complete notes and statistics in pdf

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-1/1-0) vs. IDAHO STATE BENGALS (2-2/1-1)
Game 4 • Saturday, October 1, 2011 • 12:30 p.m. PT • Holt Arena (12,000), Pocatello, ID

TELEVISION: None
RADIO: Freedom 970 AM, www.970.am • Pregame Show: 11:30 a.m. PT • 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: Idaho State leads 23-12-1 • The series is tied in Portland 9-9 • ISU leads in Pocatello 14-3-1
Big Sky Conference Series: Idaho State leads 8-7 • ISU leads in Pocatello 6-1 • PSU leads in Portland 6-2

Big Sky Conference games
Nov. 16, 1996: ISU 31-12 @ Portland
Nov. 15, 1997: ISU 26-24 @ Pocatello
Sept. 26, 1998: ISU 43-41 @ Portland
Oct. 9, 1999: PSU 52-13 @ Pocatello
Oct. 14, 2000: PSU 59-21 @ Portland
Oct. 13, 2001: ISU 23-17 @ Pocatello
Nov. 2, 2002: PSU 27-24 @ Portland
Nov. 1, 2003: ISU 30-20 @ Pocatello
Nov. 6, 2004: PSU 42-21 @ Portland
Nov. 5, 2005: ISU 36-34 @ Pocatello
Oct. 14, 2006: PSU 34-13 @ Portland
Oct. 20, 2007: ISU 38-20 @ Pocatello
Oct. 25, 2008: PSU 36-13 @ Portland
Nov. 14, 2009: ISU 41-34 @ Pocatello
Oct. 2, 2010: PSU 38-3 @ Portland

STREAKS
• The home team has won 11 straight in the series, with ISU winning the last five in Pocatello.
• JR K Zach Brown has made 10 consecutive field goals dating to last season.
• SR SS DeShawn Shead has made 36 straight starts.

LAST YEAR: PORTLAND STATE 38, IDAHO STATE 3
Cory McCaffrey and Connor Kavanaugh dominated Idaho State as the Vikings won in a rout at Hillsboro Stadium. PSU scored the first 24 points of the game and was never threatened. Kavanaugh completed 15-19 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing 15 times for 125 yards. McCaffrey had 24 carries for 166 yards and a touchdown, and three catches for 35 yards and another score. The Vikings had 531 yards of total offense. On defense, PSU held ISU to three yards rushing and 195 yards of total offense. Manoa Latu's 43-yard interception for touchdown gave PSU an early 14-0 lead.

STORYLINES
• It has been 12 years since Portland State won in Pocatello, a 52-13 decision in 1999. The Vikings lost a wild game in Holt Arena in 2009, 41-34, as the Bengals scored a touchdown with 32 seconds left in the game.
• Idaho State has won exactly one game in each of the last three seasons, going 3-31 overall. As a result, veteran Big Sky Coach Mike Kramer was hired in the off-season. Kramer has coached previously at Eastern Washington and Montana State.
• The teams have met 36 times in the last 46 years.
• Idaho State won the first 10 times in the series, from 1965 to 1974, and it has been virtually even since.
• ISU Offensive coordinator Don Bailey was a quarterback at Portland State in 1989-90. Wide receivers coach Craig Stutzmann held the same position at PSU in 2009.

VIKINGS RETURN TO BIG SKY PLAY WITH A SHOT AT 2-0
The Portland State Vikings (2-1/1-0) play their second straight on the road this week when they travel to face the Idaho State Bengals (2-2/1-1) in a Big Sky Conference game. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT/12:30 p.m. PT in Pocatello, ID as the teams meet at Holt Arena. The game is not televised but can be heard on Freedom 970 AM and www.970.am.
   
Portland State comes off a 55-13 loss to top-20 (FBS) TCU last week in Fort Worth, TX. The Vikings were close for a half, but the Horned Frogs blew the game open, scoring 38 points in a span of 13 minues between the second and third periods. Nonetheless, the Vikings remain undefeated in the Big Sky Conference early in the season (1-0) and are one of just three teams without a league loss (Weber State, 2-0; Montana State, 1-0).
   
The Vikings will try to end a five-game losing streak at Holt Arena that dates to the 2001 season. In fact the two teams have traded home wins for 11 straight years, as the Vikings have won the last six meetings in Portland. PSU's last win in Pocatello was a 52-13 drubbing of the Bengals in 1999.
   
PSU also has a six-game road losing streak overall that dates back to last season. Head Coach Nigel Burton is 1-7 on the road overall.
   
Idaho State lost at Northern Arizona last week, 20-3. But the Bengals, under first-year Head Coach Mike Kramer, are still 2-2, which is more wins than they have had in any of the last three seasons. Kramer is now coaching his third Big Sky team. He had stints at Eastern Washington and Montana State. Now in his 14th Big Sky season, Kramer is 79-77 overall, and 6-7 all-time against the Vikings.
   
The Vikings will return home for a big matchup with defending Big Sky Champion Montana State on Oct. 8. That game is at JELD-WEN Field with a 1:05 start.   

SCOUTING THE BENGALS
Idaho State hosts the Vikings this Saturday with a 2-2 record, 1-1 in the Big Sky Conference. This is the best start for the Bengals in years as they have had a program overhaul under new head coach Mike Kramer.
   
It has been an enigmatic season so far with big home wins over Western State, 44-7, and Northern Colorado, 50-20, and big road losses at Washington State, 64-21, and Northern Arizona, 20-3.
   
ISU has built its season on the arm of freshman quarterback Kevin Yost. The Bengals are attempting over 53 passes per game, and Yost, who has completed 71%, has thrown for 1,346 yards and nine touchdowns. Idaho State averages 394 yards passing per game to rank second in the nation and first in the Big Sky Conference. Meanwhile, the Bengals are second-to-last in the nation in rushing at just 38.0 yards per game.
   
Wide receiver Rodrick Rumble leads the nation in receptions per game (11.0) and receiving yards per game (156.5). Rumble has five touchdown receptions.
   
Derek Graves (25), Josh Hill (18), and Anthony Boyles (17) also have a lot of catches and have combined for five more touchdowns.
   
Idaho State leads the conference in tackles for loss (7.5 per game) and also has 11 sacks. Linebacker AJ Storms has a team-high 32 tackles. JT Albers has 25 tackles. Defensive lineman Jake Rouser leads the team with five tackles for loss and three sacks.
   
Punter David Harrington ranks fifth in the nation in punting and leads the Big Sky at 45.8 yards per punt.
   
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.
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.
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.

AMONG THE NATION'S LEADERS
It's early in the 2011 season, but the Pistol offense is making its mark at Portland State. After three games the Vikings rank fourth in the nation in rushing (271.7 ypg) and 15th in total offense (439.7) at the NCAA I FCS level. After missing one game, senior running back Cory McCaffrey does not qualify for national leadership (you need to play in 75% of games and he has played in 67%). If he qualified, he would rank second in the nation in rushing with 145.5 yards per game and lead the nation in scoring with 21.0 points per game (7 touchdowns).

FACTS, FIGURES AND CURIOSITIES
WINS AND LOSSES: Portland State's 55-13 loss at TCU ended a two-game winning streak and extended a six-game road losing streak... PSU has also lost 10 in a row to FBS teams (2-28 all-time)... the Vikings are 2-0 at home, 0-1 on the road.

IN THE BIG SKY: PSU is 53-29 in home games since moving to the NCAA I level, 25-61 on the road... PSU is 51-65 all-time in Big Sky Conference games in its' 16th season as a member. The Vikings are 33-26 at home, 18-39 on the road in BSC games...  the Vikings take a six-game Big Sky road losing streak to Pocatello this week.

A GLIMMER OF HOPE: Portland State appeared ready to rock the college football world on Saturday at TCU, dominating play (if not the scoreboard) for the first 28 minutes. In fact, PSU had played TCU to a 3-3 tie and allowed just 118 yards to the Horned Frogs to that point in the game. Then TCU's Josh Boyce took a Casey Pachall pass and rambled 66 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. That opened the flood gates as TCU found a way to score three times in the final two minutes of the half. In fact, the Horned Frogs scored 38 points over the span of 13 minutes between the end of the second period and late in the third period.

OREGONIAN OFFENSE: Portland State started seven players from the state of Oregon at TCU.... They were: Dustin Waldron (Pleasant Hill), Kyle Ritt (Aloha), Adam Kleffner (Portland/Jesuit), Mitch Gaulke (West Linn), Connor Kavanaugh (Portland/Lincoln), Justin Monahan (West Linn) and Nevin Lewis (Culver). The Vikings original starters, SR RB Cory McCaffrey (Sisters) and SR WR Ricky Cookman (Clackamas) sat out with injuries...  in all, Portland State has 35 Oregonians on its roster.

THE DYNAMIC DUO: The dynamic duo of SR RB Cory McCaffrey and SR QB Connor Kavanaugh was shelved for a week as McCaffrey sat out the TCU game with a sore knee. FR RB Shaquille Richard did an admirable job in McCaffrey's place, rushing 28 times for 90 yards and a touchdown against a team that has led the nation in defense the last three years.  However, Coach Nigel Burton will hope to have McCaffrey back this week in a Big Sky game at Idaho State, because McCaffrey and Kavanaugh have been shredding Big Sky Conference defenses when they play together... against Northern Arizona on Sept 17, McCaffrey rushed 30 times for 222 yards and four touchdowns, while Kavanaugh had a career-high 134 yards on 16 carries. It marked the fourth time in six games that the two have started together against Big Sky opponents that each has had at least 100 yards. In one of the other two games (EWU last year), Kavanaugh went out in the first period with a broken hand... if you throw out the Eastern Washington game, McCaffrey and Kavanaugh have combined to average 280.4 rushing yards per game while scoring 14 touchdowns in the other five against the BSC... McCaffrey is just the fifth Viking in history with at least two 200-yard rushing games (there have been 25 200-yard games). His 222 yards ranks 15th-best in school history... with 1,136 career rushing yards, Kavanaugh is PSU's all-time quarterback rusher. His 506 yards last season were a school record for a quarterback.

TOP RUSHING GAMES IN PSU HISTORY
    1.    393    Ryan Fuqua, 2001 @ Eastern Washington
    2.    356    Joe Rubin, 2005 vs. Northern Colorado
    3.    324    Charles Dunn, 2000 vs. Hofstra
    4.    314    Steve Papin, 1995 vs. Arkansas-Monticello
    5.    281    Darick Holmes, 1994 @ Angelo State
    6.    270    Charles Dunn, 2000 vs. Cal State Northridge
        270    Ryan Fuqua, 2001 vs. Cal State Northridge
    8.    264    Ryan Fuqua, 2002 vs. Eastern Washington
    9.    250    Charles Dunn, 1997 vs. Cal State Northridge
    10.    247    Charles Dunn, 1998 vs. Sacramento State
    11.    243    Ryan Fuqua, 2001 vs. Sacramento State
    12.    226    Cory McCaffrey, 2010 vs. Northern Colorado
    13.    225    Curtis Delgardo, 1990 @ Sacramento State
    14.    224    Rais Aho, 1992 vs. Cal Poly
    15.    222    Cory McCaffrey, 2011 vs. Northern Arizona
    16.    217    Burnell Harvin, 1989 @ Santa Clara
        217    Andy Berkis, 1964 @ Eastern Oregon
    18.    215    Joe Rubin, 2005 vs. Weber State
        215    Curtis Delgardo, 1988 @ Sacramento State
    20.    213    Charles Dunn, 1999 @ Weber State
        213    Charles Dunn, 1999 @ Cal Poly
    22.    211    Charles Dunn, 2000 @ Sacramento State
    23.    208    Ryan Fuqua, 2001 vs. Weber State
    24.    207    Ryan Fuqua, 2002 vs. North Carolina A&T
    25.    201    Charles Dunn, 2000 @ Northern Arizona

BALANCE IT OUT: PSU tried to balance out its offense against TCU and did so to some success. PSU rushed for 119 yards and passed for 176 without Cory McCaffrey and against one of the nation's best defenses... although offensive coordinator Bruce Barnum had to love the productivity of his running game against Northern Arizona, (the Vikings rushed for 361 yards), it had only 66 through the air. SR QB Connor Kavanaugh was 6-15-2 with 60 of those yards in the first period and all 66 by halftime. Both of his second half pass attempts were intercepted... against TCU McCaffrey looked better, completing 10-18 for 103 yards. SR QB Drew Hubel also saw action completing 7-16 for 73 yards with one interception.

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 certainly played like Samson, 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.

SOME VERY SPECIAL TEAMS: DT Myles Wade blocked a game-winning field goal attempt by Northern Arizona in the closing seconds  to seal a 31-29 win on Sept. 17. That was one of several special moments by the special teams already this season.
• The Vikings had gone five years without a punt block, but had two in the first two games (in addition to the first field goal block in two years). JR WR Nevin Lewis blocked one in the first game, FR TE Taylor Martinek blocked one in the second game.
• Lewis also made a tackle for loss on a fake punt in the first game.
• The Vikings' JR K Zach Brown is working on a string of 10 straight field goals made, dating to last year. That is a new Portland State record and also extends his career field goal record to 40.
• PSU's kick return team averages 23.1 per return this season. Lewis (27.8) and SR FS DeShawn Shead (25.2) lead the way in that department.
• 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 continues to lead the Viking defense. He has been the team-leader in tackles all three games and has a team-high 30 this year - more than twice as many as any other player... Rau passed 200 career tackles against TCU and now has 207 in his career... Rau made two big plays in the second half of the win over Northern Arizona. Early in the third period, following a PSU fumble, NAU had driven to the Viking 27-yard line. Rau blitzed and sacked NAU QB Cary Grossart for a 17-yard loss and the 'Jacks eventually had to settle for a field goal... midway through the third period, the 'Jacks had driven to the Viking 41-yard line and were looking for a tieing score. Rau forced a Giovannie Dixon fumble that was recovered by JR LB Joel Sisler to snuff out the drive... Rau tied his career-high with 12 tackles against NAU.

NOSE FOR THE BALL: JR LB Joel Sisler has shown a knack for being in the right place at the right time the last two seasons. He came up with a first-half interception against TCU and now has two takeaways on the season. Sisler's stats include three tackles for loss and a pass breakup this year... last year, Sisler also had two interceptions.

DEFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS: SR FS Donte Almond had a forced fumble at TCU to go with his interception against Northern Arizona on Sept. 17... SR DT Myles Wade had a sack in the first half.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: Portland State was last in the Big Sky Conference last season in rushing defense, allowing around 230 yards per game on the ground. Included were 391 rushing yards by Northern Arizona in the 2010 season finale. On Sept 17, PSU held NAU - playing the same two feature backs as last season - to just 79 rushing yards. PSU gave up 248 rushing yards to TCU, but through three games is allowing a respectable 129.7 yards on the ground (and 194 through the air). The 323.7 yards allowed per game so far is down from 464.1 last year.

LED BY SHEAD: SR SS DeShawn Shead started his 36th straight game against Northern Arizona. He is the only Viking to start and play in all 36 games over the last four seasons.

LEWIS HIGHLIGHTS SPECIAL TEAMS: JR WR Nevin Lewis averages a Big Sky Conference-leading 27.8 yards per kickoff return this year. He also has two tackles in kick coverage, a blocked punt and a tackle for loss on a fake punt. Lewis was named the Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in the 52-0 win over Southern Oregon (blocked punt, tackle for loss on a fake punt - both leading to touchdowns).

ZACH BROWN AND HIS LEG OF RENOWN: JR K Zach Brown hit field goals of 22 and 42 yards at TCU extending his consecutive FG made streak to 10 - a school record. He is now 4-4 kicking this season and has a PSU career record total of 40 field goals. Brown has made 8-9 extra points for 20 total points... with 174 career points he is approaching the PSU top 10 career scoring list.

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 2-0... Head Coach Nigel Burton now has a 3-3 home record.

THE VIKINGS RECORD ON TV: Since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996, Portland State has appeared on television locally in Portland 38 times. PSU is 16-22 in those games, 10-7 at home, 6-15 on the road... the Vikings broke an 11-game TV losing streak with the win over Southern Oregon. PSU is now 2-0 this season on TV... the Vikings will have at least four games televised in the Portland area, though not this week's game.

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, 36; Ryan Rau, 2008-11, 35; Braedyn Eagle, 2008-11, 35
Games Started: DeShawn Shead, 2008-11, 36 (consecutive); Zach Brown, 2009-11, 25
Receptions: Justin Monahan, 2010-11, 44; Keitrell Anderson, 2009-11, 19; Ricky Cookman, 2008-11, 17
Receiving Yards: Justin Monahan, 2010-11, 560; Keitrell Anderson, 2009-11, 251; Ricky Cookman, 2008-11, 193
Rushing Yards: Cory McCaffrey, 2008-11, 1,578 yards; Connor Kavanaugh, 2008-11, 1,136 yards
Passing Yards/TDs: Drew Hubel, 2007-11, 6,612 yards (4th all-time)/43 TDs (6th all-time);
    Connor Kavanaugh, 2008-11, 1,778 yards yards/8 TDs
Tackles: Ryan Rau, 2008-11, 207; DeShawn Shead, 2008-11, 160
Tackles For Loss: Ryan Rau, 2008-11, 14; Carl Sommer, 2009-11, 11; DeShawn Shead, 2008-11, 8.5
Sacks: Ryan Rau, 2008-11, 5; Carl Sommer, 2009-11, 4; Jack Forbes, 2010-11, 2
Interceptions: DeShawn Shead, 2008-11, 9
Pass Breakups: DeShawn Shead, 2008-11, 25
Field Goals: Zach Brown, 2009-11, 40 (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 6,612, passing Terry Summerfield (1982-85)... Hubel also has 43 career touchdown passes to rank sixth all-time... his pass completion total of 502 now ranks fifth all-time at PSU.