complete game notes and stats in pdf

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (4-3/2-2) vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES (4-4/4-2)
Game 8 • Saturday, October 29, 2011 • 1:05 p.m. • Roos Field (8,600), Cheney, WA

TELEVISION: Comcast SportsNet (channel 37/HD 737) Live feed from SWX TV of Spokane • Play-by-play: Greg Heister • Analyst: Bill Ames
RADIO: Freedom 970 AM, www.970.am • Pregame Show: Noon • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Analyst: Mike Lund
INTERNET: Live stats are available at www.GoViks.com. Live video stream with radio broadcast at www.b2tv.com
 
THE SERIES RECORD
All-Time Series: Portland State leads 18-14-1 • PSU leads in Portland 10-7 • PSU leads in Cheney 8-6-1 • EWU leads in Seattle 1-0
Big Sky Series: Eastern Washington leads 8-7 • Series is tied 4-4 in Portland • Series is tied 3-3 in Cheney • EWU leads in Seattle 1-0

Big Sky Conference games
Sept. 28, 1996: EWU 24-7 @ Cheney
Sept. 20, 1997: EWU 31-14 @ Portland
Sept. 12, 1998: PSU 30-27 @ Cheney (ot)
Sept. 16, 1999: PSU 48-39 @ Portland
Nov. 11, 2000: EWU 27-24 @ Portland
Nov. 10, 2001: PSU 37-22 @ Cheney
Oct. 12, 2002: PSU 34-31 @ Portland
Oct. 11, 2003: EWU 42-16 @ Cheney
Oct. 2, 2004: EWU 41-21 @ Portland
Oct. 1, 2005: EWU 42-24 @ Cheney
Oct. 21, 2006: PSU 34-0 @ Portland
Sept. 29, 2007: PSU 28-21 @ Cheney
Oct. 4, 2008: PSU 47-36 @ Portland
Oct. 31, 2009: EWU 47-10 @ Seattle
Oct. 30, 2010: EWU 50-17 @ Portland

STREAKS
• The Eagles have won the last two in the series.
• Eastern Washington has won four Big Sky games in a row.
• Portland State has lost two Big Sky games in a row.

LAST YEAR: EASTERN WASHINGTON 50, PORTLAND STATE 17
The eighth-ranked Eagles took control early at Hillsboro Stadium and totaled 523 yards against the Vikings for the day. Included were 198 rushing yards and three touchdowns by Taiwan Jones in the first half. Jones had TD runs of 71, 65 and two yards. PSU quarterback Connor Kavanaugh broke his throwing hand in the first offensive series of the game and was lost for the rest of the season. Still, the Vikings managed 452 yards, but did not seriously threaten after falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter. Cory McCaffrey rushed for 100 yards and Tygue Howland threw for 323 yards in the loss.

VIKINGS FACE DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPION EAGLES WITH A LOT ON THE LINE FOR BOTH TEAMS
Portland State begins a four-week run of Big Sky Conference games against no less an opponent than the defending national champion Eastern Washington Eagles. The Vikings and Eagles will meet this Saturday in a 1:05 p.m. game at Roos Field in Cheney, WA with plenty on the line for both teams.
    
This week's game will be televised on Comcast SportsNet in the Portland area as CSN will pick up the SWX TV feed from Spokane. The game also airs on Freedom 970 AM and www.970.am with the pregame show at noon.
    
PSU comes into the contest at 4-3 on the season, 2-2 in the Big Sky. After starting 2-0, the Vikings have dropped their last two Big Sky contests to the top two teams in the league (Montana State, 38-36; and Montana, 30-24). For the Vikings to make a realistic run at the NCAA playoffs they likely need to win out and complete the Big Sky schedule at 6-2.
    
Eastern Washington is 4-4 on the season and has basically been playing playoff games since week five. Despite last year's first-ever national championship, the Eagles stumbled out of the blocks with four straight losses (including Montana State and Montana) and stood at 0-4 at the end of September. But over the past month Eastern has gotten it together with four straight wins to get to 4-2 in Big Sky play. The Eagles likely need to win out as well to have a realistic shot at a return to the NCAA playoffs.
    
PSU will travel to see the “Inferno Turf” for the first time; the two-year old bright red artificial surface at Roos Field. The last time the Vikings played in Cheney - 2007 - they came away with a 28-21 win over a nationally-ranked Eastern Washington team. In 2009, the EWU “home” game was played at Qwest Field in Seattle and was a 47-10 Eagles' win.
    
Eastern Washington has won the last two games in the series by a combined 97-27, including a 50-17 win over PSU last year at Hillsboro Stadium. The Eagles hold an 8-7 series advantage in Big Sky games, while PSU leads 18-14-1 overall.
    
The teams will be meeting for the 22nd straight season, the last 16 as Big Sky opponents. The Vikings have won three of six Big Sky appearances in Cheney since joining the league in 1996. This Saturday's game is also a part of the Dam Cup series, a multi-sport competition between PSU and EWU now in its second year. (See THE DAM CUP below).
    
Portland State comes off a 36-10 non-conference home win over Willamette. In road games this year, PSU is 1-2. The Eagles are 2-1 at home.
    
Eastern Washington overcame a 28-13 deficit at Sacramento State entering the fourth quarter on Saturday to tie the game, then win in overtime, 42-35. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw three fourth-period touchdown passes to bring the Eagles back.
    
The stretch run for Portland State includes Big Sky Conference games with Sacramento State at home on Nov. 5, Northern Colorado on the road on Nov. 12, then the season finale at home against Weber State on Nov. 19.     

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Eastern Washington won the 2010 NCAA I FCS National Championship with a 20-19 victory over Delaware. That capped a 13-2 season in which the Eagles ran off 11 wins in a row on their way to the title. EWU shared the Big Sky title with Montana State with a 7-1 record.
    
Head Coach Beau Baldwin is in his fourth year at Eastern Washington and has compiled a 31-15 record.
    
The Eagles are led by the powerful passing game of Bo Levi Mitchell. He threw for 3,496 yards and 37 touchdowns in 2010. This year, Mitchell already has 2,736 yards and 20 touchdowns through eight games. His 342.0 yards per game average has led the team to the third-best passing attack in the nation. Mitchell has thrown 10 interceptions.
    
Nicholas Edwards has 64 catches for 842 yards and 11 touchdowns. He had four touchdown receptions last week in the overtime win at Sacramento State and was named National co-Offensive Player of the Week. Greg Herd has added 51 catches for 690 yards and five scores this season.
    
The Eagles running game is down this year after losing All-American back Taiwan Jones to the NFL. Eastern averages just 75.5 yards per game on the ground to rank 112th in the nation and seventh in the conference. Jordan Talley is the top back with 98 carries for 354 yards and three touchdowns. Last week, Quincy Forte rushed 11 times for 87 yards against the Hornets.
    
Eastern is giving up 396 yards per game on defense, including nearly 190 on the ground. The Eagles' run defense ranks eighth in the conference and 98th in the nation.
    
Linebacker Ronnie Hamlin has a team-leading 62 tackles. The Eagles have lost star safety Matt Johnson (biceps) and his twin brother, linebacker Matt Johnson (knee), to injuries. They were the top returning playmakers on defense from last year's national championship team.
    
The Eagles still have made their share of big defense plays this season with 22 sacks, an average of nine tackles for loss per game and 12 forced turnovers.
    
Kicker Mike Jarrett leads the Big Sky Conference with 14-16 field goals made this year. He ranks fifth in the nation. Punter Jake Miller averages 43.1 yards per punt - second in the league.

THE DAM CUP
The Portland State Vikings and Eastern Washington Eagles are in the second year of a five-sport rivalry cup called The Dam Cup. The Dam Cup celebrates the friendly rivalry between the states of Oregon and Washington within the Big Sky Conference. Saturday's football game will be worth four points in the Dam Cup series. Portland State currently leads the competition, 3-0.
    
The so-named rivalry refers to the four dams linking Oregon and Washington that one passes on the 339-mile drive from the Portland State campus to the Eastern Washington campus. Located along the Columbia River, they are Bonneville Dam, The Dalles Dam, The John Day Dam and the McNary Dam.  
    
The five sports competing for the cup are football, women's soccer, women's volleyball, women's basketball and men's basketball.  The purpose of the Dam Cup is to create a rivalry between Portland State University and Eastern Washington University and provide a sense of pride between alumni in the Portland and Spokane areas. Other goals include increasing attendance at events between both schools and building school spirit among each institutions' student body.
    
The winner of the Dam Cup will possess The Dam Trophy acknowledging the achievement for the following year. Portland State currently possesses the Dam Trophy having won the inaugural Dam Cup in 2011-12 by a 9-8 score.
    
The Dam Cup is based on a point system.  Each game played in the five sports between the two schools has a point value. Points are only rewarded for regular season contests. The annual football game is worth four points, the women's soccer match is worth one point, each women's volleyball match is worth two points for a total of four points possible, and each men's and women's basketball game is worth two points for a total of four points possible in each sport, The total points possible are 17 which means that to win the cup a school would need to win at least 9 points.

The 2011-12 Dam Cup Series
Soccer - Oct. 7 PSU 1 @ Eastern Washington 0 - PSU leads 1-0
Volleyball - Oct. 15 @ PSU 3, Eastern Washington 0 - PSU leads 3-0
Football - Oct. 29 @ EWU
Volleyball - Nov. 12 @ EWU
Men's Basketball - Jan. 21 @ EWU, Feb. 25 @ PSU
Women's Basketball - Jan. 21 @ PSU, Feb. 23 @ EWU

GAME WEEK ACTIVITIES
VIKINGS ON THE RADIO: 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... Tom Hewitt (play-by-play) and Mike Lund (analyst) call the action.
VIKINGS ON TELEVISION: Portland State and Comcast SportsNet have teamed up to present five Viking football games during the 2011 season. The Vikings can be seen on CSN on Sept. 3 vs. Southern Oregon, Sept. 17 vs. Northern Arizona, Oct. 8 vs. Montana State, Oct. 15 at Montana and Oct. 29 at Eastern Washington... veteran broadcasters Bob Akamian and Rashad Floyd will be on the call for the first two games. Games against Montana State (Max Media), Montana (KPAX) and Eastern Washington (SWX) will be shared feeds produced by the opponents' television partners... Comcast SportsNet is available in the Portland area on Comcast cable systems, channel 37/HD 737. Other metro-area affiliates aside from Comcast are: Beavercreek Cooperative Telephone SD 38/HD 638; Canby Telcom SD 33/HD 733; Oregon Cable Group SD 53/HD 753; Frontier Communications SD 77/HD 577; Wave Broadband SD 37or 45(depending upon location)/HD 737.
VIKINGS ON THE INTERNET: 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 750 AM THE GAME: Viking football Coach Nigel Burton can be heard every Monday at 1:30 p.m. on the Dave Smith Show on 750 AM The Game. Burton will review and preview Viking football games.
VIKING COACHES' LUNCHEONS: Viking Coaches Luncheons are scheduled for Monday at noon of every home football week. Coach Nigel Burton, Viking players, and coaches representing other sports will be on hand to speak and take questions. Luncheons take place at The Old Spaghetti Factory at 0715 S.W. Bancroft in Portland. The cost is $10.00 per person and includes lunch and a non-alcoholic beverage.

FACTS, FIGURES AND CURIOSITIES
WINS AND LOSSES: Portland State is 3-1 at home this year after a 36-10 win over Willamette... the Vikings enter this week's game with a two-game Big Sky Conference losing streak... the Vikings are 3-1 at home, 1-2 on the road and now have as many wins (4) as the last two years combined (4-18). The last time PSU won as many as five games was a 7-4 season in 2006 under Tim Walsh... PSU is 54-30 in home games since moving to the NCAA I level, 26-62 on the road... PSU is 52-67 all-time in Big Sky Conference games in its' 16th season as a member. The Vikings are 33-27 at home, 19-40 on the road in BSC games.

GOOD STARTS: Portland State has outscored opponents 82-18 in the first quarter this season. While 47 of those points have come in non-conference games against Southern Oregon and Willamette, PSU still has a 35-18 advantage on its other five opponents, allowing only two to score in the first quarter and leading six of seven games after the first quarter... Idaho State scored the first 11 in Pocatello and held the only lead over PSU at the end of one (11-6), but the Vikings came back to win that game, 42-35. Montana State was the only other team to score in the first quarter against the Vikings, but only after PSU scored the first 10 points... PSU's first quarter advantages have been: 31-0 vs. Southern Oregon; 14-0 vs. Northern Arizona; 3-0 vs. TCU; 10-7 vs. Montana State; 6-0 vs. Montana; and 16-0 vs. Willamette.

WHAT'S THE SCORE?: Portland State has scored 30 or more points in five of seven games this year. The only times the Vikings failed to reach that number was in a 55-13 loss at TCU and a 30-24 loss at Montana... PSU has scored 138 points in its last four games (34.5 ppg).

THE RECORD IS COMING: Portland State has 1,894 rushing yards this season and averages 5.5 yards per carry with 23 rushing touchdowns. The Vikings are on a school-record pace with an average of 270.6 rushing yards per game in the Pistol Offense. The Vikings rank first in the Big Sky Conference and fourth in the nation in rushing this year... PSU is 354 yards short of the school rushing record with four games to go (2,248 yards/204.4 ypg). The Vikings came up just 12 yards short of the record last year (2,236/203.3) as Cory McCaffrey was injured in the final game and ran for only 12 yards.

FINISHING: Portland State's mantra this year has been “finish” as in finish every game strong to secure the win. Last year, PSU had four games that it lost in the late-going in which a stronger finish might have made the difference. This year, PSU has the word FINISH on the front of every helmet. In PSU's first two Big Sky Conference games, the Vikings made plays late to “finish” and pick up wins against Northern Arizona and Idaho State. The last two Big Sky games, both losses, the Vikings have played the top two teams in the conference, nationally-ranked Montana State and Montana, down to the wire. In those two, the outcomes were losses in painfully close fashion. The Vikings lost the two games by a combined eight points. That leaves PSU at 2-2 in conference play and perhaps needing to win out to have a realistic chance at an NCAA post-season berth... in four Big Sky Conference games overall, the total point differential has been 17 - an average of 4.3 per game - emphasizing just how important “finishing” is.

THE NATIONAL CHARTS: In addition to PSU ranking fourth in the nation in rushing this season (270.6 ypg). PSU is 18th in total offense (426.0) and 21st in scoring (33.4)... SR QB Connor Kavanaugh ranks 29th in the nation and third in the Big Sky in rushing at 93.9 yards per game. Kavanaugh has also broken his own PSU record for quarterback rushing in a season. The senior from Lincoln (OR) High School has 85 carries for 653 yards (7.7 pc) and six scores. Last year, he set a PSU QB record with 506 rushing yards... JR K Zach Brown ranks eighth in field goals made this year (11/1.57 per game).

SOME VERY SPECIAL TEAMS: New Special Teams Coordinator Stacy Collins might be the Viking coaching staff's “Coach of the Year” so far this season. His special teams have been terrific throughout the season.
• With seven total blocks (five punt, two FG), PSU leads the nation at the FCS level.
• The Vikings had gone five years without a punt block, but now have five this season. JR WR Nevin Lewis has three blocked punts, JR LB Dionte Brooks and FR TE Taylor Martinek have one each.
• PSU has snuffed out two fake punt attempts by opponents this year.
• The Vikings hadn't blocked a field goal in two years, but now have two in 2011, both by GR DT Myles Wade. Wade's block in the closing moments against Northern Arizona allowed the Vikings to hang on for the win. He also had one against Montana State.
• The Vikings' JR K Zach Brown had a school-record string of 16 straight field goals made, including his first 10 this season. He finally missed one from 53 yards. Brown is 11-12 this year extending his career field goal record to 47.
• The Vikings benefitted from a high snap on a punt attempt in the fourth period at Idaho State. FR WR Ronnie Simmons ran down the ISU punter for a 23-yard loss. The Vikings took over and two plays later SR RB Cory McCaffrey scored the game-winning touchdown.
• PSU's kick return team averages 22.5 per return this season. Lewis (24.9) and SR FS DeShawn Shead (24.1) lead the way in that department.
• The Vikings are 4-6 on two-point conversion attempts this year.
• Lewis and Wade have each earned Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors this season.

RELYIN' ON RYAN: SR LB Ryan Rau made a career-high 17 tackles, including two tackles for loss at Montana two weeks ago. His 17 stops ties for the eighth most in PSU history for a game... Rau continues to lead the Viking defense. He has been the team-leader in tackles in five of seven games and has a team-high 68 this year. He also has 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery... Rau now has 245 tackles in his career and is on pace to finish his career in PSU's all-time top ten for tackles... Rau was also the team-leader in tackles each of the last two years (72 in 2009, 83 in 2010).

ZACH BROWN AND HIS LEG OF RENOWN: JR K Zach Brown established a new consecutive field goal made record earlier this year with 16. He finally missed a 53-yarder in the fourth quarter of game six at Montana... Brown is 11-12 kicking this season and has a PSU career record total of 47 field goals - one of six records he holds. Brown has made 16-18 extra points for 51 total points this year... with 205 career points he now ranks ninth on the PSU career scoring list... at 47-63 on career field goals, Brown's .743 mark is a PSU record as well.

ZACH BROWN's PORTLAND STATE KICKING RECORDS
Field Goals, Season: 18, twice (2009, 2010)
Field Goals, Career: 47
Field Goals, Consecutive: 16
Field Goal Percentage: 47-63, .743
Field Goals, 50+ yards, Career: 5
PATs, Consecutive: 44 (tied)

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: Portland State was last in the Big Sky Conference in 2010 in rushing defense, allowing 232.9 yards per game on the ground. Included were 391 rushing yards by Northern Arizona in the 2010 season finale. On Sept 17 this year, PSU held NAU - playing the same two feature backs as last season - to just 79 rushing yards... through seven games this year, PSU is allowing a respectable 142.3 yards on the ground (and 198.9 through the air). The 341.1 yards allowed per game so far is down more than 120 yards from 464.1 last year.

FLAGS, RAGS AND OTHER FLYING YELLOW OBJECTS: Portland State has had problems with penalties over the last four weeks. The Vikings have been penalized 61 times for 552 yards in the four games (15.3-110.4). PSU had to overcome itself as much as anything to pick up a 42-35 win at Idaho State. The Vikings commited 21 penalties for 209 yards in the game. The 21 flags was a new Big Sky Conference record and two shy of the NCAA I FCS record... in the 38-36 loss to Montana State, 15 penalties for 151 yards played a major role... PSU had 13 penalties for 88 yards at Montana... the Vikings had 12 penalties for 109 yards in the win over Willamette... in the first three games of the season, PSU had just 25 penalties for 219 yards.

PLAYING LIKE SAMSON: The long flowing locks on JR WR Justin Monahan are reminiscent of the mighty Samson (although most on the team call him “Twilight” for his resemblance to a certain vampire in a famous movie/book series). Monahan played like Samson at TCU, totaling career-highs of nine receptions for 109 yards. His fourth-and-two catch at the TCU one-yard line in the fourth period kept a drive alive and led to a FR RB Shaquille Richard touchdown run... for the season, Monahan has a team-leading 24 catches for 325 yards and two touchdowns.

LED BY SHEAD: SR SS DeShawn Shead started his 40th straight game against Willamette. He is the only Viking to start and play in all 40 games over the last four seasons.

NEW ATTITUDE AT HOME: Portland State hopes to bring a new attitude to JELD-WEN Field. After going 35-9 at home over Tim Walsh's final eight seasons, 1999-2006 (including two 5-0 marks), the Vikings were just 7-13 at home the last four years (which includes 1-3 at Hillsboro Stadium in 2010). The Vikings have started their six-game home schedule at 3-1... Head Coach Nigel Burton now has a 4-4 home record.

OCCUPY JELD-WEN: Portland State has a ways to go to fill 18,627-seat JELD-WEN Field, but the Montana State game was a big improvement as a crowd of 9,054 attended. That was the largest PSU home attendance in 15 home games dating to the 2008 season (12,071 vs. Montana on Nov. 8, 2008). The crowd total was an improvement of more than 3,500 over the Northern Arizona game. PSU is averaging 6,244 fans and has two home dates remaining (Nov. 5 vs. Sacramento State and Nov. 19 vs. Weber State).

THE VIKINGS RECORD ON TV: Since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996, Portland State has appeared on television locally in Portland 40 times. PSU is 16-24 in those games, 10-8 at home, 6-16 on the road... the Vikings broke an 11-game TV losing streak with the win over Southern Oregon. PSU is now 2-2 this season on TV.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: Portland State's win over Willamette (36-10) made it 2-0 against lower Division opponents this year. The aggregate score in those games was 88-10. Since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996, Portland State is 10-0 against lower division programs (Division II, III and NAIA).?

CAREER AND MILESTONE WATCH: Here is a look at the active leaders in respective stats for the Vikings (and their all-time PSU ranking where applicable):

Games Played: DeShawn Shead, 2008-11, 40; Ryan Rau, 2008-11, 39; Braedyn Eagle, 2008-11, 39
Games Started: DeShawn Shead, 2008-11, 40 (consecutive); Zach Brown, 2009-11, 29
Receptions: Justin Monahan, 2010-11, 54; Cory McCaffrey, 2008-11, 30; Nevin Lewis, 2009-11, 21
Receiving Yards: Justin Monahan, 2010-11, 694; Keitrell Anderson, 2009-11, 281; Nevin Lewis, 2009-11, 249
Rushing Yards: Cory McCaffrey, 2008-11, 2,018 yards; Connor Kavanaugh, 2008-11, 1,557 yards
Passing Yards/TDs: Drew Hubel, 2007-11, 6,666 yards (4th all-time)/44 TDs (6th all-time); Connor Kavanaugh, 2008-11, 2,269 yards/12 TDs
Tackles: Ryan Rau, 2008-11, 245; DeShawn Shead, 2008-11, 184
Tackles For Loss: Ryan Rau, 2008-11, 18.5; DeShawn Shead, 2008-11, 11; Jack Forbes, 2010-11, 10.5
Sacks: Ryan Rau, 2008-11, 6.5; Julious Moore, 2010-11, 4.5; Jack Forbes, 2010-11, 4
Interceptions: DeShawn Shead, 2008-11, 9
Pass Breakups: DeShawn Shead, 2008-11, 26
Field Goals: Zach Brown, 2009-11, 47 (1st all-time)

THE HUBEL TELESCOPE: With SR QB Drew Hubel (that's HUE-bull, not hubble) back on the field, it is worth taking a closer look at his Portland State career passing statistics. Hubel moved into fourth place in all-time passing yards at PSU with 6,666, passing Terry Summerfield (1982-85)... Hubel also has 44 career touchdown passes to rank sixth all-time... his pass completion total of 505 now ranks fifth all-time at PSU.