complete notes and stats in pdf

SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS (1-2, 0-0) vs. PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (1-2, 0-0)
Game 4 • Saturday, September 22, 2012 • 5:07 p.m. • JELD-WEN Field (18,627), Portland, OR

TELEVISION: Comcast SportsNet  (ch. 37/HD 737)
Play-by-play: Bob Akamian • Analyst: Mouse Davis • Sidelines: Trysta Krick
RADIO: Freedom 970 AM, www.freedom970.com
Pregame Show: 4 p.m. • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Analyst: Mike Lund
INTERNET: Live stats: http://vikslive.statb.us. Live video stream: www.bigskytv.org>
 
THE SERIES RECORD
All-Time Series: PSU leads 8-1 • PSU leads 5-0 in Portland • PSU leads 3-1 in Cedar City

Western Football Conference games (NCAA II)
Oct. 11, 1986: PSU 41-17 @ Portland
Sept. 26, 1987: PSU 38-6 @ Cedar City
Oct. 22, 1988: PSU 52-24 @ Portland
Oct. 21, 1989: SUU 36-26 @ Cedar City
Nov. 10, 1990: PSU 35-19 @ Portland
Oct. 5, 1991: PSU 30-6 @ Cedar City
Oct. 3, 1992: PSU 35-18 @ Portland

Non-conference games
Nov. 6, 1993: PSU 24-14 @ Cedar City
Nov. 12, 1994: PSU 48-16 @ Portland

STREAKS
• In the series with Southern Utah, PSU has won all five meetings in Portland and five straight overall.
• The Vikings have lost two games in a row this season.
• Southern Utah has lost two in a row on the road this season.
• SR OL Kyle Ritt has played in 36 straight games. Ritt has started 35, including the last 32.

BIG SKY HOME OPENERS
Portland State is 10-6 in Big Sky Conference home opening games. PSU has won the last two Big Sky home openers and six of the last seven Big Sky home openers.

FIRST TIME, LONG TIME...
The last time Portland State played a new Big Sky Conference team for the first time was Northern Colorado on September 9, 2006. The Bears were also playing their first-ever Big Sky Conference game. The Vikings won that game, 45-3, in Portland.

STORYLINES
• Portland State and Southern Utah's history spans nine seasons - 1986 to 1994. The Vikings and Thunderbirds were co-members of the old Division II Western Football Conference from '86 to '92. PSU leads the all-time series, 8-1, including 6-1 in WFC games.
• Southern Utah is a former member of the Great West Football Conference.
• Southern Utah quarterback Brad Sorenson is a preseason 1st team All-American. He was also picked as the Big Sky Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year despite having yet to play in the Big Sky.
• Also earning preseason All-Big Sky Conference honors were OL Zach Brackus and DT Cody Larsen.

BIG SKY CONFERENCE JOURNEY BEGINS WITH NEW OPPONENT
The important part of the season begins this Saturday for the Portland State Vikings as they host Southern Utah University in the opening game of the 2012 Big Sky Conference season. The Vikings (1-2) and Thunderbirds (1-2) meet in a 5:07 p.m. game that will be televised on Comcast SportsNet Northwest. The game airs on Freedom 970 AM and www.freedom970.com. The pregame radio show begins at 4 p.m.
    
PSU and Southern Utah meet in a Big Sky game for the first time as the T-Birds are first-year members in the league. Back in the day, the teams met regularly as Division II members of the old Western Football Conference (1986-92). Portland State leads the all-time series, 8-1, but the schools have not met since 1994.
    
In the Big Sky Conference preseason polls, the Vikings were picked to place fourth in the expanded 13-team league. PSU was 5-3 last year and tied for third place in the league. Southern Utah was 1-3 in the now-defunct Great West Football Conference and placed fourth. The Thunderbirds were picked eighth in the Big Sky preseason polls.
    
A Big Sky Conference title is a guaranteed way to the 20-team NCAA I FCS playoffs and that is what every league team will vie for beginning this Saturday. The Big Sky traditionally gets a second at-large bid to the playoffs, and with an expanded league has a chance for more bids in 2012.
    
The Vikings come off a 52-13 loss at Washington last Saturday. PSU has lost two in a row, both on the road, after a season-opening 38-20 win over Carroll. Southern Utah beat New Mexico Highlands, 45-23, on Saturday following opening losses at Utah State and California.

SCOUTING THE THUNDERBIRDS
Southern Utah comes to Portland State for the first time since a 1994 game at then Civic Stadium. The Cedar City, UT school will be making its debut as a Big Sky Conference member.
    
SUU was 6-5 in 2011, 1-3 in the Great West Football Conference. Among Big Sky opponents last year, Southern Utah went 3-0, beating Sacramento State, Weber State and Northern Arizona with the latter two games coming on the road. The Thunderbirds return 10 starters and 42 letterwinners from that team. Most prominent among them is senior quarterback Brad Sorenson who was picked as preseason All-Big Sky Conference player. Sorensen threw for 3,143 yards and 17 touchdowns last season.
    
This season, Southern Utah has started 1-2, losing at FBS opponents Utah State (34-3) and Cal (50-31), then winning at home over NCAA Division II New Mexico Highlands, 45-23, last Saturday.
    
Sorensen has thrown for 657 yards and seven touchdowns with four interceptions through the first three games. His main target is wide receiver Fatu Moala with 22 receptions for 227 yards and four TDs.
    
The Thunderbirds have given up 10 sacks in three games.
    
Southern Utah has given up a lot of yards and points, but has also proven to be a big-play defense. SUU is last in the Big Sky in pass defense, allowing 299.7 yards per game, but first in sacks, averaging 3.0 per game. Preseason All-Big Sky defensive tackle Cody Larsen has three sacks and six tackles for loss to lead the conference in both categories.
    
So far, the T-Birds are giving up 477 yards of total offense per game. But, SUU has forced 13 fumbles and recovered six. The Thunderbirds have made nine sacks and forced nine turnovers.
    
Linebacker Namari Flentroy is tied for the Big Sky Conference lead with 29 tackles and has forced two fumbles. Zak Browning, also a linebacker, has 20 tackles and forced three fumbles.

GAME WEEK ACTIVITIES
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 John Canzano Show on 750 AM The Game. Burton will review and preview Viking football games.
VIKING COACHES' LUNCHEONS: Viking Coaches Luncheons are scheduled for Sept. 17, 24, Oct. 8, 29, Nov. 12 at noon at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Coach Nigel Burton, Viking players, and coaches representing other sports will be on hand to speak and take questions. Luncheons take place at The OSF at 0715 S.W. Bancroft in Portland. The cost is $10.00 per person and includes lunch and a non-alcoholic beverage.
SPECIAL EVENTS FOR THIS WEEK: The Vik Walk begins on the Park Blocks with the team two and a half hours before every game. The team will walk to JELD-WEN Field and fans are welcome to join. They will pass the Viking Tailgate area on SW 18th and Salmon and the Cheerful Bullpen... at every game, fans can check in at JELD-WEN Field on facebook or tweet with the hashtag #goviks to win a GoViks wristband, located at the marketing table by Gate 1... all youth football participants get in free if they are wearing a jersey and accompanied by a paid adult ticket... this week will be Freshman Frenzy, welcoming all new students to Portland State. There will be a student tailgate party with free food located outside the Cheerful Bullpen.
VIKINGS ON THE RADIO: All Portland State football games can be heard on Freedom 970 AM and www.freedom970.com. 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 will appear on television a record nine times in 2012. PSU and Comcast SportsNet have teamed up to present six Viking games, including four self-produced home games and two that will be picked up from opponent feeds. The home games will feature veteran broadcaster Bob Akamian and Portland State coaching legend Mouse Davis in the booth. Trysta Krick will be on the sidelines.
REMAINING TELEVISED GAMES IN THE PORTLAND AREA
Sept. 22, Portland State vs. Southern Utah, 5 p.m., CSNNW
Sept. 29, Portland State at Northern Arizona, 2 p.m. Fox Arizona Plus (satellite TV)
Oct. 6, Portland State vs. Idaho State, 5 p.m., CSNNW
Oct. 20, Portland State at Cal Poly, 6 p.m., CSNNW (opponent feed)
Nov. 10, Portland State at Montana State, 12:30 p.m. PT, Root
Nov. 17, Portland State vs. Eastern Washington, 1 p.m., CSNNW
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.bigskytv.org... Live stats for Portland State home games are at vikslive.statb.us with an available mobile phone feature.
TICKETS: Tickets for all home games can be purchased in prices ranging from $14 to $50, with youth prices as low as $7. Groups of 15 or more get special admission prices. Tickets are subject to service charge. 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.

FACTS, FIGURES AND CURIOSITIES
WINS AND LOSSES: Portland State is 1-2 on the season... the Vikings are 5-2 at home since the start of 2011, 3-4 on the road... Head Coach Nigel Burton now has a 6-5 home record, 4-10 road record... PSU was 3-2 on the road in 2011 - its first winning road record since 2006 (4-3)... PSU's 3-1 Big Sky road record matched its best ever (also 2000 and 2006)... the Vikings have eight winning records in 16 years as a member of the Big Sky Conference... PSU is 56-31 in home games since moving to the NCAA I level, 28-65 on the road... PSU is 55-68 all-time in Big Sky Conference games in its' 17th season as a member. The Vikings are 34-28 at home, 21-40 on the road in BSC games.

MONEY MAN: In two games, SR WR Justin Monahan has nine receptions for a team-high 209 yards and two touchdowns. Monahan has 293 all-purpose yards in two games played... at North Dakota, Monahan caught six passes for a career-high 156 yards and two first-half touchdowns... Monahan was the Vikings' leading receiver in 2011 (52-707-6). He has 91 career catches for nearly 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns.

DJ MEANS TD: Portland State's running attack was in full force at North Dakota, gaining 214 yards on 38 carries. Most of the damage was done by JR RB DJ Adams, who had 16 carries for 144 yards and a touchdown. Though Adams had just nine carries for 20 yards at Washington, he leads the Vikings in rushing with 39 carries for 246 yards and three touchdowns. In fact, counting his Maryland career (15 TDs on 107 carries), Adams has scored 18 touchdowns on 146 running plays, an average of one score for every 8.1 touches.

SHAQ ATTACK: SO RB Shaquille Richard has been effective as a backup to Adams. Richard has 25 carries for 85 yards and three receptions for 117 yards. That gives him a total of 202 yards in three games.

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... in three games, McDonagh has 671 passing yards and six touchdowns... at Washington McDonagh threw for 178 yards and rushed for 61 more... McDonagh averages 253.0 yards of total offense per game.

DEFENSE STARTS SLOW, FINISHES BETTER: In three games, the Viking defense has allowed 758 yards of offense and 92 points in the first half. In the second half it has allowed just 415 yards and 29 points. Unfortunately for PSU the damage was done in the first half at North Dakota as UND had five passing touchdowns and 35 points, and at Washington as the Huskies built a 45-0 lead on 261 yards.

'BACKERS IN FRONT: Preseason All-Conference SR LB Ian Sluss has lived up to his billing, making 29 tackles to tie for the Big Sky Conference lead. He has 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery in three games. Sluss now has 17 career TFLs in 13 games played. He made a dozen tackles at Washington... SR LB Khalil Bass ranks second on the team with 20 tackles and 3.5 TFLs as well... JR LB Jaycob Shoemaker's return to play after missing almost a season-and-a-half with injury is inspiring. “Shoe” has 18 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception return for touchdown... the Vikings lead the Big Sky with 8.7 tackles for loss per game, ranking eighth in the nation.

ON THE EDGE: As the Vikings try to shore up a battered defensive backfield, JR S David Edgerson made a case for himself against Washington. Edge, who had seen limited action in the first two games, made 12 stops - one for loss - against the 'Dawgs when pressed into duty. He showed speed to the ball and the ability to make the big hit.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOT SO SPECIAL: The Vikings had one of the top special teams units in the nation on every team last year. But one year has made a huge difference, especially with injuries factored in. In the past two games, the Vikings have had five punts or kicks blocked. Too bad, because when the Vikings have gotten the kicks away, they have been good. SO K Nick Fernandez is 4-4 on field goals when not blocked, and SR P Thomas Duyndam is averaging 41.1 yards with a solid net of 37.4.

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 two games and touched the ball 12 times as a receiver and kick returner, totaling 254 yards (21.2 yards per touch). With 161 kick return yards this year, Lewis now ranks third all-time in career kickoff return yards (1,278).

FINISH THE DRIVE: Portland State has made seven trips into the red zone this season, converting just two into touchdowns (29%). The Vikings have also made three field goals… PSU has a total of 10 offensive touchdowns with eight of them coming on plays 25 yards or longer.

NEW IN THE LINEUP: On offense, the Vikings had new starters in SO LG Cornelius Edison, FR QB Kieran McDonagh and SO WR Alex Toureen against Carroll... the defensive line had three new starters with SR DE Marquis Jackson, JR DE Nick Alexander and JR DT Zack Ka'ahanui. Also new in the starting lineup on defense were SR CB Aaron Kincy and JR CB Dennis Fite... against North Dakota FR OL John Archuleta and SO K Nick Fernandez had their first career starts... SR S Andrew Godinet made his first career start at Washington.

QUARTERBACKS SPLIT WIDE: FR QB Kieran McDonagh won a four-man competition for the starting role out of fall camp. Although the coaching staff narrowed their quarterback list down to four, one thing is certain: the Vikings have A LOT of quarterbacks on their roster.  In fact, they now have more former QBs at wide receiver than they do taking snaps. All of these current wide receivers were either quarterbacks at PSU at one time, or were high school quarterbacks: Nevin Lewis, Nick Green, Thomas Carter, David Jones, Keitrell Anderson and Hank Taylor... oddly enough, entering the 2012 season, the Vikings did not have a single quarterback on the roster who had taken a snap in a Portland State game.

OREGON FLAVOR: Portland State's 2012 signing class was perhaps the most locally-based since Portland State joined the Big Sky Conference in 1996, and likely since Mouse Davis trod the sidelines for the Vikings in the late 1970s. Of the 24 signees in 2012, 16 are high schoolers from the Pacific Northwest, 13 are from Oregon, 10 from the metro area. Portland State got lots of help in the offensive and defensive backfield as well as on both lines, and Burton feels they came up with remarkable young talent at the linebacker position. Better yet, from The Sports Network's columnist Craig Haley: ”With their high number of two- and three-star commits, it can be argued that James Madison and Portland State are putting together the best recruiting classes in the FCS.”…  among all the players on the roster entering camp, 19 of the freshmen are from the Oregon/Vancouver, WA area. Fourteen of those are specifically from the metro area. In the original 24 player signing class of 2012, 16 were high schoolers from the Pacific Northwest, 13 are from Oregon, and 10 from the metro area… PSU has 36 Oregonians on the roster.