Complete notes and stats in pdf

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (1-3, 0-1) vs. #22 NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS (3-1, 1-0)
Game 5 • Saturday, September 29, 2012 • 2 p.m. • JL Walkup Skydome (10,000), Flagstaff, AZ

TELEVISION: Fox Sports Arizona Plus (satellite: Dish SD 442/HD 9580, DirecTV SD 695/HD 695-1)
Play-by-play: Mitch Strohmann • Analyst: Kevin Stephens • Sidelines: Reggie Eccleston
RADIO: Freedom 970 AM, www.freedom970.com
Pregame Show: 1 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: NAU leads 14-5 • NAU leads at Portland 7-3 • NAU leads at Flagstaff 7-2
Big Sky Series: NAU leads 11-5 • NAU leads at Flagstaff 6-2 • NAU leads at Portland 5-3

Big Sky Conference games
Sept. 21, 1996: NAU 38-24 @ Portland
Sept. 27, 1997: NAU 56-21 @ Flagstaff
Nov. 14, 1998: NAU 23-13 @ Portland
Nov. 13, 1999: NAU 40-24 @ Flagstaff
Sept. 30, 2000: PSU 42-10 @ Flagstaff
Sept. 29, 2001: PSU 33-30 @ Portland
Sept. 28, 2002: NAU 14-10 @ Flagstaff
Sept. 20, 2003: NAU 23-0 @ Portland
Oct. 23, 2004: NAU 21-20 @ Flagstaff
Oct. 22, 2005: PSU 45-0 @ Portland
Nov. 4, 2006: PSU 34-26 @ Flagstaff
Oct. 6, 2007: NAU 44-43 @ Portland
Oct. 11, 2008: NAU 37-17 @ Flagstaff
Oct. 17, 2009: NAU 44-23 @ Portland
Nov. 20, 2010: NAU 62-14 @ Flagstaff
Sept. 17, 2011: PSU 31-29 @ Portland

STREAKS
• Northern Arizona has won the last two meetings in Flagstaff, and seven of the last 10 overall against PSU.
• The Lumberjacks have won three straight games this season.
• Portland State has lost three in a row this season.
• The Vikings won two straight Big Sky road games at the end of last season.
• SR OL Kyle Ritt has played in 37 straight games. Ritt has started 36, including the last 33.

LAST YEAR: PORTLAND STATE 31, NORTHERN ARIZONA 29
Portland State ended a four-game losing streak to Northern Arizona last season, beating the Lumberjacks, 31-29, in Portland. DT Myles Wade blocked a field goal by the 'Jacks with 54 seconds left to preserve the win for the Vikings. RB Cory McCaffrey rushed for 222 yards and four touchdowns in the win. QB Connor Kavanaugh rushed for 134 yards. The Vikings had 361 rushing yards overall. QB Cary Grossart threw for 323 yards for the Lumberjacks.

STORYLINES
• Northern Arizona has won the last two meetings in Flagstaff, including a 62-14 drubbing of the Vikings in 2010, the largest margin of victory in 19 games between the schools.
• NAU's Zach Bauman is the top returning rusher in the Big Sky Conference, having run for 1,435 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2011. He is a preseason All-Big Sky Conference selection.
• NAU Coach Jerome Souers is the dean of Big Sky Conference coaches and holds a 9-5 series advantage over the Vikings (5-4 vs. Tim Walsh, 3-0 vs. Jerry Glanville, 1-1 vs. Nigel Burton).

VIKINGS TRY TO RIGHT THE SHIP AGAINST ROLLING LUMBERJACKS
Coming off a disappointing home loss in the Big Sky Conference opener,  the Portland State Vikings (1-3, 0-1) must now take on a red-hot Northern Arizona (3-1, 1-0) team in Flagstaff. PSU meets 22nd-ranked NAU in a Big Sky game Saturday at JL Walkup Skydome. Kickoff is 2 p.m. PT in Flagstaff.
    
Saturday's game will air on Fox Sports Arizona Plus, and be available on selected satellite systems in the Portland area. It also airs on Freedom 970 AM and www.freedom970.com. The pregame radio show begins at 1 p.m.
    
PSU took a 49-42 Big Sky Conference opening loss to Southern Utah at JELD-WEN Field last Saturday. The Vikings had it all going their way early, leading 21-3, but the Thunderbirds rallied in the second half to tie the game and finally lead with less than two minutes to play. PSU drove in the waning moments and had first-and-goal at the two-yard line with 18 seconds play. But two runs and two passes netted only one yard as the Vikings were stymied as time ran out.
    
The loss was the third straight for Portland State, its longest losing streak since 2010. Now at 0-1 in Big Sky play, the Vikings must put together a run to get themselves into the Big Sky title picture. PSU beat NAU, 31-29 last season in Portland, but lost the previous four meetings, including two in Flagstaff.
    
The Vikings have lost three in a row heading into Saturday's game while Northern Arizona has won three straight.

SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS
Northern Arizona lost its season-opener at Arizona State but has been just fine ever since with wins over UNLV, Fort Lewis and Montana. At 3-1, the Lumberjacks are just one win short of last season's total (4-7/3-5).
    
NAU comes off one of the biggest wins for the program in the past two decades, defeating 14th-ranked Montana in Missoula, 41-31. That ended a 14-game losing streak to the Griz and put the 'Jacks at 3-1 on the season and winners of three straight. Northern Arizona is now ranked 22nd in the nation.
    
NAU returns 15 starters and 39 letterwinners from last year's team. Top among them is running back Zach Bauman. This season, Bauman has 499 yards and six touchdowns in four games played. He averages 8.0 yards per carry and ranks second in the Big Sky in rushing yards (124.8).
    
Over the past two games, NAU has rushed for 614 yards and eight touchdowns. For the season, the Lumberjacks are averaging just under 200 yards rushing per game.
    
Ify Umodu is the leading receiver with 10 catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
    
NAU has forced seven turnovers and commited just three through four games for a +4 turnover ratio.     
Defensively, Andy Hasquet has a team-leading 26 tackles. Blair Wishom and Lucky Dozier have two interceptions and two pass breakups each.
    
Andy Wilder is averaging 46.3 yards per punt. Austin Shanks has two punt returns for touchdowns this season and is averaging 36.4 yards per return. As a result, NAU leads the Big Sky Conference in net punting (40.8) and punt return average (24.4).

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.
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. 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.

FACTS, FIGURES AND CURIOSITIES
WINS AND LOSSES: Portland State is 1-3 on the season and has lost three in a row... PSU is 0-2 on the road... the Vikings are 5-3 at home since the start of 2011, 3-4 on the road... Head Coach Nigel Burton now has a 6-6 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 56-32 in home games since moving to the NCAA I level, 28-65 on the road... PSU is 55-69 all-time in Big Sky Conference games in its' 17th season as a member. The Vikings are 34-29 at home, 21-40 on the road in BSC games.

A HOST OF OFFENSIVE TALENT: Even without top receiver Justin Monahan, the Portland State Vikings put on an offensive display against Southern Utah. PSU rushed for 317 yards and passed for 270 for a total of 587 yards - the most since a 2011 season-opening win over Southern Utah (597) - a stretch of 14 games... nine different players had receptions and seven different players had rushing yards... FR QB Kieran McDonagh passed for 270 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 52 yards for 322 yards of total offense... SO RB Shaq Richard got his first start of the season and totaled a career-high 93 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns... JR RB DJ Adams rushed 15 times for 94 yards and a score... Justin Lilley (4-43) and Denzel Davis (4-31) also contributed... FR WR Thomas Carter had his best game with six receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown... SR TE Kalua Noa caught four passes for 58 yards and a touchdown... SO WR Alex Toureen made three grabs for 51 yards.

SO, WHERE DID IT GO WRONG?: Despite all the offense, the Vikings couldn't hang on for the win. And there were several areas where they made mistakes. PSU had four turnovers - two by the offense and two on special teams (muffed punt and an interception on a fake punt).... the Vikings also commited a season-high 14 penalties for 110 yards... on defense, Portland State started well with just 70 yards allowed in the first quarter and three three-and-outs in the first 25 minutes. However, the secondary was exposed in the second half by a talented Southern Utah passing game (311 yards total)... still, the Vikings had a chance at the end, driving to the SUU two-yard line with 18 seconds remaining. But four tries - two passes and two runs - netted just one yard. A FR QB Kieran McDonagh quarterback sneak on fourth down and the game's final play was thwarted... the 49-42 loss marked the most points scored by a Viking team to end in a loss since the epic 73-68 defeat to Weber State on Oct. 27, 2007 (51 games ago).

DJ MEANS TD: Though he hasn't officially started a game this season, JR RB DJ Adams has been the Vikings' top running back. He leads the team with 54 carries for 340 yards and four touchdowns... in fact, counting his Maryland career (15 TDs on 107 carries), Adams has scored 19 touchdowns on 161 running plays, an average of one score for every 8.9 touches... Adams had 15 carries for 94 yards and a score against Southern Utah.

SHAQ ATTACK: SO RB Shaquille Richard started against Southern Utah and produced his best game, totaling a career-high 93 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns (37, 6)... Richard has 39 carries for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Including receiving, Richard has 301 total yards and three touchdowns.

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 four games and has 941 passing yards and eight touchdowns. He has run 34 times for 140 yards and a touchdown. McDonagh is averaging 272 yards of total offense per game.

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 has 10 catches on the season, including six for 81 yards and a touchdown against Southern Utah.

DEFENSE STARTS SLOW, FINISHES BETTER: The Viking defense has allowed 965 yards of offense and 112 points in the first half. In the second half it has allowed just 605 yards and 58 points.

'BACKERS IN FRONT: Preseason All-Conference SR LB Ian Sluss has lived up to his billing, with a Big Sky-leading 41 tackles. He also has 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery. Sluss made a dozen tackles at Washington and 12 more against Southern Utah... SR LB Khalil Bass ranks second on the team with 34 tackles and 4.5 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 27 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, an interception return for touchdown and two pass breakups... SR DE Marquis Jackson made two sacks against Southern Utah and has a team-best three on the season... the Vikings lead the Big Sky with 7.5 tackles for loss per game, ranking 17th in the nation.

IT DOESN'T ADD UP: Portland State is averaging a stellar 430.8 yards of offense and 32.5 points per game. However, the Vikings are giving up 392.5 yards and 41.5 points per game. A big reason for the discrepancy is a -4 turnover ratio of 9/5.

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 three games, the Vikings have had five punts or kicks blocked and commited two turnovers. 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 40.3 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 three games and touched the ball 22 times as a receiver, runner and kick returner, totaling 420 yards (19.2 yards per touch) and two touchdowns... Lewis ranks third in the Big Sky and 23rd in the nation in all-purpose yards per game (140.0)... with 297 kick return yards this year, Lewis now ranks third all-time in career kickoff return yards (1,414).

BIG PLAY OFFENSE: Portland State has a total of 16 offensive touchdowns with 10 of them coming on plays of 25 yards or longer... FR QB Kieran McDonagh's seven TD passes average 46.1 yards in length.

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... FR CB Aaron Sibley made his first career start against Southern Utah.

VETERANS: SR OL Kyle Ritt is one of 12 fourth-year seniors on the roster for 2012, but he is the only offensive player to compete in all 37 games over the past four years. He has the most starts of all offensive players with 36… SR K Zach Brown had started and played in 34 games before missing the last three. SR P Thomas Duyndam has played in 36 career games, with his only miss due to the Vikings not punting in a win at UC Davis in 2010. Duyndam has 35 starts… on defense, Mike Williams has played in the most games with 36 appearances. SR LB Joel Sisler (34) and SR DT Dereck Jester (34) follow close behind. Sisler has the most starts on defense (30), followed by Williams (26).

2012 HIGHLIGHT REEL
BIG PLAY FIRST DAY: Portland State made several big plays in a season-opening 38-20 win over Carroll College (9/1). JR RB DJ Adams opened with a 46-yard touchdown run. That was followed by a 32-yard interception return for touchdown by JR LB Jaycob Shoemaker. JR RB Justin Lilley caught a 36-yard touchdown pass off a deflection intended for another player. And, SO RB Shaquille Richard scampered 80 yards with a screen pass for a score.

MONEY HANDS: SR WR Justin Monahan had a big day in his return to the field against North Dakota (9/8) despite a 45-37 loss. Monahan caught a 65-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage and went on to make six catches for a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns. He had 226 all-purpose yards.

BIG GAINS: Despite a 49-42 loss to Southern Utah (9/22), Portland State's offense totaled 587 yards, the most in 14 starts by a Viking team. FR QB Kieran McDonagh had 270 yards and two touchdowns passing and 52 yards rushing for 322 yards of total offense. The Vikings had seven players with positive rushing yards and nine with receptions.