touchdowns, including the final score on a one-yard pass from White. That set up the anticlimactic (for the Vikings) finish. The teams combined for more than 1,000 yards of offense in the game.

VIKINGS HEAD TO #18-RANKED NORTHERN ARIZONA
Coming off a big win over nationally-ranked Eastern Washington, the Portland State Vikings face another big challenge this week as they travel to 18th-ranked Northern Arizona for a Big Sky Conference game. The Vikings take on the Lumberjacks at JL Walkup Skydome in a 3:05 p.m. game that can be seen on Dish Network, channel 9411.

PSU had an exhilarating - and record-breaking - 47-36 win over the Eagles in PGE Park on Saturday. SO QB Drew Hubel set a school record and came up one yard short of the national record with 623 passing yards. Hubel threw five TD passes, three of which went to JR WR Mario D'Ambrosio - who tied a PSU record with 16 receptions in the game.

Portland State is now 2-3 on the season, 1-1 in the Big Sky Conference, and back in the league title chase. However, the Vikings are 0-3 on the road this season. They will try to avenge a 44-43 loss to the ?Jacks last season in PGE Park. In a game filled with offensive fireworks, the Vikings went for the win in the closing seconds, attempting a two-point conversion after touchdown, but failed.

Northern Arizona has come strong out of the gate in 2008. The Lumberjacks are 4-1 on the season, 2-0 in the Big Sky Conference with wins over Northern Colorado (25-22) on the road, and Sacramento State (42-10) last week at home. The ?Jacks have won four straight games entering this week's play.

It could be another big week of offense, as Northern Arizona leads the Big Sky in rushing offense (192.0) and total offense (453.8). Portland State, of course, leads the nation in passing (409.8). However, the ?Jacks are tops in the league in scoring defense (17.2) and total defense (288.0).

SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS
Northern Arizona Head Coach Jerome Souers is the longest-tenured coach in the Big Sky Conference as he is in his 10th season in Flagstaff. Souers is 59-60 overall. Souers' team has had a great start to the season, and currently rides a four-game winning streak.     

The ?Jacks lead the Big Sky Conference in rushing offense at 192 yards per game. They currently miss the injured Alex Henderson, but Deonte Williams leads the team with 377 yards and four touchdowns rushing.

Quarterback Lance Kriesien is a double threat as he passes and runs equally well. Kriesien has 184 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He has completd 54 of 93 passes for 753 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception.

Wide receiver Ed Berry leads the team with 19 receptions for 316 yards. Curt Sweeney and Conrad Meadows each have 17 catches and two touchdowns this year.

Northern Arizona's defense allows a league-low 288 yards per game. NAU has given up a total of just 57 yards net rushing in five games this year. The pass defense has not been as effective, allowing 276.6 yards per game.

NAU has forced 13 turnovers, while giving up just eight. The ?Jacks also have a league-leading 19 sacks and 48 tackles for loss.

Linebacker Anthony Llanos leads the team with 24 tackles and three sacks. Safety Cyrus Igono has 23 tackles this year. Senior cornerback KJ Gerard leads the team with five pass breakups and four interceptions.

Kicker Robbie Dehaze has had a fine career, and this season is 8-9 on field goals. Dehaze also averages 45.4 yards per punt and has had 12 touchbacks on his kickoffs. Dehaze is third in the nation in punting and sixth in field goals.

PORTLAND STATE VS. NATIONALLY-RANKED TEAMS
Portland State is 14-19 all-time against NCAA I FCS teams that are nationally-ranked (since joining the Big Sky in 1996). The Vikings are 10-7 at home, 4-12 on the road. PSU is 2-2 against nationally-ranked teams under Jerry Glanville with both wins coming against Eastern Washington. PSU is 2-2 all-time against Northern Arizona when the Lumberjacks are nationally ranked.

Northern Arizona is currently ranked 18th in the nation. The Vikings are unranked, but received one vote in the poll. The Vikings should play at least one more nationally-ranked team this year, Montana.

GAME WEEK ACTIVITIES
? Viking Sports Luncheons: Portland State Athletics will host the Viking Sports Luncheon sponsored by West Coast Bank at Old Spaghetti Factory, every Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m. The Old Spaghetti Factory is located at 0715 SW Bancroft in Portland. It is an opportunity to meet Viking players, and coaches Jerry Glanville and Mouse Davis as they break down plays on video from each week's game. Cost is $10.
? Viking Media: All Portland State football games can be heard on AM 910 KTRO and www.am910ktro.com.The Viking Pregame Show begins one hour prior to kickoff each week... Televised games for the 2008 season include Sept. 13 at UC Davis (Comcast Sports Net), Sept. 20 at Washington State (Fox Sports Net), and Nov. 15 at Montana State (Comcast Sports Net). Comcast Sports Net is available on: Comcast Cable Oregon; Verizon FIOS TV (Portland metro area); Scio Cablevision; Ashland TV; Comcast Cable Spokane... Live streaming video of all Portland State games against Big Sky Conference opponents can be seen free at www.BigSkyTV.org. Live stats for Portland State home games are at www.GoViks.com.
? TICKETS: Tickets for all home games can be purchased in prices ranging from $14 to $35, with youth prices as low as $5. Groups of 15 or more get special admission prices. To purchase tickets by phone, call 1.888.VIK.TIKS or 503.725.3307. Tickets are on sale at the PSU Ticket Office, located in Smith Memorial Student Union, 1825 SW Broadway. You can also purchase tickets on-line at www.GoViks.com or at all TicketMaster outlets.

DREW'S DAY
It came as no surprise on Monday when sophomore quarterback Drew Hubel was named The Sport Network's National Offensive Player of the Week and the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Hubel had one of the best day's a collegiate quarterback has ever had, completing 44 of 73 passes for 623 yards and five touchdowns in a 47-36 win over 11th-ranked Eastern Washington.

The 6-5, 205-pound Hubel tied the PSU record for completions in a game and the Big Sky record for attempts in a game. He set a new Portland State record for passing yards and came up one yard short of the national record. He also set a national record for most attempts in a game without an interception.

Amazingly, it is Hubel's second moment in the national spotlight, despite starting just seven games in his career. In 2007, Hubel tied a national record with nine touchdown passes in a 73-68 loss to Weber State. It was the highest scoring regulation game in NCAA history. Hubel threw for 485 yards on 35-56 attempts in that game - also without an interception.

Hubel was remarkably consistent in the win over the Eagles, completing 10-18 for 154 yards and a touchdown in the first period, 12 of 20 for 195 yards and two touchdowns in the second period. That gave him 22-38 for 349 yards and three TDs at halftime - a brilliant full game for any quarterback. In the second half, Hubel was 12-20 for 140 yards in the third period, and 10-15 for 134 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. That gave him second-half numbers of 22-35 for 274 yards and two touchdowns.

Hubel had four different receivers compile at least 100 yards in the game.

Said Hubel, after his amazing day: “We've got great athletes that can move the ball after the catch. You can see that. Every one of my wideouts that caught a ball today made a play after the catch.”

“The o-line was blocking really well, and (fullback) Bobby (McClintock) cleans up whatever they don't get. It's neat when it flows like that. It doesn't get old.”

“I threw the ball nine times (a game) in high school. Here you get to go out every week, move the ball up and down the field and score some points. That's the biggest thing. It's fun to be a part of an offense that is successful and moving the ball.”

It is also worth noting that Hubel's success comes at the hands of offensive mastermind Mouse Davis. The 76-year old Davis, who popularized the Run-and-Shoot Offense as the Portland State head coach from 1975-80 (and inspired the rest of the football world to move to the spread offense), was calling the plays in both instances of Hubel's greatness.

For the season, Hubel has played in four of five games, starting three. He has completed 113-191 for 1,388 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. In 10 career games, Hubel, from Corvallis (OR) High School, has started seven and eclipsed 300 yards five times, 400 yards three times and, of course, 600 yards once. Hubel has thrown for 2,858 yards, 23 TDs and 14 INTs.

Portland State has now had 30 400+ individual passing games in school history. Neil Lomax holds the record with 10 such games. Hubel is tied for second with three 400-yard games. He is one of three players to pass for 500 yards in a game (John Charles, Jimmy Blanchard), and of course, the only Viking to pass for 600 yards in a game.

Joining Hubel's on the Viking star chart against Eastern Washington were JR WR Mario D'Ambrosio and FR CB Deshawn Shead. D'Ambrosio tied a Portland State record with 16 receptions for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Shead had two interceptions and forced a fumble, which led to two PSU touchdowns.

QUICK SNAPS
WINS AND LOSSES
Portland State's 47-36 win over Eastern Washington marked the third straight year the Vikings have beaten the Eagles. Each of the last two years, EWU was nationally-ranked... that means the Vikings are 2-2 against nationally-ranked teams under Jerry Glanville (with losses to Montana and McNeese State). The Vikings will play another nationally-ranked team when they travel to Northern Arizona this week... the win ended a three-game losing streak for PSU... Glanville is now 5-11 in his second season at Portland State, 3-4 at home... Portland State is 46-47 all-time in Big Sky Conference games, and will try to even their mark at Northern Arizona... the Vikings are 4-6 in Big Sky games under Glanville.

GOOD STARTS
Fourteen Vikings got their first career starts against Western Oregon in the season opener. On offense: JR WR Daniel Wolverton, JR WR Aaron Woods, SR WR Ty Coleman, JR OL Matt Leunen, JR C Tyler Staley, SR OL Landan Laurusaitis. On defense: SO DE Travis Beckley, FR DT Josh Manupuna, JR DE Joe Ma'aseia, JR ILB Erik Pedersen, SR CB Reggie Jones, FR CB Deshawn Shead, SO SS Michael Wightman, JR FS Chris Assily... in game two, a 15th Viking made his first start, JR WR Lavonte Kirven... game three saw SO ILB Rory Richards get his first career start in place of injured JR ILB Erik Pedersen... SR FS Aaron Dickson made his first career start at Sacramento State (though he has played in every game over four years)... in game five against Eastern Washington, JR DT Jermaine Jacobs made his first career start... that raises the total of first starts this season to 18... in comparison, 29 Vikings made their first career starts over the course of the 2007 season.

YOUTH SHALL SERVE
With a huge recruiting class and 49 newcomers overall to the 2008 roster, Head Coach Jerry Glanville is playing a lot of new players. He is also playing an unprecedented number of true freshman. In game one, the Vikings had 12 freshmen, including seven true freshmen play. Those numbers have risen to 17 and 11 after five games. Redshirt freshmen who played in game one were: OL Adam Kleffner, OL Jasper Croome, DT Josh Manupuna, OLB Quinn Stewart and CB Deshawn Shead. The true freshmen were: WR Cory McCaffrey, FB Josh Nakamoto, FB Nick Kalpin, LB Eloka Anyaorah, K Robert Truax, LS Braedyn Eagle, OL Dustin Waldron... true freshmen who played in game two were LBs Jordan Beltz and Ryan Rau and FS Cody Worthen... redshirt freshman CB Onu Onu saw his first action in the third game... in the Viking win over Eastern Washington, true FR WR Keith Franklin played for the first time, returning four punts... an example of the youth movement at PSU has six freshman playing on the kickoff team.

INJURY REPORT
FR K Robert Truax suffered a torn ACL at Washington State and is out for the season... SO OLB Jake Fetzer is still out with a bad back and his return is unknown... JR ILB Logan Dose is out indefinitely with a hand injury... JR FS Chris Assily and SR CB Reggie Jones both returned to play against Eastern Washington after missing the game at Sacramento State.

BACK UP ON THIRD DOWN
Perhaps one of the reasons the Vikings beat the Eagles was their change in fortune on third down. Portland State had been simply awful on third down in the two losses prior to facing Eastern Washington. PSU had been 5-27 on offensive conversions, while allowing 16-30 defensive conversions. The Vikings held the Eagles to 1-6 on third downs in the first half, 7-15 for the game. Meanwhile, the Vikings converted 8 of their first 13 third downs, on the way to a 10-21 mark.

RUN-AND-SHOOT NOTES
NATION'S BEST
Between QBs Drew Hubel and Tygue Howland, the Vikings have the top passing offense in the nation, averaging 409.8 yards per game. The tandem has thrown for 2,049 yards, 12 TDs and six interceptions in five games... PSU also led the nation in passing (360.9 ypg) in 2007.

MORE ON DREW
With five 300-yard passing games, SO QB Drew Hubel ranks ninth on PSU's career list of 300-yard passing games. Neil Lomax holds the PSU career record with 28... in those 10 career games (the first two of which were brief mop-up efforts), Hubel has 23 touchdown passes and 2,858 passing yards... Hubel now holds school records for passing yards in a game (623), touchdowns in a game (9), and completions in a game (44, tying Neil Lomax)... he has two of the top six passing games in school history.

WAITING IN THE WINGS
JR QB Tygue Howland started for the Vikings in week one and week four. He has had up and down play, but most recently, had a good performance against Sacramento State. Howland was 27-53 for 394 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. All were career high numbers, but could have been a little better as his receivers had a handful of drops (no pun intended), and Howland missed a few open receivers as well. Howland has played in three games, completing 44-96 passes for 661 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

SUPER MARIO
Somewhat lost in all the Drew Hubel-mania of last Saturday, was the performance of JR WR Mario D'Ambrosio. D'Ambrosio tied a Portland State record with 16 pass receptions for 192 yards and three touchdowns - all career-high numbers. At halftime, he had video game numbers of 11 catches for 110 yards and three TDs... D'Ambrosio leads the Vikings in every receiving category with 39 catches for 484 yards and four touchdowns. He ranks second in the Big Sky in catches and third in receiving yards.

THE VIKINGS 4 X 100 RELAY
In order to have big passing numbers, you have to have a fleet of receivers to throw to, and the Vikings have just that. In addition to D'Ambrosio, JR WR Aaron Woods (8-146-1), SO WR Ray Fry (7-102-0) and JR WR Daniel Wolverton (5-109-0) all had 100-yard games, giving the Vikings four in that category. There is no official documentation available, but it is believed to be the first time a PSU has had four 100-yard receivers in a game.

LITTLE BIG MAN
JR WR Aaron Woods is the smallest player on the team at 5-feet, 6-inches tall, but has been one the Vikings' largest players on offense with 30 receptions for 473 yards and three touchdowns... Woods also leads the team with 15 kick returns for 399 yards (26.6 average)... he has a total of 888 all-purpose yards for an average of 177.6 per game to rank eighth in the nation... Woods now has two 100-yard receiving games... Woods is fourth in catches, sixth in yards and second in kickoff returns in the Big Sky Conference.

THE MARSHFIELD MAULER
JR FB Bobby McClintock, who prepped at Coos Bay's Marshfield High School, has been solid after returning from injury last season. McClintock had 75 rushing and receiving yards in the win over Eastern Washington... with 63 plays from scrimmage this year, McClintock has 371 yards and five touchdowns... McClintock scored four touchdowns in the season-opening win over Western Oregon, getting a combined 116 yards on 22 touches rushing and receiving. The 5-10, 240-pounder carried it 15 times for 48 yards, and caught seven passes for 68 yards. He was named the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. It was his first game since tearing his ACL in the 2007 season-opener at McNeese State... McClintock is a preseason All-Big Sky Conference selection and College Sporting News second team All-American. He was a first team All-Big Sky selection in 2006, and was rated as the fourth-best fullback in the nation by the Sports Network prior to last year.

3-4 NOTES
A GAME OF TAKEAWAY
Portland State's two starting cornerbacks, SR CB Reggie Jones and FR CB Deshawn Shead each rank in the top ten in the nation in interceptions... Shead had two picks and forced a fumble in the win over Eastern Washington. He now has four interceptions and one fumble recovery this season... Jones has three interceptions and two fumble recoveries... Shead's plays were particularly timely. His first interception, late in the first half, led to a PSU touchdown just before halftime. His second interception came in the endzone. And, his forced fumble came in the fourth quarter in PSU territory when the Vikings led by just eight points... as a team, PSU leads the Big Sky Conference with 18 takeaways in five games (nine interceptions and nine fumble recoveries)... through five games, PSU has scored 55 points on those possessions (7 TDs, 2 FGs)... the good news for the Vikings is they have only given up 24 points (3 TDs, 1 FG) off their own 12 turnovers.

NEW LOOKS ON DEFENSE
JR DT Jermaine Jacobs got his first start for the Vikings against Eastern Washington. Jacobs had two tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery... SR SS Aaron Dickson remained in the starting lineup despite the return of the previously injured JR FS Chris Assily. Dickson moved over to replace previous starter SO Michael Wightman... Eastern Washington quarterback Matt Nichols had a big fourth quarter, but the Vikings were otherwise solid on defense, allowing 265 yards through three periods, getting three sacks and forcing five turnovers in the game.

SCHANTZ ON THE BUCK BUCHANAN LIST
SR ILB Andy Schantz, a Buck Buchanan Award candidate and preseason second-team All-American, has team-highs of 41 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and five pass breakups this season. Schantz led the team with 10 tackles against Eastern Washington, marking his fifth double-digit tackle game in 14 starts at Portland State. Schantz also had a tackle for loss and three pass breakups... Schantz has been tabbed as a second-team preseason All-American by The Sports Network - the main news-gathering source and sponsor of post-season awards for NCAA I FCS football - and selected to the Buck Buchanan Award Watch list as one of the top 20 defensive players in the nation.

HI-YA-CKA! NOTES
URREGO-GO
SR K/P Danny Urrego may have had his best performance as a Viking, converting four of five field goals, averaging 43.4 yards on five punts, and making one tackle in the win over Eastern Washington. The four field goals is the most by a Viking since Dan Frantz set a school record with five in the epic 1999 win over Montana... Urrego is 8-13 on field goals this year and averaging 41.7 yards per punt. He is 16-22 overall as a Viking field goal kicker. He has misses from 43, 47, 50 (2) and 52 yards and one field goal blocked from 36 yards in his career... Urrego is tied for eighth all-time at Portland State with 16 field goals... Urrego's 41.8 yard average per punt last year was the best mark by a Viking in seven years, and ranked 18th in the nation. He also made 8-9 field goals and set a new record at Portland State for field goal percentage (.889).    

SEASON HIGHLIGHT REEL
BIG MACK IS BACK
JR FB Bobby McClintock made a triumphant return from injury in the season-opening 31-14 win over Western Oregon (8/30). McClintock scored four touchdowns, getting a combined 116 yards on 22 touches rushing and receiving. The 5-10, 240-pounder carried it 15 times for 48 yards, and caught seven passes for 68 yards. He was named the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. It was his first game since tearing his ACL in the 2007 season-opener at McNeese State.

BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT
SO QB Drew Hubel, who tied a national record with nine touchdown passes and 485-yard passing day in his starting debut in 2007, was at it again the Vikings' 47-36 win over #11 Eastern Washington (10/4). Hubel completed 44 passes in 73 attempts for 623 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. Hubel set a PSU record for passing yards, coming one short of the national record. He also tied the PSU record for completions, tied the Big Sky record for attempts, and set a national record for most attempts without an interception. To no one's surprise, Hubel was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week.    

THE ITALIAN STALLION
JR WR Mario D'Ambrosio tied a Portland State record with 16 pass receptions in the win over Eastern Washington (10/4). He also had career-highs of 192 yards and three touchdowns in the game. D'Ambrosio was one of four Viking receivers to register 100-yard receiving games (Aaron Woods, 8-146-1; Ray Fry 7-102-0; Daniel Wolverton 5-109-0) as Drew Hubel set a school record with 623 passing yards.