Box Score Boxscore

Seattle, WA - The Washington Huskies needed to get well after being routed last week at LSU and they took it out on Portland State, beating the Vikings, 52-13, at CenturyLink Field.

The Vikings got off to a bad start, but take consolation in battling hard to the end and a 13-7 scoring advantage in the second half. Big Sky Conference play does not begin until next Saturday and that is when the truly important part of the PSU season begins.

Washington improved to 2-1 with the win, while Portland State dropped to 1-2.

The Huskies got great field position on their first two possessions after recovering an onside kick and mounting a good punt return. The result was two short scoring drives of 46 and 35 yards and a lead of 14-0 after four minutes.

The remainder of the first period was evenly played. But Washington built a 12-play drive, highlighted by a fake punt, that went 65 yards. When Keith Price hit Kasen Williams on a four-yard TD pass at the 12:17 mark of the second quarter it was a 21-0 Husky lead.

PSU finally put together an effective drive, but when forced to kick a field goal it was blocked by the Huskies' Shaquille Thompson. Tre Watson scooped up the ball and raced 79 yards for a touchdown. A 21-yard interception return for touchdown by Marcus Peters also highlighted a 31-point second quarter for Washington. The Huskies went into the locker room with a 45-0 lead.

The Vikings finally got on the board in the third quarter when quarterback Kieran McDonagh hit wide receiver Nevin Lewis on a go route. The play went for 70 yards and a touchdown.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Vikings took advantage of an interception by cornerback Karrington Jones. McDonagh led a short drive of nine-plays and 43 yards. He rumbled in for a touchdown from four yards out.

PSU's defense rallied in the second half. Solid play from Ian Sluss and David Edgerson with 12 tackles each led the way. The Huskies gained just 168 yards in the half after getting 269 in the first half.

The Vikings finished the day with 261 yards of total offense. McDonagh completed 18 of 32 passes for 178 yards and one score, but threw two interceptions. He also rushed 10 times for 61 yards.

Lewis had three receptions for 81 yards and Justin Monahan made three catches for 53 yards.

Price completed 14 of 19 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns for the Huskies. Bishop Sankey rushed 14 times for 103 yards and two scores.

GAME NOTES: Portland State is now 0-13 all-time against current members of the Pac-12... Portland State opens Big Sky Conference play on Sept. 22, hosting Southern Utah at JELD-WEN Field. Kickoff is 5:07 p.m. The game is televised on Comcast SportsNet and airs on Freedom 970 AM. The radio pre-game show begins at 4 p.m.