complete game notes and stats in pdf

GAME 3
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (1-1) vs. #5 OREGON DUCKS (2-0)
Saturday, September 18, 2010, 3:15 p.m. Autzen Stadium (54,000), Eugene, OR

TELEVISION: Comcast Sports Net (channel 37/HD 737 in Portland)
Play-by-play: Joe Giansante • Analysts: Anthony Newman, Joey Harrington
Replays: Sept 18, 11:00 p.m.; Sept 19, 6:30 p.m.; Sept 24, 7:30 p.m.
RADIO: 970 AM KXFD, www.970.am
Pregame Show: 2 p.m. • Kickoff: 3:15 p.m. • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Analyst: Mike Lund
INTERNET: Live stats are available at www.goducks.com

THE SERIES RECORD
All-Time Series: Oregon leads 3-0 • UO leads 3-0 in Eugene
Sept. 3, 1994: UO 58-16 @ Eugene
Sept. 21, 2002: UO 41-0 @ Eugene
Oct. 28, 2006: UO 55-12 @ Eugene

STREAKS
• Oregon has won three straight games in the series.
• The Ducks have won 18 in a row at home.
• Viking SR WR Ray Fry has caught a pass in each of his last 19 games.
• Viking SO K Zach Brown has made 21 of his last 24 FGs - the three misses were from 50+.
• DT Travis Beckley and CB DeShawn Shead have made 24 straight starts. Beckley and TE Rory Richards have played in 35 straight games.

STORYLINES
• The meeting with Oregon will be the fourth in history between the in-state schools, and the third in the last eight years.
• The Ducks hold a convincing 3-0 series lead, having won games by 41, 42, and 43 points.
• The Vikings are 0-9 all-time against Pac-10 programs (0-3 vs. Oregon, 0-3 vs. Oregon State, 0-1 vs. Washington State, 0-1 vs. California, 0-1 vs. Arizona State). PSU lost at Arizona State 54-9 on Sept. 4.
• Portland State is 2-26 all-time against NCAA I FBS teams.  The wins have come against Hawai'i (45-20 in 2000) and New Mexico (17-6 in 2006).
• UO Tight Ends/Special Teams Coach Tom Osborne coached at Portland State under Pokey Allen from 1986-92.

MATCHUP WITH DUCKS GETS VIKINGS FULL ATTENTION
Coming off a rousing 41-33 victory over UC Davis, the Portland State Vikings will have little time to celebrate. Why? Ahead on the schedule lies fifth-ranked FBS University of Oregon in Eugene. The Vikings (1-1) and Ducks (2-0) square off at Autzen Stadium this Saturday in a 3:15 p.m. game.

The contest can be seen on Comcast Sports Net in the Portland area (channel 37/HD 737)and select locations around the state. PSU's radio broadcast begins at 2 p.m. with the pregame show on Freedom 970 AM.

First-year Head Coach Nigel Burton picked up his first career win over a talented Aggie team last Saturday in Davis. Both the offense (435 yards) and the defense (331 yards allowed, four forced turnovers) played well. And, kicker Zach Brown was - well - Zach Brown, with four field goals made, three extra points and a two-point conversion on an option play for good measure. UCD was the 2009 Great West Football Conference champion and has been picked to win the league again this year.

Still, that means little heading into a game with one of the nation's top collegiate programs. The Vikings have met Oregon three times previously - all losses - with the most recent game (2006) being a 55-12 loss.

Portland State has played nationally-ranked FBS teams before, but the fifth-ranked Ducks will be the highest-ranked opponent from that level the Vikings have ever played. UO was ranked ninth (the previous highest-ranked opponent) when it played PSU in 2002 and 25th in 2006.

After the Oregon game, Portland State will have a bye to get ready for conference play.The Vikings open at home on Oct. 2 against Idaho State in a Big Sky Conference matchup. They will play eight straight Big Sky games through late November to round out the regular season.
   
SCOUTING OREGON
Oregon comes into the game ranked fifth in the nation with convincing wins over New Mexico (72-0) at home, and Tennessee (48-13) on the road. Last year's team went 10-3 overall, losing in the Rose Bowl to Ohio State. The Ducks were 8-1 in the Pac-10, winning the league title.

A powerhouse spread offense has produced 120 points in two games for the Ducks. Oregon is averaging 583.5 yards per game on offense and allowing just 220.0 yards on defense.

Oregon is second in the nation in total offense and scoring (60.0 ppg).

The Ducks average 307 yards rushing per game with Kenjon Barner (173 yards), Remene Alston (150 yards) and LaMichael James (134 yards) all making big contributions.

First-year starter Darron Thomas has thrown for 422 yards and four scores at quarterback. Jeff Maehl has been his top receiver (10-141) while 13 Ducks have already caught passes.

Remarkably, between Barner and Cliff Harris, the Ducks have returned three punts for touchdowns in two games. Oregon leads the nation in punt returning (43.6). Harris also has an interception return for touchdown.

Free safety John Boyett has a team-high 12 tackles through two games. Bryson Littlejohn has recovered two fumbles as the Ducks have forced six turnovers. Linebacker Casey Matthews has two of those turnovers as well with an interception and fumble recovery.

THE VIKINGS VS. NCAA FBS TEAMS
Portland State is 2-26 all-time against teams from the NCAA FBS level. PSU is 0-9 against teams from the Pac-10, including a 54-9 loss at Arizona State on Sept. 4: (0-3 vs. Oregon, 0-3 vs. Oregon State, 0-1 vs. Washington State, 0-1 vs. California, 0-1 vs. Arizona State). The Vikings have wins over Hawai'i of the WAC (2000) and New Mexico of the Mountain West Conference (2006).

CROWD WATCH
Normally, if Portland State were to travel 1,000 or so fans to a road game, that would be a big deal. Unfortunately, it won't be when they make the two-hour drive south on Interstate 5 to Eugene this Saturday. The reason? There will be nearly 60,000 fans rooting for the Ducks. Saturday's game figures to be one of the top attended in Portland State history. Here is a look at the top attended road games - all of which have come in the past 10 seasons.

Attendance    Home Team    Year    Score
    61,082    California              2006    L, 16-42
    57,493    Oregon                 2006    L, 12-55
    56,066    Oregon                 2002    L, 0-41
    53,110    San Diego State   2007    L, 17-52
    50,000    Hawai'i                 2000    W, 45-20
    43,238    Arizona State       2010    L, 9-54
    42,662    Fresno State        2004    L, 17-27
    42,263    Oregon State       2005    L, 14-41
    41,679    Oregon State       2009    L, 7-34
    39,805    Fresno State        2003    L, 16-42

BROWN EARNS SECOND STRAIGHT PLAYER OF THE WEEK, LEADS THE NATION IN FIELD GOAL KICKING
For the second week in a row, Portland State kicker Zach Brown has been named the Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. Brown kicked four field goals, three extra points and ran in a two-point conversion on an option play in a 41-33 win at UC Davis last Saturday.

Brown was also Big Sky Special Teams POTW last week after a three-field goal performance against Arizona State.

This season, the sophomore from Keizer's McNary High School has converted seven of eight field goals. His only miss was a 53-yarder at UC Davis. He made a 53-yarder at Arizona State.

Brown leads all of NCAA Division I football in field goals with seven made and a 3.5 per game average. He is also third in the nation in scoring at 13.0 points per game.

Brown, a 6-1, 180-pounder, has made 21 of his last 24 field goals dating to last season, with all three misses from 52+ yards. In his 13-game Portland State career he has been the Big Sky's Special Teams Player of the Week four times.

With 25 field goals made in his career, Brown already ranks sixth in PSU history. Heading into the season, Brown was named to the Big Sky Conference preseason All-Conference team and named second team preseason All-America by The Sports Network.

GAME WEEK ACTIVITIES
VIKING MEDIA: All Portland State football games can be heard on Freedom 970 AM and www.970.am. The Viking Pregame Show begins one hour prior to kickoff each week... Live streaming video of all Portland State home and Big Sky Conference games can be seen free at www.b2tv.com. Live stats for Portland State home games are at www.GoViks.com.
NIGEL BURTON WEEKLY ON 95.5 THE GAME: Viking football Coach Nigel Burton can be heard every Monday at 2 p.m. on 95.5 FM The Game. Burton will review and preview Viking football games.
TICKETS: Tickets for all home games can be purchased in prices ranging from $12 to $35, with youth prices as low as $6. 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. 

FACT, FIGURES AND CURIOSITIES
WINS AND LOSSES: Last week's win at UC Davis was satisfying in many ways. The Vikings handed Nigel Burton his first career win, ended a three-game losing streak to UC Davis, a three-game road losing streak and a six-game overall losing streak... PSU is now 7-4 all-time against UC Davis and 26-14 all-time against current members of the Great West Football Conference.

50-50 PROPOSITION: After two weeks of football all nine Big Sky Conference teams are 1-1 on the season. The big surprise was a 35-33 upset of former #1 Montana by Cal Poly... Weber State beat Northern Colorado, 50-47, in quadruple overtime in the first conference game of the year.

DNP = A-OK: SO P Thomas Duyndam did not play against UC Davis - and that's a good thing. The Vikings never punted as they produced eight scoring drives, had three turnovers, and ran out the clock to end the game... UCD only punted once - in the second half - as the Vikings forced four turnovers and the Aggies had six scores.

IT'S ABOUT TIME: The Viking program hopes to up its productivity after some lean seasons. They have already made strides early this year. PSU's 41 points scored against UC Davis were the most in the last 19 games since a 47-36 win over Eastern Washington in 2008... JR RB Cory McCaffrey's 116 rushing yards were the most by a Viking since Olaniyi Sobomehin rushed for 143 yards in a win over Idaho State in 2007.

KAVANAUGH TAKES THE HELM OF THE VIKING SHIP: JR QB Connor Kavanaugh had his best outing in his fourth career start, throwing for a career-high 178 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 56 yards. Kav now has 388 yards of total offense in two games... the junior from Lincoln (OR) High School won a three-way battle for the starting role during preseason camp between he and SR QBs Tygue Howland and Drew Hubel... Hubel is the most experienced Viking quarterback with 24 games played and 20 starts but has not played yet this year. He has thrown for 6,358 yards and 42 touchdowns in his career. Hubel is coming back from off-season surgery on his knee following an injury last season... Howland missed all of last season with a knee injury. He played in the second half against Arizona State and has been the Vikings' holder on kicks the first two games... Howland was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA last spring due to missing most of three previous seasons due to injury.

BACK WHERE HE BELONGS: JR RB Cory McCaffrey was in familiar territory against UC Davis: triple digits. The Vikings' starting back rushed 15 times for 116 yards and a 40-yard touchdown run to produce his first collegiate 100-yard game. In high school, McCaffrey rushed for triple digits in every game but one over three seasons... his total was impressive against UC Davis considering he had three carries for -1 yards at halftime... McCaffrey has made the move from wide receiver to running back this year and has started the first two games, totaling 158 yards rushing and receiving... the move to running back was not unusual when you look at McCaffrey's background. In three seasons at Sisters (OR) High School, he rushed for 8,460 yards.  As a senior in 2007, he rambled for a state record 2,925 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns. McCaffrey was a two-time state Player of the Year at the 4A level. But, when he came to PSU in 2008, former coach Jerry Glanville moved him to slot receiver. He didn't see much action, playing briefly in 10 games over the last two seasons. McCaffrey had three total receptions. When Nigel Burton was hired last December, one of his first moves with the existing team was to return McCaffrey to the backfield.

DEFENSIVE PRESENCE: Portland State Head Coach Nigel Burton - with the help of Defensive Coordinator Eric Jackson - is trying to turn around a Viking defense that has been woeful in recent years. The performance at UC Davis was a step in the right direction. The Vikings allowed a respectable 331 yards, forced four turnovers and twice stopped the Aggies after fumbling away kickoffs deep in Viking territory. On the opening kickoff of the second half, the Vikings fumbled at the 30-yard line. PSU held the Aggies to four plays and two yards and took the ball back... after UCD pulled within 38-33 at the 5:48 mark of the fourth period, the Vikings fumbled another kick return. This time at their own 18, giving the Aggies a chance to finally take a lead in the closing moments. But, two plays later PSU forced a fumble and was able to wrap up the game... the Vikings have forced five turnovers this season... SO LB Joel Sisler has two interceptions... JR S Manoa Latu leads the team with 20 tackles.

CAREER AND MILESTONE WATCH: SR DT Travis Beckley holds the distinction of having played in the most games (35) and making the most starts (24) of any Viking, although he shares those marks with SR TE Rory Richards and JR CB DeShawn Shead, respectively... SO K Zach Brown now has 25 career field goals in just 13 games to rank sixth all-time for the Vikings. Here is a look at the active leaders in respective stats for the Vikings (and their all-time PSU ranking where applicable):

Games Played: Travis Beckley/Rory Richards, 2007-10, 35
Games Started: Travis Beckley/DeShawn Shead, 2008-10, 24 (both consecutive)
Receptions: Ray Fry, 2008-10, 105
Receiving Yards: Ray Fry, 2008-10, 1,518 yards
Rushing Yards: Connor Kavanaugh, 2008-10, 469 yards
Passing Yards/TDs: Drew Hubel, 2007-10, 6,358 yards (4th all-time)/42 TDs (6th all-time)
Tackles: Ryan Rau, 2008-10, 111
Tackles For Loss: Travis Beckley, 2007-10, 13
Sacks: Travis Beckley, 2007-10, 8
Interceptions: DeShawn Shead, 2008-10, 9
Field Goals: Zach Brown, 2009-10, 25 (6th all-time)

WHAT BROWN CAN DO FOR YOU: SO K Zach Brown has started his 2010 season much like ended 2009, by making field goals. Brown has made 7-8 field goals in his first two games with his only miss from 53 yards. He ranks number one in the nation in field goals made and third in the nation in scoring (13.0 ppg)... Brown had 17 points against UC Davis, making four field goals, three extra points and a two-point conversion on an option play... Brown has made 21 of his last 24 dating to last season, with all three misses from 52+ yards... he was Big Sky Conference Player of the Week (9/4) after making three field goals against Arizona State (43, 53, 47), and earned the honor again after the win over UC Davis (9/11) with 4-5 field goals, 3 XPs and a two-point conversion... he was won BSC honors four times in his 13-game career... Brown's 53-yarder against ASU tied for the second-longest in Portland State history. He is now 3-7 from 50+ yards in his career, and has the most 50-yard field goals by a Viking... with 25 field goals in his 13-game career, Brown already ranks sixth in PSU history... heading into the season, Brown was named to the Big Sky Conference preseason All-Conference team and named second team preseason All-America by The Sports Network. Brown comes off a freshman year (2009) in which he earned second team All-Big Sky honors... from Keizer's McNary High School, Brown made a school-record 18 of 25 field goals in 2009, ranking sixth in the nation with 1.64 field goals made per game. He was also perfect on extra points making 21 of 21.

MAKING A FRESH START: One more Viking made his first career start at UC Davis, FR DT Julious Moore. That makes 10 players making their first starts ever at PSU in 2010. There were nine in game one at Arizona State: JR RB Cory McCaffrey, FR OL Alex Cosenza, SO WR Justin Monahan, SR WR Nick Hutter, JR DE Carl Sommer, JR DE Jack Forbes, JR DT Alika Vaiese, JR FS Manoa Latu and JR CB David Ross.

FROM THE HARDWOOD TO THE GRIDIRON: SR TE Julius Thomas is familiar to Viking football fans for a different reason - he starred on the Viking basketball team for four seasons. Thomas, at 6-5 and a beefed-up 240-pounds, set basketball school records for career games played (121), career wins (78), and career field goal percentage (.663). He also participated on two Big Sky Champion teams and in two NCAA Tournaments (2008 and 2009). Thomas averaged 10.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and and shot a school-record .671 from the field as a senior... since athletes competing at the NCAA level have five years to complete their eligibility, Thomas (who has graduated) elected to go out for spring football. He so impressed the coaching staff that he figures to play an important role in 2010. A native of Stockton, CA, Thomas only football experience is as a freshman at Tokay High School (2002)... in his first two games as a Viking, Thomas has caught three passes for 28 yards.

2010 SEASON NOTES
BIG SKY CONFERENCE EXPANDS: On Sept. 7, the Big Sky Conference announced it would expand to 11 teams in either 2012 or 2013 with the addition of UC Davis and Cal Poly. The two schools, current members of the Great West Football Conference, will enter the Big Sky as football-only members. UC Davis and Cal Poly are members of the Big West Conference. PSU plays UC Davis in a non-conference game this season for the fourth year in a row. The Vikings lead the all-time series, 6-4. Although the Vikings and the Mustangs have not played since 1999, they have met 18 times throughout history, with the Vikings holding a 10-8 advantage. Former PSU Head Coach Tim Walsh is now the head coach at Cal Poly.

INFLUENTIAL? HE CERTAINLY CAN BE: New Portland State Football Head Coach Nigel Burton was recently named the 25th Most Influential Person on the state of Oregon sports scene by Oregonian columnist John Canzano. (The top of the list? No surprise: Portland Trail Blazers billionaire owner Paul Allen, and Nike mogul Phil Knight). So, how does Burton get on the list without having coached a game yet at Portland State? He has the unique opportunity to turn around a program that has won just nine games in the last three seasons and comes off its poorest mark (2-9) in 28 years. If he can do that, Burton can create a huge buzz for the football program at the state's largest institution of higher education (28,000 students) located in Oregon's major metropolitan area (more the 2.1 million people) as it heads back to a newly remodeled PGE Park in 2011.

HOOV: In 2010, the Portland State football team is wearing a helmet decal that says “Hoov”, while Viking coaches have “Hoov” stitched into the sleeves of their coaching shirts. The recognition is for former Portland State football assistant coach Jeff Hoover, who died tragically in an automobile accident last Nov. 28. Hoover, who was coaching at Eastern Illinois, was traveling home from a playoff game. He was the Vikings' offensive line coach from 1995-99, then returned to be offensive coordinator in 2006. A good man, with a great sense of humor who was popular with the entire staff and the Portland State community, Hoover died at age 41.

BACK IN GREEN: The Viking football team has a new look, which is actually an old look, but better represents Portland State Athletics. PSU has new uniforms which include green as the dominant color once again. Gone are the all black uniforms of the past three seasons. In 2010, the Vikings will have varying combinations of green, white and black as in years past... the Vikings have also eliminated the name plates on the back and placed the nickname “Vikings” below the number on the back of the jersey... the traditional Viking logo has also returned to the black helmets.

LOOKING FOR IMPROVEMENT: After a 2-9 season there are always several places to point a finger for improvement. The most obvious come in the areas of possession and efficiency. With that in mind, the Vikings can go a long way toward turning things around by improving their turnover ratio and red zone success. Portland State had a -20 turnover ratio in 2009, with 34 turnovers and 14 takeaways. The -1.82 turnover ratio per game ranked last in the nation among 118 teams at the NCAA I FCS level... the Vikings converted just 11 of 29 red zone opportunities into touchdowns (a poor 38% - opponents converted 64%). The Vikings did convert 10 of those opportunities into field goals... PSU's pass defense allowed 280.9 yards per game, ranking 117th in the nation. PSU also gave up school records of 3,090 passing yards and 28 passing touchdowns... the scoring defense was 111th in the nation (33.8 points allowed per game).

A LITTLE GIVE BACK: Portland State Football hosted a free youth football clinic on Aug. 23 at Stott Community Field. The Vikings used their off-day to host approximately 100 area youth players and teach them basic football skills. The free youth clinic was part of the “Our Town, Your Team” program that PSU has undertaken in 2010-11 to engage student-athletes with the Portland community. Details on “Our Town, Your Team” can be found at www.GoViks.com.

TEAM CAPTAINS NAMED: The Portland State Football team selected its team captains for the 2010 season prior to the Arizona State game with six Vikings given the honor. In voting done by Viking players, seniors Drew Hubel and Travis Beckley, and juniors Connor Kavanaugh, Ryan Rau, DeShawn Shead and Adam Kleffner were all selected as captains. Originally, Head Coach Nigel Burton had wanted to name four captains, but the voting was so close among those six players he decided to go with all six.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT REEL
DOWNTOWN ZACH BROWN: The Vikings' SO K has proven to have leg that can score from down town. He made 3-3 field goals in the season-opening loss to Arizona State (9/4), hitting from 42, 53 and 47 yards. For his effort, Brown was named Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for the third time in his career... after making 4-5 field goals in a win at UC Davis (9/11), three extra points and a two-point conversioon, Brown earned Player of the Week honors again - his fourth such honor in 13 career games.

WELCOME TO THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE: Portland State gave future Big Sky member (2012) UC Davis a rude welcome, beating the Aggies, 41-33 (9/11), in Davis. JR QB Connor Kavanaugh had 234 yards of total offense and four different players scored touchdowns. SO K Zach Brown made four field goals, three extra points and a two-point conversion for 17 points. JR RB Cory McCaffrey punctuated his first 100-yard game (116) with a 40-yard touchdown run in the third period. The Viking was the first in the career of new Head Coach Nigel Burton.