TELEVISION: NONE
RADIO: 750 AM The Game, www.750thegame.com • Pregame Show: 6 p.m. • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Analyst: Mike Lund
INTERNET: Live stats: http://vikslive.statb.us. and http://viksmobile.com. Live video stream: www.bigskytv.org

THE SERIES RECORD
All-Time Series: PSU leads 9-5-1 • (Series locations prior to 1958 are unknown)

Oregon Collegiate Conference games
1950: EOU 31-6
1951: PSU 25-21
1952: EOU 18-6
1953: PSU 32-20
1954: PSU 27-13
1955: EOU 26-20
1956: EOU 14-6
1957: PSU 13-0
Oct. 25, 1958: PSU 34-14 @ Portland
Oct. 24, 1959: EOU 7-0 @ La Grande
Oct. 22, 1960: Tied 6-6 @ Portland
Oct. 28, 1961: PSU 27-7 @ La Grande
Oct. 20, 1962: PSU 2-0 @ La Grande
Oct. 5, 1963: PSU 38-0 @ Portland
Oct. 31, 1964: PSU 41-6 @ La Grande

VIKINGS IN OPENERS
• PSU is 34-21-1 in home openers dating to 1958 (complete home/away schedules not available prior to '58)
• The Vikings are 13-4 in home openers since moving to the NCAA I FCS level and joining the Big Sky.
• Portland State is 10-7 in Big Sky Conference home opening games. 

PORTLAND STATE VS. LOWER DIVISION SCHOOLS (Big Sky era)
1996: PSU 25, Sonoma State 7*
1996: PSU 32, UC Davis 27*
1999: PSU 48, Western Washington 28
2000: PSU 37, Western Washington 20
2003: PSU 34, Texas A&M-Kingsville 21
2004: PSU 38, Western State (CO) 0
2008: PSU 31, Western Oregon 14
2009: PSU 34, Southern Oregon 10
2011: PSU 52, Southern Oregon 0
2011: PSU 36, Willamette 10
2012: PSU 38, Carroll 20

*PSU was only a provisional Division I program)

STORYLINES
• The August 29 kickoff is the earliest start date in Portland State football history.
• Since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996, Portland State is 11-0 against lower division programs (Division II, III and NAIA).
• Portland State plays a Thursday night game for the first time since Sept. 2, 2004. The Vikings are 3-0 on Thursdays since joining the Big Sky Conference.
• PSU and Eastern Oregon were co-members of the old Oregon Collegiate Conference from 1950-64. PSU went 9-5-1 against the Mountaineers during that time.

EARLIEST START EVER HAS VIKINGS HOSTING EASTERN OREGON
The 67th season of Portland State University football will begin on Thursday, Aug. 29 when the Vikings take on Eastern Oregon University. The Vikings host the Mountaineers in a 7:05 p.m. game that also marks the earliest start to the Portland State schedule in history.

Thursday's game is not televised, but it will air on 750 AM The Game - sister station to Portland State's flagship station, Freedom 970 AM. It will be the only time this season, that PSU will air on 750 AM. The pre-game show begins at 6 p.m. with kickoff at 7:05 p.m. A live video stream is available on the internet at WatchBigSky.com. Live stats can be found at http://vikslive.stab.us and http://viksmobile.com.

The PSU program has come a long way in 67 years, originally competing as a junior college in the 1940s, moving to the NAIA in the 1950s, then Division II football and eventually Division I and the Big Sky Conference in 1996. The Vikings and Mountaineers played often in those early years as members of the old Oregon Collegiate Conference. PSU leads the all-time series, 9-5-1, but the teams have not met since 1964.

Portland State opens its first-ever 12-game schedule looking for improvement over the 2012 campaign. After a solid 7-4 season in 2011, the Vikings dipped to 3-8 in 2012 (2-6 in the Big Sky Conference).

Head Coach Nigel Burton opens his fourth season at the helm. He has a 12-21 record overall, 8-16 in Big Sky games. Burton has 43 returning letterwinners and 12 returning starters on this year's roster. 

The Vikings bring back the entire backfield and the majority of the offensive line from a dynamic offense in 2012. PSU averaged 438.7 yards and 34.8 points per game. Burton, and new defensive coordinator Jaime Hill, will shore up a defense that allowed 401.5 yards and 36.0 points.

Portland State was 2-3 in home games last year. Burton is 7-8 at home as the Viking Head Coach. PSU is 34-21-1 in home openers dating to 1958 (complete home/away schedules not available prior to '58). The Vikings are 13-4 in home openers since moving to the NCAA I FCS level and joining the Big Sky. PSU is 11-0 against lower division schools since moving to Division I in 1996.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
Eastern Oregon is an NAIA member of the Frontier Conference. The Mountaineers compete in the same league as last-year's season opening opponent, Carroll (PSU won 38-20). EOU was 4-6 overall last season, losing to Carroll, 28-7, in week three.

The Mountaineers are coached by Tim Camp, now in his sixth season. Camp has a 29-25 overall record at Eastern Oregon. He has 44 returning letterwinners and 14 returning starters.

Eastern Oregon averaged 334.1 yards and 19.2 points last season. Sophomore wide receiver Jace Billingsley (64-633-8 last year) will be a key player in this season's offense. Chris McGinnis-Parker is the top returning rusher (91-411-2). Senior Ray Walser (47-80-2-437, 4 TDs) is the most experienced quarterback returning.

With 67 tackles last year, junior linebacker Ryan Watson is the top returner on defense. The Mountaineers gave up 467.6 yards and 30.5 points per game last season. Although Eastern Oregon gave up 332 passing yards per game, the defense had an impressive 33 sacks in 10 games.

Eastern Oregon has been picked sixth in a pre-season poll of the eight-team Frontier Conference.

GAME WEEK ACTIVITIES
NIGEL BURTON ON THE RADIO: Viking football Coach Nigel Burton can be heard every Monday at 3:15 p.m. on the Wheels At Work Show on Fox Sports Radio 620 AM. Burton will review and preview Viking football games... Burton can also be heard on the John Canzano's Bald Faced Truth Show on 750 AM The Game on Monday's of home football weeks. Burton will be on Monday, Sept. 9, at 1:35 p.m.

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... the opener against Eastern Oregon will air on 750 AM The Game.

VIKINGS ON TELEVISION: Portland State will appear on television four times in 2013 - three times on the Big Sky Conference Root Sports Game of the Week and once on the Pac-12 Network.
Sept. 7 at California, 2 p.m., Pac-12 Network
Sept. 26 vs. Cal Poly, 7:05 p.m., Root Sports
Oct. 5 at Montana, 12:35 p.m. PT, Root Sports
Nov. 23 at Eastern Washington, 2:35 p.m., Root Sports

VIKINGS ON THE INTERNET: Live streaming video of all Portland State home and Big Sky Conference games can be seen free at www.WatchBigSky.com... Live stats for Portland State home games are at www.GoViks.com with a mobile phone feature for in-stadium and on-the-go viewing: http://viksmobile.com.

THE VIK WALK: The Vik Walk begins on the Park Blocks with the team two and a half hours before every home 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.

TICKETS: Tickets for all home games can be purchased in prices ranging from $16 to $52, with youth prices as low as $9. Groups of 15 or more get special admission prices. Tickets are subject to service charge. To purchase tickets by phone, call 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.

SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE: VIKING QUICK NOTES

THE BREAKDOWN
• Portland State returns 43 letterwinners from 2012; 21 are on offense, 20 are on defense and two are on special teams. Thirty-two letterwinners have departed.
• PSU returns 12 starters, six on offense, five on defense and one on special teams. Ten other players return that have had starts in their PSU careers.
• The Vikings have added 25 freshmen, 11 FBS transfers and four junior college transfers.

OREGONIANS, AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE: Portland State features 40 Oregonians on its current roster with three others from the Vancouver, WA area. The Vikings signed 11 Oregonians in 2013, as well as one player from Southwest Washington. 

VETERANS: Among Portland State's returning players, SR RB Justin Lilley has appeared in the most career games (32), followed by SR C Mitch Gaulke (27) and SR DE Bryant Long (27)… Gaulke has the most career starts (27), followed by SR OL Mitchell Van Dyk (21) and SR LB Jaycob Shoemaker (14).

AN OFFENSE WORTH TALKING ABOUT: Portland State's offense, under the direction of coordinator Bruce Barnum, has been outstanding the past three seasons. PSU averaged 355.2 yards per game of offense in 2009, the year before Barnum took over. Since then, that number has grown over three seasons from 396.5 to 432.7 to 438.7. On the scoreboard, PSU averaged 21.1 prior to Barnum's arrival. Since then it has gone to 23.4, 32.9, then 34.8 in 2012.

• In 2010, PSU led the Big Sky in rushing (203.3 yards per game).

• In 2011, Barnum led PSU's offense to the most yards and most points by a Viking team in a decade. His unit bettered those numbers in 2012. 

• In 2011, the Viking running game smashed the school record for rushing yards (by nearly 500 yards) and led the Big Sky Conference for the second year in a row. Portland State averaged 247.8 rushing yards, 184.9 passing yards, 432.7 total yards and 32.9 points per game. The Vikings were eighth in the nation in rushing, 15th in total offense and 18th in scoring. PSU's numbers were up nearly 40 yards and more than nine points per game over the previous season. Even more impressive, Barnum's offense accomplished all that after losing the nation's top rusher, Cory McCaffrey, to injury after playing in only five games. His quarterback, Connor Kavanaugh, set new Portland State and Big Sky Conference records for rushing in a season (1,060) and a career (1,965). 

• In 2012, the offense was as balanced as you could hope for at 216.5 yards on the ground, 222.2 yards through the air, 438.7 total yards and 34.8 points per game overall. Nationally, PSU was 16th in rushing, 16th in total offense and 11th in scoring. PSU had its most yards of total offense in 11 years, best rushing average in 11 years (5.3 yards per carry), most points per game in 13 years, and remarkably, allowed only seven sacks all season as the Vikings attempted 343 passes.

PACE OF PLAY: Portland State's offense averaged 72 plays per game last season on its way to more than 438 yards and nearly 35 points per game. Offensive coordinator Bruce Barnum is trying to increase the pace of his offense - a hybrid of the Pistol and his own passing attack - and average 80-90 plays per game in 2013. 

KEY POSITION BATTLES: While every position is up for grabs every season, Portland State has had two key position battles in 2013; receiver and defensive back. PSU lost its three starters at receiver in Justin Monahan, Nevin Lewis and Keitrell Anderson. Outside of Thomas Carter, who is only a sophomore, the remaining returners have limited experience. The Vikings also lost both tight ends, Kalua Noa and Gage Loftin, due to graduation. Only Cameron Thompson among the returning tight ends has very limited experience… at defensive back, the Vikings return only one of four starters, SR CB Dennis Fite. Several players had experience at safety and cornerback going into camp, but none was considered the definitive leader at his spot. 

SMARTS: SR C Mitch Gaulke has set the standard for offensive line play at Portland State over the last three seasons. With 27 career starts he leads all returning Vikings and he has twice earned honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors. Gaulke also sets the standard academically. In 2012, Gaulke was named to the NCAA I FCS Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star Team, a CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 selection for the second time, Academic All-Big Sky Conference for the third time, and the PSU Mike Schrunk Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second time. Gaulke, from West Linn, OR, is a Business Administration: Accounting major… also earning Academic All-District 8 hours was JR WR Alex Toureen (Business)… returning players who earned Academic All-Big Sky Conference honors include Gaulke, Toureen, SO LB Brandon Brody-Heim, Electrical Engineering and Physics; SO LS Kameron Canaday, Business; and SO DE Jacob Nall, Business: Accounting.

THE LONGEST WEEK: From brain surgery on Sunday to football practice on Friday, it was quite a week for Portland State freshman running back Steven Long last spring. And Long probably could not have hoped for a better conclusion to the story.

Sporting a fresh scar on his skull hidden by a bandana, Long made an appearance at Viking football practice on May 3 and was warmly greeted by his teammates prior to drills. The return came only five days after a small growth was removed from his brain by doctors at Oregon Health Sciences University.

Early on the morning of April 25, Long suffered seizures in his dorm room at Portland State. The alert action of roommate and teammate Adam Futter with an assist from Long's girlfriend, Brogan Taylor, soon had Steven on the way to the hospital. 

By the weekend it was discovered that Long had a small growth on his brain and surgery was scheduled. By midday April 28, an infectious lesion had been removed. Long was released from the hospital two days later and returned to his home in Lake Oswego. 

Long was able to start full practice activities on Aug. 1 and is now competing for playing time at running back.

VIKINGS IN THE SKY: Portland State Head Coach Nigel Burton was a one-time assistant at PSU under Tim Walsh in 2001-02. Walsh, the former Viking Head Coach is now the Head Coach at Cal Poly - entering his fifth season there. Meanwhile, new UC Davis Head Coach Ron Gould was an assistant under Pokey Allen at Portland State in 1992. Northern Arizona Head Coach Jerome Souers - who has the longest tenure of any head coach in the league - was a one-time assistant under Don Read at Portland State in the early 1980s... among assistant coaches in the Big Sky, a number of former Viking coaches and players will square off with the current Viking team this year. They include Saga Tuitele, Juston Wood, Jim Craft and Neil Fendall at Cal Poly, Legi Suiaunoa at Montana, Robin Pflugrad at Weber State, Don Bailey at Idaho State and Josh Fetter at Eastern Washington. In addition, Cal defensive line coach Barry Sacks was an assistant at PSU from 1986-92 under Pokey Allen.

CAMP LIFE 2013 - TURN UP (THE PSU SONG): FR RB Rey Vega has a lot of talented running backs in front of him as he begins his first fall camp at Portland State. But Vega is likely first string when it comes to mixing his own beats. He can be heard on the latest GoViks.com video with his original “Turn Up (The PSU Song).” Check it out. Turn Up is just the latest of several songs and videos that Vega has written, mixed and filmed. Most can be found on YouTube by searching Rey Vega. (Turn Up video produced by Kenny Katz in PSU athletics marketing).

PRE-SEASON CHATTER: Portland State was selected to place 10th in the 13-team Big Sky Conference in pre-season polls voted on by both league coaches and media. Montana State was selected to place first in each poll... SR C Mitch Gaulke was named to the 28-player pre-season All-Big Sky Conference team.

11 FBS TRANSFERS IN 2013: Portland State has 11 new Division I FBS transfers on the roster. While there are always a few transfers from FBS schools, the 11 this year may be the most ever for the PSU program. As the Vikings look to improve defensively, the group of 11 is defense-heavy with seven players. Wide receiver Victor Dean is expected to be an impact player on offense. Kyle Loomis and Marcus Kinsella are contending for both punting and kicking duties. 

This year's 11 FBS transfers in 2013:
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Exp. Hometown (High School/College)
1 Victor Dean WR 6-6 210 JR TR San Diego, CA (Lincoln/Fresno State)
8 Darien Washington S 5-10 170 FR TR Norwalk, CA (Orange Lutheran/Washington)
13 Davon Dunn CB 6-0 185 JR TR San Diego, CA (Lincoln/Fresno State)
16 Marcus Kinsella P 5-11 185 FR TR Melbourne, Australia (Ringwood/Indiana)
19 Hayden Plinke TE 6-4 255 SO TR Hillsboro, OR (Glencoe/Boise State)
29 Kyle Loomis P 6-3 220 JR TR Roseburg, OR (Roseburg/Oregon State)
34 Mishawn Cummings CB 5-10 195 JR TR San Jose, CA (Valley Christian/Foothill JC/OSU)
52 Kyle Gardner LB 5-11 230 SO TR Corvallis, OR (Crescent Valley/Oregon St.)
69 Joe Lopez DT 6-0 275 JR TR Portland, OR (Central Catholic/Oregon St.)
79 Cutter Baldock DE 6-4 245 SO TR Tigard, OR (Tigard/Arizona State)
98 Dame Ndiaye DE 6-4 235 SO TR San Diego, CA (Hoover/Arizona)

The Vikings already had five FBS transfers from previous seasons. They include:
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Exp. Hometown (High School/College)
10 DJ Adams RB 5-10 210 SR 1V Atlanta, GA (Norcross/Maryland)
21 Dean Faddis S 6-0 205 SR 1V/RS Ramona, CA (Ramona/Palomar JC/Nevada)
49 Michael Plummer S 6-2 210 SR 3V Gresham, OR (Sam Barlow/Idaho)
63 Junior Alexis DT 6-2 280 SO 1V Los Angeles, CA (Crenshaw/Miami)
90 Nick Alexander DE 6-4 250 SR 1V Inglewood, CA (Crenshaw/Boise State)

TROUBLE WITH THE RANKING: Portland State plays in one of the strongest conferences in the nation. The result is frequent games against nationally-ranked opponents. Unfortunately, the Vikings have not fared well in recent years, losing 18 straight games to nationally-ranked teams dating back to the 2008 season...based on The Sports Network pre-season poll, Portland State is scheduled to face nationally-ranked Eastern Washington (4), Cal Poly (14) and Montana (20).

VIKINGS IN THE NFL: When former Portland State kicker Zach Ramirez-Brown signed with the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 25, the number of Vikings on NFL rosters grew to eight. Ramirez-Brown, a 2011 consensus first-team All-American and PSU career and season field goal record holder, joins TE Julius Thomas (Denver), DE Marquis Jackson (Minnesota), LBs Jordan Senn and Ryan Rau (Carolina), LB Adam Hayward (Tampa Bay), DT Myles Wade and CB DeShawn Shead (Seattle) on NFL rosters.

THE 2013 SCHEDULE: This season, Portland State will go back to facing Montana, Weber State and Sacramento State - three teams they played for the first 16 years of their Big Sky Conference history. The Vikings did not play those three in 2012 due to league expansion to 13 teams. Rolling off the Vikings' schedule in 2013 is Montana State, Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado. 

The Vikings will open the season by hosting Eastern Oregon on Aug. 29. Eastern Oregon is an NAIA member of the Frontier Conference. The Mountaineers were 4-6 in 2012.

PSU travels to Cal (3-9 overall in 2012) and newly-refurbished Memorial Stadium on Sept. 7. That game continues PSU's trend of playing Pac-12 schools. In recent years, the Vikings have played at Oregon State (2005, 2009), Oregon (2006, 2010), Washington State (2008), Arizona State (2010) and Washington (2012). Portland State also played at Cal in 2006, losing to the 22nd-ranked Golden Bears, 42-16. 

In fact, the month of September will be an all-California affair for the Vikings. Portland State hosts Humboldt State (7-4) in a non-conference game at JELD-WEN Field. The Lumberjacks were an old Division II foe of the Vikings back in the 1980s.

Once again, PSU will play a Big Sky opponent in a non-conference contest; at UC Davis (4-7/3-5 Big Sky) on Sept. 21. The Vikings won last fall in Aggie Stadium in a conference game, 49-21. PSU leads the all-time series, 8-4.

Portland State plays a second Thursday night football game on Sept. 26. It will be the Big Sky Conference opener against 2012 Big Sky tri-champion and NCAA playoff participant Cal Poly (9-3/7-1). The Thursday game will also be televised on Root Sports. 

Returning to PSU that night for the first time is former Viking Head Coach and Portland State Hall of Fame inductee Tim Walsh. A coach at PSU from 1993-2006, Walsh is PSU's all-time winningest coach (90-68) and led four Viking teams to the post-season.

Cal Poly won the 2012 matchup between the schools, 37-25, in San Luis Obispo.

The Vikings will travel the following two weeks. PSU plays at Montana (5-6/3-5) on Oct. 5 after missing the Grizzlies on the schedule in 2012. The Vikings seek a first-ever Big Sky Conference win at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. That game will also be televised on Root Sports.

On Oct. 12, Portland State makes a first-time Big Sky visit to Southern Utah. The Vikings last played in Cedar City in 1993 when the two schools featured Division II programs. Despite a 49-42 loss to the Thunderbirds in 2012 at JELD-WEN Field, the Vikings lead the all-time series, 8-2.

After an open week on Oct. 19, Portland State will return to JELD-WEN Field for two straight home games. The Vikings host North Dakota (5-6/3-5) in a Big Sky Conference game for the first time on Oct. 26. Last year, the teams played a non-conference game in Grand Forks - a 45-37 UND win.

Weber State (2-9/2-6) returns to the Viking schedule on Nov. 2 after a one-year hiatus. The Vikings have lost the last five meetings with the Wildcats and trail in the Big Sky Conference series, 10-6.

Portland State will play at Idaho State (1-10/0-8) on Nov. 9. In 2012, the Vikings rolled over the Bengals, 77-10, at JELD-WEN Field. The Vikings rushed for a school-record 437 yards while scoring their most points in 32 years. PSU has won three straight in the series and leads 9-8 in Big Sky Conference games.

Also returning to Portland State's schedule in 2013 is Sacramento State (6-5/4-4). PSU had played the Hornets for 16 straight Big Sky seasons and 28 of the previous 29 seasons overall before missing them in 2012. The Hornets come to JELD-WEN Field on Nov. 16. PSU leads the series, 22-9 overall and 12-4 in Big Sky contests.

The 2013 regular season concludes with a trip to 2012 Big Sky tri-Champion Eastern Washington (11-3/7-1) on Nov. 23. The 2010 National Champions and 2012 National semifinalists will be formidable once again. The Eagles beat the Vikings, 41-34, in the 2012 finale. Root Sports will televise that contest as well.

NCAA Playoffs begin on Nov. 30, with a 24-team tournament for the first time in history.