Portland State vs. Southern Oregon game notes in pdf

SOUTHERN OREGON RAIDERS (0-1) vs. PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (0-0)
Game 1 • Saturday, September 3, 2011 • 1:07 p.m. • JELD-WEN Field (18,627), Portland, OR

TELEVISION: Comcast SportsNet (channel 37/HD 737) in Portland
    Play-by-play: Bob Akamian • Analyst: Rashad Floyd
RADIO: Freedom 970 AM, www.970.am • Pregame Show: Noon
    Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Analyst: Mike Lund
INTERNET: Live video stream with radio broadcast at www.b2tv.com
    Live stats are available at www.GoViks.com
 
All-Time Series: Southern Oregon leads 11-9-1 • PSU leads at Portland 6-4 • SOU leads at Ashland 7-3-1

Oregon Collegiate Conference games
Nov. 1, 1952: SOU 28-7 at Ashland
Oct. 31, 1953: SOU 12-0 at Portland
Oct. 2, 1954: SOU 32-19 at Ashland
Oct. 1, 1955: SOU 20-6 at Ashland
Oct. 13, 1956: SOU 13-6 at Ashland
Oct. 12, 1957: SOU 7-6 at Portland
Oct. 11, 1958: SOU 21-14 at Ashland
Oct. 10, 1959: SOU 12-7 at Portland
Oct. 8, 1960: SOU 39-20 at Ashland
Oct. 14, 1961: SOU 39-19 at Portland
Nov. 3, 1962: SOU 41-26 at Ashland
Oct. 26, 1963: PSU 19-14 at Portland
Oct. 17, 1964: Tied 21-21 at Ashland

Non-Conference games
Oct. 9, 1965: PSU 20-8 at Portland
Nov. 19, 1966: PSU 20-10 at Ashland
Sept. 16, 1967: PSU 36-13 at Portland
Nov. 16, 1968: PSU 13-6 at Ashland
Nov. 15, 1969: PSU 54-7 at Portland
Nov. 14, 1970: PSU 24-0 at Ashland
Oct. 4, 1975: PSU 58-7 at Portland
Sept. 12, 2009: PSU 34-10 at Portland

STREAKS
• PSU has won eight straight meetings with SOU, including six straight in Portland
• Portland State ended the 2010 season with seven straight losses - all Big Sky Conference games.
• The Vikings have lost three straight home games - although they were all played at Hillsboro Stadium.
• K Zach Brown enters the season having made six consecutive field goals and 44 straight extra points - if he makes his first extra point, he will have set a new PSU record for consecutive PATs.
• SS DeShawn Shead has made 33 straight starts.

STORYLINES
• Portland State and Southern Oregon faced one another for 13 straight seasons from 1952 to 1964 as NAIA members of the old Oregon Collegiate Conference. SOU led that series 11-1-1, winning the first 11 meetings.
• The Vikings have won all of the non-conference meetings since 1965 - eight in a row.
• The most recent meeting came in 2009, when the NCAA FCS I Vikings beat the NCAA III Raiders, 34-10, at then-PGE Park.
• Although SOU leads the series 11-9-1, the Raiders last win came in 1962. Since then, PSU is 9-0-1 against SOU.

VIKINGS OPEN SEASON AT NEW-LOOK JELD-WEN FIELD
Portland State begins what it expects to be a bounce-back season this Saturday at the newly-remodeled JELD-WEN Field when the Vikings host Southern Oregon in a non-conference game. The Vikings and Raiders meet in a 1:07 p.m. kickoff that can be seen locally on Comcast SportsNet (channel 37/HD 737) and heard on Freedom 970 AM radio.
   
Second-year Head Coach Nigel Burton will attempt to lead the Vikings back to the winning side of the ledger in 2011 as Portland State seeks its first winning record since 2006 (7-4 under Tim Walsh). PSU has had 2-9 records each of the last two years and won just 11 games over the past four seasons (9-24 under Jerry Glanville, 2-9 under Burton).
   
Also of great concern for the Vikings in 2011 is reestablishing home dominance. PSU was 1-3 at home last year (playing a single season at Hillsboro Stadium while JELD-WEN Field was being remodeled; see A RETURN TO DOWNTOWN below), and had losing home records in two of three seasons under Glanville (1-4, 4-1, 1-5). Prior to that first losing home record in 2007, PSU had not had a non-winning home mark since 1982 (2-3).
   
Burton certainly feels the Vikings have the tools to make a big turnaround in 2011. Forty-nine letterwinners return to the program, including nine starters on offense, nine on defense, and all three on special teams. PSU has the Big Sky Conference's top returning rusher in senior Cory McCaffrey (1,287 yards, 10 TDs), a talented quarterback duo in seniors Connor Kavanaugh (1,615 yards total offense in eight games in 2010) and Drew Hubel (6,358 yards, 42 TDs in his career), a veteran offensive line that led PSU to a league-high 203.3 rushing yards per game last year, and a deeper, more athletic receiving corps. Defensively, the Vikings are led by veteran safety DeShawn Shead (preseason All-Big Sky Conference), linebacker Ryan Rau (top tackler the past two years), and six returners on the defensive line. PSU also has two of the nation's top special teams performers in kicker Zach Brown (18 field goals in 2010 to rank third in the nation) and punter Thomas Duyndam (42.6 ypp to rank 11th in the nation).
   
Key newcomers include transfer defensive tackle Myles Wade (Texas Tech), linebacker Khalil Bass (College of the Canyons) and cornerback Aaron Kincy (Butte JC) on defense, and wide receivers Roston Tatum, Alex Toureen and Kenny Davis on offense.
   
PSU has the benefit of six home games for just the second time in seven seasons. Southern Oregon, an NAIA program, is the first of those games. The Vikings open Big Sky play on Sept. 17, hosting Northern Arizona at JELD-WEN.

SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Southern Oregon University, located in Ashland, is a member of the NAIA and plays an independent schedule. The Raiders come off a 3-7 season in 2010. In the off-season, SOU hired a new head coach, Craig Howard.
   
The Raiders opened the season last Saturday at Montana Tech, losing a double-overtime contest 50-47 in Butte, MT. The Raiders trailed by 10 with less than four minutes to play, but sent the game to overtime with a pair of late scores.
   
Quarterback Mike McDonald threw three touchdown passes and had 319 passing yards overall.
   
SOU totaled 565 yards of offense, including 246 on the ground. However, the Raiders gave up 525 yards.
   
Kicker Tyler Crowley converted four field goals.
   
The Vikings and Raiders met in 2009 at then-PGE Park, with PSU winning 34-10. Prior to that the schools had not met since 1975. PSU and SOU were members of the old Oregon Collegiate Conference and played every year between 1952 and 1964 in league play. The series continued every year through 1970.
   
SOU leads the all-time series 11-9-1, but PSU has won the last eight meetings dating back to 1965.
   
Southern Oregon returns 43 letterwinners from last year's team, 15 of whom are starters. Brandon Baldwin is the top returning rusher (170-632-6), while three quarterbacks saw significant action last year; Paul Sweeney, Mike McDonald and Chris Kammel.
   
Defensively, linebacker Kalii Robinson is the top returning tackler with 48 stops in 2010. Southern Oregon allowed just under 200 yards rushing per game last year.

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 a minimum of four 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, and Oct. 15 at Montana. There is a possibility that additional Viking games will be televised on CSN and will be determined later in the season... veteran broadcasters Bob Akamian and Rashad Floyd will be on the call for the first two games. Games against Montana State (Max Media) and Montana (KPAX) 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.
TICKETS: Tickets for all home games can be purchased in prices ranging from $15 to $50, with youth prices as low as $8. 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.
SPECIAL EVENTS FOR SEPT. 3: The Coors Light Viking Tailgate will open three hours before every game and will be located outside the Kingston.  The tailgate area will feature beer, live television, inflatables for the kids, Voodoo Donuts, and Ben and Jerry's ice cream. The Last Regiment Drum Line will be performing outside the stadium on the corner of 18th and Morrison before the game and at halftime. DJ O.G. ONE, also the official DJ of the Portland Trailblazers, will be the DJ at all home games.

A RETURN TO DOWNTOWN
Oregon's only major urban campus has proudly called the city's only major football stadium its own for more than four decades. After one year away - while the newly-named JELD-WEN Field was being refurbished - Portland State will play once again in downtown Portland.
   
The Vikings' home field for nearly 45 years and formerly known as PGE Park (and Civic Stadium and Multnomah Stadium), JELD-WEN had a facelift in preparation for the arrival of Major League Soccer and the new Portland Timbers franchise in 2011.
   
The “new” JELD-WEN Field now has a completely enclosed horseshoe seating, greater amenities, a fresh pressbox, and a much more intimate feel.
    The Portland Timbers, who are the main tenants of the venue, renamed the stadium JELD-WEN Field after a sponsorship from Jeld-Wen Inc., a manufacturer of doors and windows based in Klamath Falls, OR.
   
“JELD-WEN Field will be the premier FCS stadium and fan experience in the country,” said Viking Coach Nigel Burton. “There aren't many places that will be able to match our location, state-of-art field, scoreboard, medical facilities, luxury boxes, club level and suites. There really isn't anything like it. So, I am extremely excited about the fan experience.”
   
Portland State first played football in old Multnomah Stadium in 1949, then returned in 1966 and became a regular tenant in 1967 of what became Civic Stadium. Following a renovation in 2001, the stadium was renamed PGE Park.

THE 2011 SCHEDULE
Portland State has six home games on its 11-game 2011 schedule. The Vikings will host four Big Sky Conference games and two non-conference games in the newly-refurbished facility.
   
PSU hosts Southern Oregon in a non-conference season opener on Sept. 3. The Big Sky Conference opener will be two weeks later against Northern Arizona on Sept. 17.
   
Other Big Sky Conference home games include Montana State on Oct. 8, Sacramento State on Nov. 5 and Weber State on Nov. 19. The Vikings have an additional non-conference game with Willamette on Oct. 22.
   
“We are excited about this schedule because it let's our team and fans experience the renovated JELD-WEN Field six times this season,” said Director of Athletics Torre Chisholm. “After putting our team through a harrowing year of seven road games last season due to the stadium renovation, we made it a priority to ensure as many home games as possible.”
   
However, the Vikings continue their trend of playing the best collegiate football programs in the nation in 2011. After facing BCS finalist Oregon last year, PSU will travel to Rose Bowl Champion TCU on Sept. 24.
   
“It will be a great chance for some of our players from the state of Texas to get to play in front of family and friends. The defending Rose Bowl champions will be a great challenge we are looking forward to,” said Coach Nigel Burton.
   
PSU currently has seven players from Texas, including two freshmen from Fort Worth, Vincent Johnson and Roston Tatum.
   
The road schedule features other big-name opponents as Portland State will play at NCAA I FCS National Championship Eastern Washington on Oct. 29. The Vikings will see the red “Inferno” turf of Roos Field for the first time.
   
Other Big Sky Conference road games include Idaho State on Oct. 1, perennial powerhouse Montana on Oct. 15 and Northern Colorado on Nov. 12.

PORTLAND STATE AND THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE
Portland State begins its 16th season as a member of the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings are 50-65 all-time in Big Sky games, 32-26 at home and 18-39 on the road.
   
Former coach Tim Walsh (42-41) led the Vikings through the first 11 years, and Jerry Glanville (7-17) was the head coach for three seasons. Nigel Burton was 1-7 in Big Sky play in his first season as head coach.
   
The Vikings have never won a Big Sky title, but tied for second four times, tied for third twice, and tied for fourth twice under Walsh. The Vikings finished sixth, sixth and eighth under Glanville.
   
PSU has made one NCAA I playoff appearance (2000) after placing second in the Big Sky.

FACTS, FIGURES AND CURIOSITIES
OREGONIAN OFFENSE: Portland State has six players from the state of Oregon listed as number one on the depth chart on offense: Dustin Waldron (Pleasant Hill/Marist), Kyle Ritt (Aloha), Adam Kleffner (Portland/Jesuit), Connor Kavanaugh (Portland/Lincoln), Cory McCaffrey (Sisters), and Justin Monahan (West Linn). Other Oregonians who figure to be prominent on offense are OL Mitch Gaulke (West Linn), QB Drew Hubel (Corvallis), WR Ricky Cookman (Clackamas) and WR Nevin Lewis (Culver). In fact, the top four Viking quarterbacks are Oregonians (including Justin Engstrom/Scappoose and Josh Milhollin/South Medford). Throw in newcomers Taylor Meyrick (TE/Oregon City) and Alex Toureen (WR/Cottage Grove), who have been tabbed to have an impact, and veteran K Zach Brown (Keizer/McNary) and PSU has strong group of offensive talent from the state... in all, Portland State has some 35 Oregonians on its roster.

VETS: SR SS DeShawn Shead and SR LS Braedyn Eagle return this year as the only two Vikings to appear in every game the last three seasons (33). Shead has started every game. SR LB Ryan Rau (32) and SR OT Dustin Waldron (30) are next on the most games played list... Waldron (24), JR K Zach Brown (22), Rau (21), JR OL Kyle Ritt (21), SR QB Drew Hubel (20) and JR P Thomas Duyndam (20) are next on the most games started list.

NUMBER TWO AND LOOKING TO MOVE UP: Three Vikings ranked second in the Big Sky Conference in their respective statistical categories and all return with an eye on being number one in 2011... SR RB Cory McCaffrey was second in rushing with 1,287 yards. Conference leader Taiwan Jones from Eastern Washington has moved on to an NFL career... JR K Zach Brown was second in field goals (and third in the nation) with 18 behind Jason Cunningham of Montana State (20). Cunningham is a senior... JR P Thomas Duyndam was second in punting with a 42.6 yard average. David Harrington (44.3) of Idaho State is also a junior.

WORST TO FIRST: Portland State averaged a Big Sky Conference-best 203.3 rushing yards per game in 2010 in the first season under Nigel Burton and the Pistol Offense. That came after three straight years of finishing last in rushing offense in the Big Sky under former coach Jerry Glanville.

NEW ATTITUDE AT HOME: Portland State hopes to also 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 have gone just 7-13 at home the last four years.

KAVANAUGH HONORS A VIKING GREAT: Portland State senior quarterback Connor Kavanaugh will wear jersey number six this season in recognition of Viking football great Chris Crawford, who is on the comeback trail from a bone marrow transplant... Kavanaugh, PSU's starting quarterback in 2010, has worn jersey number 10 for the past three seasons, but switched to number six during spring practice in support of Crawford, who has been battling a form of Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), which affects the bone marrow and blood. MDS is a precursor to leukemia. Diagnosed in November 2010, Crawford underwent the bone marrow transplant in April at Oregon Health Science University... A graduate of Portland's Sunset High School, Crawford is one of the all-time great football players at Portland State. As an All-American quarterback, he was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award given to the best Division II player in the nation in 1987 and 1988. Crawford led the Vikings to the Division II National Championship game in both '87 and '88 and during his career passed for 7,543 yards and 48 touchdowns. He was inducted into the PSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998... Changing his jersey number to honor Crawford was a no-brainer for Kavanaugh. “It is just a tribute to Chris as one of the great players in PSU history. He is going through a tough time right now and he needs the support of the PSU football family and the community,” he said... It is appropriate that Kavanaugh, also a Portlander from Lincoln High School, honors Crawford. They have the exact playing size; both 6-foot, 185 pounds and smallish by college standards. More than that however, they are both extremely upbeat, spirited personalities with great leadership qualities... “Chris is one the first guys I remember from the Greg Barton football camps,” said Kavanaugh, referring to the annual quarterback camps he attended as a youth. “The energy and passion that Chris had for football inspired me to play quarterback.”.. Prior to getting injured in last season's eighth game, Kavanaugh completed 60% of his passes for 1,109 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. He ran for 506 yards and four touchdowns. Kavanaugh earned honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference... Crawford is a long-time sales manager at Nike. He and his wife, Kristen, have two children, Payton and Carson.

ANOTHER HARDWOOD TO GRIDIRON TRANSFER: For the second year in a row, Portland State will have a former Viking basketball player join the football team. While nobody expects Phillip “Tree” Thomas to have the same impact as Julius Thomas had in 2010, it will be interesting to see what happens. Thomas, a 6-8, 250-pounder, played two seasons for the Viking basketball team, ending up a starter in 2010-11 and scoring 9.7 points per game. Tree, who has no previous football experience, will have one year of eligibility with the football team and play tight end... former Viking Julius Thomas adjusted well after four years with the Viking basketball team. Despite not playing football since his freshman season in high school, Thomas earned first team All-Big Sky Conference honors with 29 catches for 453 yards and two touchdowns. Following the 2010 season, he was selected in the fourth round  of the NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.

NEW STAFF: Malik Roberson was added as the new defensive line coach at Portland State prior to the start of spring practice. Roberson spent the last three seasons as DL coach at Washington State and six years at Eastern Washington prior to that. Roberson replaced Legi Suiaunoa who moved on to a similar position at the University of Montana... two coaches left during the summer - Mark Kaanapu (running backs/recruiting) and Dave Brown (run game coordinator/wide receivers). Replacing them on the staff are former Viking player Matt Leunen and veteran coach Stacy Collins. Collins, who has 13 years experience, was recently named the new Special Teams Coordinator. Leunen was named the tight ends coach. As a result, there have been some staff reassignments. Former Special Teams Coordinator John Ely will now be running backs coach. Steve Cooper, who played wide receiver for the Vikings, moves from coaching tight ends to handling receivers... also joining the staff are quality control coaches, Mike Allison (defense) and Michael Casco (offense).

SHAGGY LOCKS: SR C Adam Kleffner's hair just keeps getting longer. In fact, he hasn't cut it in over a year. The reason? He is growing it out to donate to Locks of Love for children who lose their hair while undergoing medical treatment. Kleffner's hair needs to be 10 inches long before it can be cut and donated. It is anticipated to be ready to snip around the end of a season.

FEAR THE BEARD: When Portland State opponents try to come through the right side of the Vikings line, they will have to deal with an impressive pair of bearded defenders: seniors Carl Sommer and Myles Wade. Sommer, from Wilsonville, is PSU's top returner in terms of tackles for loss (11) and sacks (4) in 2010. Wade, from Central Catholic, played two seasons at Texas Tech and started twice last season for the Red Raiders. What the pair have in common - besides facial hair - are size and strength and, perhaps even the intimidation factor.

TWEET, HE SAID: Portland State Football Coach Nigel Burton has joined the Twitterscape, launching his own Twitter account. Burton can be followed by signing up at www.Twitter.com/CoachBurton_PSU.

THE VIKINGS RECORD ON TV: Since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996, Portland State has appeared on television locally in Portland 36 times. PSU is 14-22 in those games, 8-7 at home, 6-15 on the road... the Vikings have lost 11 straight games televised in Portland dating to the 2005 season (10 of which were road games). The last televised win was a 28-12 decision over Sacramento State on Sept. 17, 2005 (Comcast)... this season, the Vikings will have at least four games televised in the Portland area.

LOWER DIVISION OPPONENTS: Since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996, Portland State is 8-0 against lower division programs (Division II, III and NAIA), including 1-0 against Southern Oregon.

CAREER AND MILESTONE WATCH: SR SS DeShawn Shead has the most consecutive starts (33) of any Viking. He and SR LS Braedyn Eagle are the only Vikings to play in every game the last three seasons... 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, 33; Braedyn Eagle, 2008-11, 33; Ryan Rau, 2008-11, 32
Games Started: DeShawn Shead, 2008-11, 33 (consecutive); Dustin Waldron, 2008-11, 24 (consecutive)
Receptions: Justin Monahan, 2010-11, 30; Keitrell Anderson, 2009-11, 19
Receiving Yards: Justin Monahan, 2010-11, 369; Keitrell Anderson, 2009-11, 251
Rushing Yards: Cory McCaffrey, 2008-11, 1,287 yards; Connor Kavanaugh, 2008-11, 904 yards
Passing Yards/TDs: Drew Hubel, 2007-11, 6,358 yards (4th all-time)/42 TDs (6th all-time); Connor Kavanaugh, 2008-11, 1,561 yards yards/8 TDs
Tackles: Ryan Rau, 2008-11, 177; DeShawn Shead, 2008-11, 147
Tackles For Loss: Ryan Rau, 2008-11, 13; Carl Sommer, 2009-11, 11
Sacks: Ryan Rau, 2008-11, 4; Carl Sommer, 2009-11, 4
Interceptions: DeShawn Shead, 2008-11, 9
Pass Breakups: DeShawn Shead, 2008-11, 21
Field Goals: Zach Brown, 2009-11, 36 (1st all-time)