Complete notes and stats in pdf

Game 7
NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS (3-3, 1-1) vs. PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-4, 1-1)
Saturday, October 18, 2014, 4:10 p.m. • Providence Park (18,627), Portland, OR
 
TELEVISION: Root Sports
Play-by-Play: Tom Glasgow • Analyst: Jason Stiles • Sidelines: Brad Adam
RADIO: Rip City Radio 620 AM (KPOJ), www.ripcityradio.com
Pregame Show: 3 p.m. • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Analyst: Mike Lund
INTERNET: Live video stream: None • Live stats: www.vikslive.com, www.viksmobile.com
 
THE SERIES RECORD: Vikings vs. Lumberjacks
All-Time Series: Northern Arizona leads 15-5 • NAU leads at Portland 7-3 • NAU leads at Flagstaff 8-2
Big Sky Series: Northern Arizona leads 12-5 • NAU leads 7-2 in Flagstaff • NAU leads 5-3 in Portland
 
Sept. 9, 1978: NAU 42-14 @ Flagstaff
Sept. 8, 1979: NAU 22-21 @ Portland
Oct. 17, 1981: NAU 34-10 @ Portland
 
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
Sept. 29, 2012: NAU 24-10 @ Flagstaff
 
LAST MEETING, Sept. 29, 2012: Northern Arizona 24, Portland State10
Northern Arizona took advantage of a sluggish start by the Vikings, jumping to  17-3 lead early in the second quarter then hanging on for a 14-point win.
     
NAU held an inconsistent Viking offense to 271 yards and forced two interceptions. The PSU defense was not bad either, allowing 348 total yards and making 11 tackles for loss.
     
The Lumberjacks' Cary Grossart was the offensive star of the game, completing 24-34 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns.
     
Ian Sluss led the Vikings with a career-high 17 tackles.
 
VIKINGS HOST NAU, TRY TO STAY UNDEFEATED AT HOME
The Portland State Vikings continue their Big Sky Conference voyage this Saturday as they host Northern Arizona at Providence Park. PSU will try to wash away the sour taste of a narrow loss to North Dakota last Saturday with just their third home game of the year. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. in a game televised on Root Sports.
     
Saturday's game also airs on Rip City Radio 620 AM and www.ripcityradio.com. The pregame show starts at 3 p.m. Live stats can be found at www.vikslive.com and www.viksmobile.com.
     
The Vikings are 2-4 on the season, 1-1 in Big Sky play after falling 24-16 at North Dakota. PSU held a 13-3 halftime lead, but gave it all back and then some. The Vikings were driving in the final seconds in an attempt to send the game to overtime but were stopped on the final play at the North Dakota two-yard line.
     
Now, PSU must maintain its relevancy in the Big Sky race as it goes after the win this Saturday against the Lumberjacks. PSU is 2-0 at home this year, and beat NAU the last time the teams met at Providence Park (31-29 in 2011). Northern Arizona took a 24-10 victory from the Vikings in 2012 in Flagstaff. The teams did not meet last season.
     
Northern Arizona, ranked in the top 25 earlier in the season, took a surprising loss at Northern Colorado, 24-17, two weeks ago. That knocked the Lumberjacks out of the rankings as they fell to 3-3 on the season, 1-1 in the Big Sky. NAU had a bye last Saturday.
     
The Lumberjacks are 1-3 on the road this season, but history tells us they have fared well in the Rose City. NAU is 7-3 in Portland all-time, 5-3 in Big Sky games. Overall, Northern Arizona has won five of the last six meetings and eight of the last 11.
     
Portland State travels to Weber State on Oct. 25 for another Big Sky Conference matchup.
 
SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA
Northern Arizona is 3-3 this season, having beaten New Mexico Highlands, Abilene Christian and Cal Poly. Losses have come at San Diego State, South Dakota and Northern Colorado.
     
Head Coach Jerome Souers is the dean of Big Sky Conference coaches in his 17th season in Flagstaff. Souers is 96-91 all-time, including 10-5 against the Vikings.
     
The 'Jacks offense averages 439.0 yards and 28.7 points per game. They have committed 10 turnovers and have a -4 turnover margin.
     
Casey Jahn leads the running attack with 102 carries for 478 yards and four touchdowns. Backups Marquice Paige and Corbin Jountti have combined to score five more rushing TDs.
     
Jahn is also the top receiver with 22 catches for 200 yards and another score. Alex Holmes (21-319-2) and Ify Umodu (20-314-3) have been the top wideouts.
     
Quarterback Kyren Poe has completed 92-149 passes for 1,139 yards and five touchdowns this season.  He has also thrown seven interceptions.
     
On defense, NAU has been in the middle of the pack in the Big Sky, allowing 385.3 yards and 28.2 points per game. Senior Austin Hasquet is one of the top linebackers in the league with 53 tackles and a sack this season. Eddie Horn has 49 tackles and two interceptions.
 
NAU averages the fewest penalty yards per game in the Big Sky Conference (42.2)
 
LAST WEEK: NORTH DAKOTA'S GOAL LINE STAND STOPS VIKINGS
The North Dakota defense held at the goal line on the final play of the game, pulling off a come-from-behind 24-16 victory over Portland State at the Alerus Center. It was all Vikings in the first half, as PSU led 13-3 at the break. But, second-string quarterback Ryan Bartels rallied UND back in the second half to a 21-3 advantage and the eight-point win.
     
Bartels led a pair of scoring drives in the third quarter, taking North Dakota to a 17-13 lead. He scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak and threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Zach Adler.
     
The Vikings ran only seven plays in what proved to be a disastrous third. Momentum made a big shift to North Dakota as it gained 162 yards in the quarter and kept the ball away from PSU.
     
Viking kicker Jonathan Gonzales was able to tack on a 37-yard field goal with 10:54 remaining in the game, narrowing the North Dakota lead to 17-16.
     
But a 95-yard punt return by UND's Alex Tillman was the death blow for the Vikings. Tillman scored with 8:47 left in the game and North Dakota took a 24-16 lead with the extra point.
     
That forced the Vikings to go for a touchdown and two-point conversion on their final two possessions to get the game to overtime. PSU had to punt on a 4th-and-25 with just under three minutes left but pinned UND back on their own two. After a defensive stand, North Dakota punted it back and Kasey Closs returned it to the UND 18 with 1:08 to play.
     
The Vikings got one first down, but on a fourth-and-goal play with six seconds left, Nate Tago was stopped at the two-yard line and UND took the victory.
     
Bartels completed 14-23 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown in a relief role. North Dakota managed only 262 yards for the entire game.
     
Kieran McDonagh was 14-36 passing for 224 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Tago rushed 13 times for 61 yards and Shaquille Richard had 13 carries for 57 yards.
     
Overall, PSU totaled 360 yards, but only 132 after halftime.
 
GAME NOTES: Kicker Jonathan Gonzales was a big factor for the Vikings again, hitting all three field goal attempts from 23, 45, and 37 yards… Stevie Coury caught a 50-yard TD pass from McDonagh in the first quarter, the longest Viking pass play of the season… PSU has lost five straight road games.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE: VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINS AND LOSSES:
• The Vikings loss at North Dakota was its fifth straight on the road, dating to last season.
• Portland State is 2-4 this season, 2-0 at home, 0-4 on the road.
• The Vikings are 12-7 at home since the start of 2011, 6-15 on the road.
• Head Coach Nigel Burton has a 13-10 home record, 7-21 road record, and 20-31 overall record.
• The Vikings have eight winning records in 18 years as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
• PSU is 63-36 in home games since moving to the NCAA I level, 31-76 on the road.
• PSU is 61-80 all-time in Big Sky Conference games in its 19th season as a member. The Vikings are 38-33 at home, 23-47 on the road in BSC games.
• PSU was 6-6 last season, 4-2 at home and 2-4 on the road.
 
RUN OR PASS?: Portland State has been known for its running offense in recent years, using concepts of the Pistol which was developed during Head Coach Nigel Burton's time at the University of Nevada. However, the passing game continues to be a larger part of the Viking scheme as time goes by. The run/pass ratio is close to a 50-50 proposition this season. The Vikings have thrown 214 passes through six games (35.7 per game), while running 222 times (37.0 per game)... last year, PSU ran the ball 558 times in 923 plays which was a 60/40 run-pass ratio.
 
TROUBLE ON THIRD DOWN: Portland State was only 3-16 on third (18%) in the loss at North Dakota. That continued a trend of third-down struggles for the Vikings. PSU was at 33% on third down prior to playing UC Davis on Oct. 4, but a 13-23 performance (56%) helped produce four scoring drives of 12, 14, 12 and 14 plays and a win. PSU regressed at North Dakota and are converting just 36% this season. Last year, the Vikings converted 40% of their third downs.
 
MORE TROUBLE ON THIRD DOWN: Portland State's defense did a good job on North Dakota in the first half holding it to only 3-9 third-down conversions. But, UND converted all five third downs in the third quarter, and all five were lengthy third-down situations (16, 11, 8, 8 and 6). Maintaining those drives helped produce two touchdowns, give North Dakota a 17-13 lead, and eventually the win.
 
THIRD QUARTER BLUES: Portland State has struggled in the third quarter in each of its last two Big Sky Conference games. Fortunately, the Vikings were still able to beat UC Davis (Oct. 4), but lost at North Dakota (Oct. 11)... PSU was up 17-0 on UCD at intermission, but the Aggies scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to close it 17-14. Fortunately, SO K Jonathan Gonzales made two fourth-quarter field goals to ice a 23-14 Viking win... Portland State was not so lucky at UND. The Vikings led 13-3 at halftime, but North Dakota scored two third quarter touchdowns to take a 17-13 lead. UND held on with a late goal line stand to win 24-16... to sum it up, PSU outscored the last two opponents 30-3 in the first half, but has been outscored 35-9 in the second half.... the Vikings have been outscored 72-21 in the third quarter this season.
 
RUNNING BACKS ARE BACK: Portland State's running game is evolving into what was expected prior to the season. A combination of SR RB Shaquille Richard and SO RB Nate Tago. That tandem ran 42 times for 199 yards in the win over UC Davis, then 26 times for 118 yards at North Dakota. Richard leads the Vikings this year with 74 carries for 425 yards and two TDs. Tago, who only carried the ball a few times in the first three games as he returned from injury, now has 52 runs for 214 yards. PSU averages 180.0 rushing yards per game as a team.
 
A COMPLETE FLIP-FLOP ON DEFENSE: Portland State's run defense has been solid for the past three seasons. In fact, the Vikings were allowing only 90.0 rushing yards through the first three games of this season. However, when the Vikings ran into Cal Poly's triple-option offense on Sept. 20 it gave up a whopping 470 rushing yards. PSU came back to shut down UC Davis' run game, as the Aggies had only 44 yards on 21 carries. Last Saturday, UND ran 34 times for only 50 yards... in the five games other than Cal Poly, PSU has allowed 364 rushing yards (72.8 ypg) on 141 carries (2.6 ypc).
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYMAKERS: Portland State's defensive numbers are improving after quality performances against UC Davis and North Dakota. The Vikings held the Aggies to 240 yards of offense and 14 points, the fewest by an opponent this season. North Dakota scored 24 point, but only 17 on the defense due to a punt return touchdown. UND managed just 262 yards of total offense... PSU made 11 tackles for loss at North Dakota, including two sacks... through six games, PSU's defense has:
• 47 tackles for loss
• 15 sacks
• 21 pass breakups
• 7 forced fumbles
 
YOU'LL GET A KICK OUT OF THIS: Through four games this season, Portland State's kicking game had produced only 4-20 field goal attempts over the past 16 games (dating to the start of 2013). In the last two weeks, Jonathan Gonzales has made 6-7 attempts and played a prominent role in the Viking offense. Gonzales was 3-4 on field goals against UC Davis, including a 53-yarder, which tied for second longest field goal in school history. At UND, Gonzales made kicks of 45, 23 and 37. The 37-yarder, which came in the fourth quarter and closed the Viking deficit to 17-16, was tipped at the line. But Gonzales had enough on it to clear the cross bar and produce three points... Gonzales is now 7-11 kicking field goals this year to rank second in the Big Sky Conference, and the Vikings have a whole new perspective on their kicking game.
 
HE'S NOT GETTING OLDER, HE'S GETTING BETTER: 2013 consensus 1st team All-American SR P Kyle Loomis is the oldest Viking (he turned 27 on Sept. 30). But the All-American proves he is aging well, averaging 46.0 yards per punt this season to rank second in the nation. Loomis has 17 punts of 50 yards or better and 16 punts downed inside the 20-yard line... Loomis averaged 46.5 yards per punt last year to lead the nation and set a new PSU record.
 
TURNOVER TALK: Portland State went into 2014 wanting to turn around a turnover issue it dealt with last season. The Vikings had 29 turnovers in 12 games last year and a -8 turnover margin. So far, it hasn't gotten any better as PSU has 12 turnovers and a -6 turnover margin. The offense is producing turnovers at a rate of two per game, and the defense has not forced a turnover in the last three games.
 
YELLOW FEVER: Portland State had a whopping 18 penalties for 146 yards against Western Oregon on Sept. 6. However, in the other five games combined, PSU has only 24 penalties for 202 yards... the Vikings are on pace for a huge improvement from last year when PSU led the Big Sky in penalties with 109 for 876 yards.
 
KIERAN MAKES THE TOP 10: JR QB Kieran McDonagh has moved into Portland State's top 10 passing lists for yards, touchdowns, completions and total offense. Here is a look at his numbers:
 
YARDS PASSING: 10. Kieran McDonagh, 5,117
TOUCHDOWN PASSES:  10. Kieran McDonagh, 34
PASS COMPLETIONS: 8. Kieran McDonagh, 381/720
TOTAL OFFENSE: 7. Kieran McDonagh, 5,982
     
VETERANS: SR RB Shaq Richard has the most playing experience on the Viking team, competing in 38 career games. SR DE Brandon Tobias is second on that list with 36 games played, followed by SR LB Corey Crowder (32) and SR OL Cornelius Edison (32)... players with the most career starts are Edison (29), JR QB Kieran McDonagh (26), JR LS Kameron Canaday (23) and JR CB Aaron Sibley (21). Edison has started 29 games in a row.
 
TOUREEN GETS ANOTHER YEAR: WR Alex Toureen was granted an extra year of eligibility last week by the Big Sky Conference. Toureen was a freshman in 2011, but was injured in the third game of the season, missing the remainder of the year. Toureen, who is now effectively a junior, has 22 receptions for 299 yards and one touchdown this season. He has played in 28 career games, totaling 41 receptions, 582 yards and five touchdowns.