Complete notes and stats in pdf

Game 8
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-5, 1-2) vs. WEBER STATE WILDCATS (0-7, 0-3)
Saturday, October 25, 2014, 1 p.m. MT/Noon PT • Stewart Stadium (17,500), Ogden, UT
 
TELEVISION: None
RADIO: Rip City Radio 620 AM (KPOJ), www.ripcityradio.com
Pregame Show: 11 a.m. PT • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Analyst: Mike Lund
INTERNET: Live video stream: www.WatchBigSky.com. Live stats: www.vikslive.com, www.viksmobile.com
 
THE SERIES RECORD: Vikings vs. Wildcats
All-Time Series: Weber State leads 20-13 • Portland State leads 9-8 in Portland • Weber State leads 12-4 in Ogden
Big Sky Conference Series: Weber State leads 10-7 • Weber State leads 5-4 in Portland • Weber State leads 5-3 in Ogden
 
Big Sky Conference games
Oct. 19, 1996: WSU 35-10 @ Portland
Oct. 18, 1997: WSU 16-7 @ Ogden
Oct. 24, 1998: PSU 34-27 @ Portland
Oct. 23, 1999: PSU 31-14 @ Ogden
Oct. 21, 2000: WSU 41-9 @ Ogden
Oct. 20, 2001: PSU 65-43 @ Portland
Nov. 9, 2002: WSU 20-14 @ Ogden
Nov. 8, 2003: WSU 45-21 @ Portland
Nov. 13, 2004: PSU 34-15 @ Ogden
Nov. 12, 2005: PSU 39-14 @ Portland
Sept. 23, 2006: PSU 20-10 @ Ogden
Oct. 27, 2007: WSU 73-68 @ Portland
Nov. 1, 2008: WSU 31-21 @ Ogden
Sept. 26, 2009: WSU 36-29 @ Portland
Oct. 23, 2010: WSU 44-41 @ Ogden
Nov. 19, 2011: WSU 48-33 @ Portland
Nov. 2, 2013: PSU 45-24 @ Portland
 
VIKINGS WILL TRY TO TURN THE TIDE THIS WEEK AT WEBER STATE
The Portland State Vikings seek to end a couple of losing streaks this Saturday when they head to Weber State for a Big Sky Conference football game. PSU has lost two straight games, and five straight road games dating to last season, as it prepares to take on the Wildcats. Saturday's game in Ogden, UT kicks off at 1 p.m. MT/Noon PT.
     
The game is not televised but a live video stream is available at www.WatchBigSky.com. It also airs on Rip City Radio 620 AM and www.ripcityradio.com. The pregame show starts at 11 a.m. PT. Live stats can be found at www.vikslive.com and www.viksmobile.com.
     
The last two Saturdays have been tough on the Vikings. PSU lost 24-16 at North Dakota on Oct. 11, then 21-17 to Northern Arizona last Saturday at Providence Park. Those losses drop Portland State to 2-5 on the season, 1-2 and a seventh-place tie in the Big Sky Conference.
     
This week's game puts PSU in a position that makes any team uncomfortable. In addition to being on the road, the Vikings play at winless Weber State team (0-7, 0-3). Despite not having a win, the Wildcats have been extremely competitive with close losses the past three weeks. Portland State wants to avoid being WSU's first victim of the season. It will be an interesting matchup of a good running team (PSU) against a team that struggles to stop the run (WSU), and a good passing team (WSU) against a team that has struggled to stop the pass (PSU).
     
PSU is 0-4 on the road this season, while Weber State is 0-2 at home. The Vikings had a convincing 45-24 win over the Wildcats last year at Providence Park behind 350-yard rushing effort (480 yards total).
     
Portland State returns home to host Idaho State on November 1, then is on the road for two weeks (Montana State, Sacramento State).
 
SCOUTING WEBER STATE
Weber State is winless so far this season behind first-year Head Coach Jay Hill. However, the Wildcats remain extremely competitive. Following opening losses to Arizona State and defending national champion North Dakota State, WSU has played the remainder of the schedule close. Three weeks ago, the Wildcats lost just 31-28 to Southern Utah on the road, then took a 30-24 home loss to Cal Poly. Last Saturday, ninth-ranked Montana State had no easy go at home, finally beating Weber State, 23-13.
     
The Wildcats average a respectable 376.6 yards of offense per game. The letdown has been 16 turnovers, including 10 lost fumbles.
     
Running back Zach Smith is having a solid season, rushing 100 times for 626 yards and three touchdowns. He ranks third in rushing in the Big Sky. Quarterback Billy Green is 163-268 for 1,671 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions.
     
Wide receiver Shaydon Kehano is having a big year with 58 receptions for 647 yards and six touchdowns. He leads the Big Sky with 8.3 receptions per game. Cam Livingston has 36 catches for 446 yards.
     
On defense, Weber State gives up 458.3 yards and 32.9 points per game. The Wildcats allow 227 on the ground and 231 through the air per game.
     
Linebacker Emmett Tela leads the team with 77 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Luke King has 43 tackles, while defensive end Dustin Martin leads Weber State with 4.5 sacks.
     
The Wildcats are first in the Big Sky Conference in kickoff returns with a 28.0 average.
     
STORYLINES AND SERIES HISTORY
• Weber State and Portland State rank at the bottom of the Big Sky Conference in turnover margin. The Wildcats have commited 16 turnovers - worst in the league - and recovered only five - also worst in the league - for a -11 margin. The Vikings have given up 13 turnovers while recovering six for a -7 margin.
• Portland State finally broke through against Weber State last season after losing five straight times to the Wildcats. PSU won 45-24 at Providence Park.
• The Wildcats had broken the Vikings hearts in the previous three meetings. In 2009, the Wildcats scored with 17 seconds left at Providence Park, turning a 29-28 Viking lead into a 36-29 Viking loss. In 2010, PSU scored with 1:02 to play to go ahead 41-37 in Ogden. But, WSU ran off six plays for 70 yards, scoring on a two-yard run by Vai Tafuna with 21 seconds to play, winning 44-41. In 2011, the Vikings were 7-3 heading into the season finale at JELD-WEN Field, hoping for a win and a shot at an NCAA playoff berth. But the Wildcats beat PSU, 48-33, in former Coach Ron McBride's final game before retirement. The teams did not play in 2012.
• The 2007 meeting at Providence Park is the highest-scoring Division I regulation football game in college history with Weber State winning, 73-68. Amazingly, that was NOT the most points by either team in the series. Weber State earned a 74-6 win in 1965. A Mouse Davis-coached Portland State team won 75-0 in 1980. A 65-43 win by the Vikings in 2001 at JELD-WEN was the highest-scoring game in PSU history by two teams, combined, until the 2007 contest.
• Weber State has won the last two meetings in Ogden (2008, 2010). PSU had won the two prior to that (2004, 2006).
• Jay Hill is one of two new head coaches in the Big Sky Conference in 2014.
 
LAST YEAR, Nov. 2, 2013: Portland State 45, Weber State 24
Portland State took control early and never let up on the way to a three-touchdown win over Weber State. The Vikings pounded out 350 rushing yards and 480 yards total in the win. DJ Adams led the PSU ground game with 32 carries for 152 yards and two scores. Nate Tago added two rushing TDs and 64 yards for the Viks. Hayden Plinke gained 79 rushing yards from the wildcat formation.

Meanwhile, PSU's defense held the Wildcats to only 59 rushing yards on 33 carries. Austin Chipoletti threw for 331 yards with a big chunk of coming in the fourth quarter as Weber State tried to make a comeback. David Edgerson had six tackles, a blocked field goal and returned a fumble for touchdown to lead the Viking defense.
 
LAST WEEK: VIKINGS DROP SECOND STRAIGHT CLOSE CONTEST
A late Northern Arizona touchdown wiped away Portland State's perfect home record as the Lumberjacks defeated the Vikings, 21-17, at Providence Park last Saturday. NAU quarterback Chase Cartwright's three-yard run with 4:04 left on the clock gave the 'Jacks the win.
     
The defeat nullified a dynamic rushing performance by Steven Long. The redshirt freshman had four big runs, three of which went for more than 60 yards, and set up all three Viking scores. In the end, Long ran 16 times for 253 yards and one touchdown - the ninth-best rushing performance in PSU history.
     
NAU's Marcus Alford made the biggest play of the first half, picking off a Kieran McDonagh pass in the second quarter, returning it 67 yards for a touchdown. With that, NAU took a 14-7 halftime lead.
     
Long made his next big play early in the second half for the Vikings with a 62-yard scoring run. Trapped four yards behind the line, Long broke away from a would-be tackler, swiveled through the defense and was off to paydirt. That tied the game 14-14 at the 10:37 mark of the third quarter. The Vikings added a 31-yard field goal by Jonathan Gonzales, taking a 17-14 lead after three.
     
But, midway through the fourth quarter Northern Arizona put together an 11-play, 83-yard drive, aided by two Viking penalties. Cartwright capped the series with a three-yard touchdown run at the 4:04 mark.
     
PSU's ensuing series was a three-and-out and the Vikings had to punt it away with just over three minutes to play. The Lumberjacks got the first down they needed and the Vikings never got the ball back.
     
NAU was able to control possession, running 80 plays and holding the football for 36:07 of the game.
     
Long had 297 of the Vikings' 402 total yards as he also made three receptions for 44 yards.
     
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE: VIKING QUICK NOTES
 
WINS AND LOSSES:
• The Vikings have lost two games in a row and five in a row on the road, dating to last season.
• Portland State is 2-5 this season, 2-1 at home, 0-4 on the road.
• Head Coach Nigel Burton has a 13-11 home record, 7-21 road record, and 20-32 overall record.
 
THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT: FR RB Steven Long had a breakout game on Saturday night at Providence Park despite a 21-17 Viking loss to Northern Arizona. The (generously listed) 5-foot-7 inch, 180-pound Long rushed 16 times for 253 yards and one touchdown. He had three runs in excess of 60 yards and set up all three Viking scores with big runs. Long had a TD run of 62 yards, as well as runs of 66 and 61 yards in the game... the 66-yard run in the second quarter set up a five-yard touchdown run by Nate Tago a few plays later.. a 24-yard run in the third quarter set up a Jonathan Gonzales 31-yard field goal... his 62-yard third-quarter touchdown run was probably his play of the game. Long was trapped four yards behind the line of scrimmage on a broken counter play, but escaped and broke away for the score... Long's rushing total of 253 yards was the ninth-most in a single game in PSU history and the most by a freshman this year at the FCS level. With three receptions for 44 yards, Long had 297 all-purpose yards. Prior to the game, Long had 23 carries for 115 yards on the season as the Vikings' number-three running back.
 
BALL CONTROL MEANS A LOT: Portland State averaged 8.1 yards per play against Northern Arizona last Saturday, but ran only 50 plays in the game. Meanwhile, the Lumberjacks averaged 4.6 yards per play, but ran 80 plays. The 'Jacks maintained time of possession for 36:07 of the game... PSU's average time of possession this year is only 26:54 per game, which ranks 12th in the league and 115th in the nation.
 
TROUBLE ON THIRD DOWN: Time of possession and number of plays run can be directly linked to third-down conversions. Portland State has been 5-27 on third down (18%) in losses over the past two weeks. The Vikings are converting at 34.6% on the season (10th in the Big Sky) after converting 40.4% of their third downs last year.
 
RUNNING BACKS ARE BACK: Portland State's running game is evolving are the season continues. The combination of SR RB Shaquille Richard and SO RB Nate Tago rushed for 317 yards in the games against UC Davis and North Dakota. Then, FR RB Steven Long surprised with a 253-yard effort last Saturday against Northern Arizona. PSU's season-best 336-yard rushing effort has the Vikings averaging 202.3 yards per game on the ground... Richard leads the Vikings this year with 77 carries for 425 yards and two TDs. Tago has 63 runs for 263 yards. And now Long is second on the team with 39 carries for 368 yards (9.4 ypc!) and two scores.
 
5x100: With FR RB Steven Long rushing for a career-high 253 yards on Saturday, Portland State now has five players on its roster than have had at least one 100-yard rushing game. Here is each player's career-high:
Steven Long: 253 vs. Northern Arizona, 2014
Kieran McDonagh: 108 vs. North Dakota, 2013
Paris Penn: 112 at Oregon State, 2014
Shaquille Richard: 151 vs. Western Oregon, 2014
Nate Tago: 106 vs. UC Davis, 2014
 
SPEAKING OF 100: SR LB Corey Crowder and JR CB Aaron Sibley currently lead the Vikings with 98 career tackles each. Both are likely to get to 100 this Saturday at Weber State... also closing in on 100 is SR WR Kasey Closs. In just two seasons, he has 93 career catches. Closs caught 63 passes to lead the Vikings last year and has a team-high 30 catches so far this season. Closs has an outside shot at reaching Portland State's career top-10s in both receptions and receiving yards by the end of the season. He would need 30 more catches and 458 more yards.
 
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 six games other than Cal Poly, PSU has allowed 516 rushing yards (86.0 ypg) on 184 carries (2.8 ypc).
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYMAKERS: Portland State's defensive numbers are improving after quality performances the past three weeks. The Vikings held the Aggies to 240 yards of offense and 14 points, the fewest by an opponent this season. North Dakota scored 24 points, but only 17 on the defense due to a punt return touchdown. UND managed just 262 yards of total offense... Northern Arizona totaled 374 yards, but needed 80 plays to do it... through seven games, PSU's defense has:
• 53 tackles for loss
• 17 sacks
• 24 pass breakups
• 8 forced fumbles
 
DEs GET TO THE QBs: Portland State's defensive ends have put a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. SR DE Brandon Tobias leads the Vikings with four sacks and three quarterback hurries in six games played... JR DE Sadat Sulleyman has 3.5 sacks and a hurry in six games... JR DE Dame Ndiaye has three sacks in six games.
 
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 46.4 yards per punt this season to rank second in the nation. Loomis has 19 punts of 50 yards or better and 20 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 13 turnovers and a -7 turnover margin. The offense is producing turnovers at a rate of two per game, and the defense has forced only one turnover in the last four games.
 
YELLOW FEVER: Portland State had a whopping 18 penalties for 146 yards against Western Oregon on Sept. 6. However, in the other six games combined, PSU has only 29 penalties for 254 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.
 
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 three weeks, Jonathan Gonzales has made 7-9 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 made 1-2 against Northern Arizona, with the miss just wide right from 56 yards... Gonzales is now 8-13 kicking field goals this year to rank third in the Big Sky Conference, and the Vikings have a whole new perspective on their kicking game.
 
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 29 career games, totaling 41 receptions, 582 yards and five touchdowns.