Complete release and stats in pdf

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-4, 1-2) vs. #14 CAL POLY MUSTANGS (6-0, 4-0)
Game 7 • Saturday, October 20, 2012 • 6:05 p.m. • Alex G. Spanos Stadium (11,075), San Luis Obispo, CA

TELEVISION: Comcast SportsNet Northwest (ch. 37/HD 737) - opponent feed • Play-by-play: Bill Halter • Analyst: Andrew Masuda • Sidelines: Dave Hovde
RADIO: Freedom 970 AM, www.freedom970.com • Pregame Show: 5 p.m. • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Analyst: Mike Lund
INTERNET: Live stats: http://livestats.prestosports.com/calpoly/ • Live video stream: www.bigskytv.org
 
THE SERIES RECORD
All-Time Series: Portland State leads 10-8 • PSU leads 6-4 in Portland • Series is tied 4-4 in San Luis Obispo
Big Sky Conference Series: 1st meeting

Sept. 10, 1977: CP 29-22 @ Portland
Oct. 7, 1978: CP 56-20 @ San Luis Obispo
Oct. 27, 1979: CP 45-42 @ Portland
Oct. 31, 1981: CP 41-12 @ San Luis Obispo

Western Football Conference games (NCAA II)
Oct. 2, 1982: CP 22-0 @ Portland
Nov. 12, 1983: CP 16-7 @ San Luis Obispo
Oct. 13, 1984: PSU 29-0 @ Portland
Nov. 9, 1985: CP 34-21 @ San Luis Obispo
Nov. 1, 1986: PSU 66-7 @ Portland
Oct. 31, 1987: PSU 31-7 @ San Luis Obispo
Sept. 17, 1988: PSU 21-3 @ Portland
Oct. 7, 1989: PSU 55-26 @ San Luis Obispo
Sept. 22, 1990: CP 36-23 @ Portland
Nov. 16, 1991: PSU 55-35 @ San Luis Obispo
Nov. 14, 1992: PSU 45-31 @ Portland

Oct. 30, 1993: PSU 21-17 @ Portland
Oct. 31, 1998: PSU 41-34 @ Portland
Oct. 30, 1999: PSU 42-28 @ San Luis Obispo

STREAKS
• Cal Poly has won seven straight games, including three straight at home.
• Portland State last lost three straight road games this season.
• Portland State has won five straight in the series, though they have not played since 1999.
• SR OL Kyle Ritt has played in 37 straight games. Ritt has started 36, including the last 33.

VIKINGS VS. NATIONALLY-RANKED TEAMS
Portland State will play its second nationally-ranked opponent this season when it faces #14 Cal Poly. The Vikings lost at #22 Northern Arizona, 24-10, on Sept. 29. PSU is 14-30 all-time against nationally-ranked FCS teams, 14-36 against all Division I ranked teams.
    • PSU is 4-18 on the road against nationally-ranked FCS opponents.
    • PSU has lost 13 straight games to nationally-ranked teams (FCS or FBS).

STORYLINES
• Former Portland State Head Coach Tim Walsh (1993-2006), has been the head coach at Cal Poly since 2009. He compiled a 90-68 record overall at PSU, leading the Vikings to the post-season four times (1993, 1994, 1995, 2000).
• Cal Poly Co-Offensive Coordinator Saga Tuitele was an All-Conference lineman for Portland State (1997-2000), and also coached at Portland State. Mustangs' wide receivers coach Juston Wood was an All-Conference quarterback for the Vikings (1999-2002).
• PSU and Cal Poly will meet for the first time since 1999, when current Mustangs Coach Tim Walsh led the Vikings. PSU won that game, 42-28, in San Luis Obispo. Walsh was 3-0 with PSU against Cal Poly.
• The schools meet for the first time in a conference matchup since 1992 when both schools were members of the Division II Western Football Conference. They were conference co-members from 1982-1992 where PSU held a 7-4 advantage.
• PSU leads the all-time series, 10-8, and has won five straight, though the schools have not met in 13 years. Cal Poly won the first six meetings in the series from 1977-1983.

VIKINGS MEET AN OLD FRIEND AND NEW FOE THIS SATURDAY
After a week's rest, Portland State will return to play this Saturday, facing 14th-ranked Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Game time is 6:05 p.m. as the Vikings take on a brand new Big Sky Conference opponent and former head coach at the same time.
    
The Vikings (2-4, 1-2) will try to hand the first-place Mustangs (6-0, 4-0) their first loss this season. Cal Poly has won seven straight games dating to last season under Head Coach Tim Walsh. Walsh is a former Portland State Head Coach (1993-2006), who is the winningest coach in Viking history (90-68). Coincidently, he was inducted into the Portland State Athletics Hall of Fame just two weeks ago.
    
Walsh is now in his fourth season at Cal Poly (23-16). One of his proteges, Nigel Burton, is in his third year as Head Coach at Portland State (11-17). Burton was a Walsh assistant in 2001-02 at PSU before moving on to coaching stints at Oregon State and Nevada.
    
Saturday's game should be an interesting matchup of two talented offensive teams. Cal Poly leads the  Big Sky in scoring (38.2 ppg) while the Vikings lead the Big Sky in total offense (458.7 ypg). The Mustangs rank third in the nation in rushing (309.8 ypg) with their triple option offense. Meanwhile, the Vikings have been  a pretty good run-stopping team, allowing just 86.7 yards on the ground against four Big Sky Conference members (and 2.7 yards per carry) and 113.5 overall to rank third in the Big Sky and 16th in the nation.
    
Cal Poly is the second nationally-ranked team that PSU has faced this year. PSU lost at #16 Northern Arizona on Sept. 29, 24-10. The Vikings expect to face two more in November (at #5 Montana State on Nov. 10, and #1 Eastern Washington on Nov. 17).
    
This Saturday's game will be televised on Comcast SportsNet in the Portland area, taking a feed from the Cal Poly telecast. The radio broadcast begins at 5 p.m. with the pre-game show on Freedom 970 AM and www.freedom970.com. The game will also stream live at www.bigskytv.org.
    
Portland State travels to UC Davis on Oct. 27 before returning home to face Northern Colorado on Nov. 3.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Cal Poly has proven to be highly successful in its first season in the Big Sky Conference. The new members have jumped to a 6-0 record, 4-0 and first place in Big Sky games. The Mustangs were ranked #14 in this week's Sports Network poll and even received three first-place votes as nine different schools received number-one votes.
    
Cal Poly comes off a 6-5 season in 2011, 3-1 in the now-defunct Great West Football Conference.
    
Head Coach Tim Walsh is in his 22nd season as a collegiate head coach (including 14 at PSU - 1993-2006) and has compiled a 140-98 career record.  He is 23-16 in his fourth season at Cal Poly.
    
Cal Poly leads the Big Sky Conference in scoring (38.2), rushing (309.8), pass efficiency (having thrown nine touchdowns against just one interception this year), third-down conversions (56.7%) and fourth-down conversions (4-4).
    
The Mustangs average 418.3 yards of total offense per game while allowing 360.0. Perhaps even more significant is a +7 turnover ratio. Cal Poly gives up the fewest penalty yards in the league (46.7 ypg).
    
Running back Deonte Williams ranks second in the Big Sky Conference with 757 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Williams averages 7.1 yards per carry and has 10 total TDs to lead the league in each category.
    
Quarterback Andre Broadus, a native of Portland, has thrown for 605 yards and nine scores, allowing just one interception. He has also rushed for 240 yards and four touchdowns.
    
Linebacker Kennith Jackson leads the Mustangs with 60 tackles. Cornerback Nico Molino is the top defensive back in the league with Big Sky bests of four interceptions and eight pass breakups.

KIERAN McDONAGH'S BIG DAY
Portland State freshman quarterback Kieran McDonagh accounted for six touchdowns in the Vikings' 77-10 win over the Idaho State Bengals on Oct. 6. For that performance, McDonagh was named the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week and The Sports Network's National Freshman of the Week for the NCAA I FCS level.
    
McDonagh, from Vancouver's Skyview High School, rushed for four touchdowns, passed for one touchdown, and caught a touchdown pass for good measure. In all, McDonagh completed 15-23 passes for 280 yards, rushed 10 times for a career-high 66 yards and had a 22-yard reception for a total of 368 yards. McDonagh's rushing touchdowns were 26, 11, 2 and 2 yards. His passing TD was 12 yards to freshman wide receiver Thomas Carter and his receiving TD was a 22-yarder from Carter on a trick play. It's also worth noting the McDonagh left the game before the end of the third quarter.
    
McDonagh led an offense that scored the most points by a Viking team in 32 years. PSU set a new school record for rushing yards (437) and had the second-most yards of total offense in school history (758).
    
For the season, McDonagh has completed 102 of 183 passes for 1,375 yards. He has nine touchdown passes and seven interceptions. McDonagh, a 6-1, 240-pounder, has rushed 51 times for 244 yards and six touchdowns. He ranks third in the Big Sky Conference and 19th in the nation with 269.8 yards of total offense per game.

FACTS, FIGURES AND CURIOSITIES
WINS AND LOSSES: Portland State is 2-4 on the season, having ended a four-game losing streak... PSU is 2-1 at home, 0-3 on the road... the Vikings are 6-3 at home since the start of 2011, 3-5 on the road... Head Coach Nigel Burton now has a 7-6 home record, 4-11 road record... the Vikings have eight winning records in 16 years as a member of the Big Sky Conference... PSU is 57-32 in home games since moving to the NCAA I level, 28-66 on the road... PSU is 56-70 all-time in Big Sky Conference games in its' 17th season as a member. The Vikings are 35-29 at home, 21-41 on the road in BSC games.

RECORD TOTALS: Portland State's 77-10 win over Idaho State marked the most points scored by a Viking team since Nov. 8, 1980 when Mouse Davis and Neil Lomax led a 105-0 win over Delaware State at then-Civic Stadium. The irony is that both Davis and Lomax were in the house to see the game against ISU; Lomax as a spectator and Davis as an analyst on the Viking TV broadcast on Comcast SportsNet... PSU rushed for 437 yards against Idaho State breaking the school record of 436 set against the same Bengal team in 2011... the Vikings' 758 yards of total offense were the second-most in school history. The most is 788, set by the Vikings in 1976 against Eastern Montana under the guidance of Davis... PSU averaged 9.1 yards per play against Idaho State.

DEEP DEPTH: In Portland State's record run of 437 yards against Idaho State, 11 different players carried the ball for the Vikings, and PSU went seven (!) deep at running back: JR Justin Lilley, SO Shaq Richard, JR DJ Adams, SR Denzel Davis, FR Julian Cruell, JR Malcolm Johnson, SR Ben Bowen... Johnson, the sixth back in, scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

STOPPING THE RUN: Although the Viking defense has struggled at times this season, they have been good against the run against Big Sky Conference teams... PSU allowed 68 rushing yards on 25 carries by Idaho State... previously, the Vikings held Southern Utah to 86 yards on 29 carries (Sept. 22) and Northern Arizona to 86 yards on 40 carries (Sept. 29)... although it was a non-conference game, North Dakota had 35 rushing plays for only 107 yards... that means four Big Sky opponents have averaged only 86.7 rushing yards per game against PSU, and better yet just 2.7 yards per carry... Portland State has allowed 264.3 yards passing per game and 17 passing touchdowns in six games while picking off seven passes. On the ground, they give up 113.5 and just 3.1 yards per carry... opponents have run 218 times and passed 201 times.

RUN GAME ROULETTE: Portland State has now started three different players at running back this season. Leading rusher JR RB DJ Adams got his first start at NAU. Adams has 85 carries for 544 yards and five touchdowns to lead the team. Adams ranks third in the Big Sky Conference with over 90 rushing yards per game.... SO RB Shaquille Richard has 55 carries for 260 yards and two scores. JR RB Justin Lilley has 13 carries for 72 yards. Also integral to the run game has been FR QB Kieran McDonagh with 51 carries for 244 yards and six TDs... the four main men average 186.7 rushing yards and the team averages 216.7 per game.

OFFENSE IN FRONT: A 758-yard day will do a lot for your statistics, but the Viking offense has been solid all season long. After six games, PSU leads the Big Sky Conference in total offense at 458.7 yards per game while scoring 36.2 points per game. Portland State averages 216.7 yards on the ground and 242.0 yards through the air.

DJ MEANS TD: JR RB DJ Adams has been the Vikings' top running back. He leads the team with 85 carries for 544 yards and five touchdowns after a career-best 148 against Idaho State... in fact, counting his Maryland career (15 TDs on 107 carries), Adams has scored 20 touchdowns on 192 running plays, an average of one score for every 9.6 touches.

TRUE FRESHMAN TAKES FIRST SNAPS: It can't be confirmed, but it is believed that FR QB Kieran McDonagh is the first true freshman quarterback to start his first game at Portland State since at least the 1950s, if ever. Drew Hubel started as a true freshman in 2007 but not until the seventh game of the season... McDonagh has started all six games and has 1,375 passing yards and nine touchdowns. He has run 51 times for 244 yards and six touchdowns. McDonagh is averaging 269.8 yards of total offense per game... McDonagh has benefitted from an offensive line that has allowed the fewest sacks in the league (3, ranking fourth in the nation).

GOOD MOVE: FR WR Thomas Carter started his PSU career as a quarterback. He redshirted in 2011, then after two weeks of fall practice this season, he was moved to wide receiver. The move is paying off as Carter leads the team with 19 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns. He also has one running play of 11 yards and a touchdown pass thrown for 22 yards.

DEFENSE STARTS SLOW, FINISHES BETTER: The Viking defense has allowed 1,335 yards of offense and 139 points in the first half (222.5/23.2). In the second half it has allowed just 932 yards and 65 points (155.3/10.8).

'BACKERS IN FRONT: Preseason All-Conference SR LB Ian Sluss has lived up to his billing, with 62 tackles to rank second in the Big Sky. He also has 6.5 tackles for loss, a sack, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Sluss made a dozen tackles at Washington, 12 more against Southern Utah, then a career-high 17 at Northern Arizona. He returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown against Idaho State... SR LB Khalil Bass ranks second on the team with 51 tackles and 5.5 TFLs as well. Bass returned a fumble 24 yards for a touchdown against ISU... JR LB Jaycob Shoemaker's return to play after missing almost a season-and-a-half with injury is inspiring. “Shoe” has 44 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, an interception return for touchdown and two pass breakups... the Vikings lead the Big Sky with 8.0 tackles for loss per game, ranking sixth in the nation.

PLAYMAKER: SR WR Nevin Lewis is a playmaker, as proven by his 2011 season. He was brilliant on special teams, blocking three punts, snuffing out a fake punt with a tackle for loss and making three tackles in all. He also had 29 kick returns for an average of 23.7 per return... as a receiver, Lewis had 22 catches for 337 yards and two touchdowns. He had one rush for seven yards and completed a 14-yard touchdown pass on a reverse play... this season, Lewis has played in five games and touched the ball 31 times as a receiver, runner and kick returner, totaling 638 yards (20.6 yards per touch) and two touchdowns... Lewis averages 127.6 yards per game... with 324 kick return yards this year, Lewis now ranks third all-time in career kickoff return yards at PSU (1,441).

BIG PLAY OFFENSE: Portland State has a total of 26 offensive touchdowns with 13 of them coming on plays of 25 yards or longer... FR QB Kieran McDonagh's eight TD passes average 41.9 yards in length.