Football | 11/10/2014 10:46:00 AM

Complete notes and stats in pdf

Game 11
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (3-7, 2-4) vs. SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS (5-5, 2-4)
Saturday, November 15, 2014, 2 p.m. • Hornet Stadium (21,195), Sacramento, CA
 
TELEVISION: None
RADIO: Rip City Radio 620 AM (KPOJ), www.ripcityradio.com • Pregame Show: 1 p.m. • 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. Hornets
All-Time Series: Portland State leads 22-10 • PSU leads 12-4 at Portland • PSU leads 10-6 at Sacramento
Big Sky Conference Series: PSU leads 12-5 • Portland State leads 7-2 in Portland • Portland State leads 5-3 in Sacramento
 
Big Sky Conference games
Nov. 2, 1996: PSU 38-31 @ Portland
Nov. 1, 1997: PSU 27-13 @ Sacramento
Oct. 10, 1998: PSU 58-31 @ Portland
Oct. 9, 1999: SAC 41-14 @ Sacramento
Sept. 16, 2000: PSU 35-23 @ Sacramento
Nov. 24, 2001: PSU 52-33 @ Portland
Oct. 19, 2002: PSU 34-20 @ Sacramento
Oct. 18, 2003: PSU 20-7 @ Portland
Oct. 9, 2004: PSU 31-0 @ Sacramento
Sept. 17, 2005: PSU 28-12 @ Portland
Nov. 11, 2006: PSU 13-7 @ Sacramento
Sept. 15, 2007: PSU 35-24 @ Portland
Sept. 27, 2008: SAC 41-31 @ Sacramento
Oct. 3, 2009: SAC 31-14 @ Portland
Nov. 6, 2010: SAC 28-15 @ Sacramento
Nov. 5, 2011: PSU 29-20 @ Portland
Nov. 16, 2013: SAC 43-42 @ Portland
 
LAST YEAR, Nov. 16, 2013: Sacramento State 43, Portland State 42
Sacramento State scored with 30 seconds left to cap a comeback win over the Vikings. Portland State led 42-31 with 9:25 to play but could not hang on.
     
The teams combined for 1,341 yards of total offense, with the Vikings holding a 713-628 advantage. But PSU was stopped on a fourth-and-one at the Sacramento State 15-yard line with just under two minutes to play and a 42-37 lead. The Hornets took over and moved the ball 85 yards on eight plays in only one minute, nine seconds. Garrett Safron hit Cole Hikutini on a four-yard TD pass. Safron threw for 554 yards and four touchdowns in the game and rushed for two more scores.
 
Running back DJ Adams had a career-high 249 yards for the Vikings, who rushed for 382 and passed for 331.
 
PORTLAND STATE MEETS THE HORNETS IN FINAL ROAD GAME
With three of their last four losses coming in games that went down to the wire, the Portland State Vikings (3-7, 2-4) will try to finish out the 2014 campaign on a positive note. That begins with long-time rival Sacramento State (5-5, 2-4) this Saturday in Sacramento.
     
PSU has faced the Hornets 19 times in the last 20 years and 29 of the last 31 years. The Vikings has more Big Sky Conference wins against Sacramento State (12-5) than other league foe. That said, the Hornets pulled out a 43-42 come-from-behind victory over the Vikings last year, scoring in the final 30 seconds of the game. That was the fourth win by Sacramento State in the last five meetings between the teams.
     
This week's game kicks of at 2 p.m. at Hornet Stadium. The game will air on Rip City Radio 620 AM and www.ripcityradio.com. There is no television, but a live video stream is available at www.WatchBigSky.com. Live stats can be found at www.vikslive.com and www.viksmobile.com.
     
Sacramento State is the first of PSU's final two opponents. The Vikings host top-five ranked Eastern Washington on Friday, Nov. 21 at Providence Park. PSU will try to win out and better last year's Big Sky Conference record (3-5).
     
Portland State has lost two in a row going into the conflict with the Hornets. PSU is 1-5 on the road.
     
The Vikings made a game effort at 15th-ranked Montana State last Saturday, but lost 29-22. Redshirt freshman quarterback Josh Kraght made a solid debut as a starter, totaling 314 yards. He was responsible for two touchdowns and the Viking offense did not commit a turnover.
     
Sacramento State had a 42-21 win over Southern Utah at home last Saturday. Quarterback Garrett Safron was brilliant, completing 25-33 passes for 425 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. Wide receiver DeAndre Carter caught 16 of those balls for 273 yards and four scores.
     
The Hornets are 3-2 at home this season.
 
SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE
Similar to last year, Sacramento State finds itself in the middle of the pack in the 13-team Big Sky Conference. The Hornets were 5-7 overall, 4-4 in league play. This season they are 5-5, 2-4, with two games remaining.
     
Also similar to last year, the Hornets have a dynamic offense led once again by quarterback Garret Safron. The senior has thrown for 2,912 yards, completing 63% of his passes, has 27 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. Safron has also rushed for 641 yards and four scores.
     
The top target for Safron is All-Conference wide receiver DeAndre Carter, with 82 catches for 1,066 yards and 15 touchdowns. Carter leads the Big Sky in all three categories. The Hornets have a second 1,000-yard receiver in Nnamdi Agude (60-1,007-6).
     
Jordan Robinson leads the rushing attack with 129 carries for 708 yards and four touchdowns.
     
Overall, the Hornets total 479.8 yards per game and average 36.9 points.
     
On defense though, Sacramento State gives up similar numbers, allowing 463.1 yards and 36.2 points per game. Opponents have scored on 91% of their trips into the red zone, which ranks last in the Big Sky. The 75% touchdown rate also ranks last.
     
Senior linebacker Darnell Sankey has a team-high 99 tackles, but he has been out with injury the last two games. Robbie Kendall has 92 tackles on the season. Jaycee Totty leads the team with 11.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and eight quarterback hurries.
     
Kicker Brad Cornish has been effective, making 12-15 field goals this season.
 
STORYLINES AND SERIES HISTORY
• Portland State and Sacramento State have met in 19 of the last 20 seasons. The teams have met 29 times in the last 31 years.
• PSU holds the all-time series (22-10) and Big Sky series advantage (12-5), but Sacramento State has won four of the last five meetings.
• Last year, the teams combined for 1,341 total yards in a 43-42 Hornets' win.
• Former Coach Marshall Sperbeck resigned in April. Jody Sears took over as interim head coach.
 
VETERANS DAY THANK YOU
Portland State Athletics thanks SR P Kyle Loomis for his near four years of service in the US Army. The Vikings also thank PSU staffers Ronnye Harrison (head track and field coach, US Army and Marines) and Dennis Ferguson (Asst AD/Business Development, US Marines) for their service to our country.
 
PORTLAND STATE PUTS ITS BEST FEET FORWARD
Portland State's kicking game is having a banner season as evidenced by the NCAA statistical leaders.
     
Senior Kyle Loomis is leading the nation in punting at the NCAA I FCS level for the second year in a row with a 46.2 average. Loomis led the nation last year with a 46.5 mark, earning consensus first team All-American honors.
     
Loomis, a native of Roseburg, OR, has 27 punts in excess of 50 yards, and 27 punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
     
Sophomore kicker Jonathan Gonzales currently ranks eighth in the nation in field goals with an average of 1.50 made per game. Gonzales leads the Big Sky Conference in field goals made with 15 of 21 on the season. He is the only kicker in the league to be perfect in extra-point attempts (24-24).
     
Gonzales, from Apple Valley, CA, has made 14-17 field goals over the past six weeks, including a streak of eight in a row.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE: VIKING QUICK NOTES
 
WINS AND LOSSES:
• Portland State is 3-7 this season, 2-2 at home, 1-5 on the road.
• The Vikings are 12-9 at home since the start of 2011, 7-16 on the road.
• Head Coach Nigel Burton has a 13-12 home record, 8-22 road record, and 21-34 overall record.
• The Vikings have eight winning records in 19 years as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
• PSU is 63-38 in home games since moving to the NCAA I level, 32-77 on the road.
• PSU is 62-83 all-time in Big Sky Conference games in its 19th season as a member. The Vikings are 38-35 at home, 24-48 on the road in BSC games.
• PSU was 6-6 last season, 4-2 at home and 2-4 on the road.
 
A KRAGHTY START: RS FR QB Josh Kraght earned the start against Montana State - the first of his career - and performed admirably against the nation's 15th-ranked team. Kraght had 314 yards of total offense in the game, and gave the Vikings a chance in the fourth quarter. Kraght rushed 19 times for 96 yards and a touchdown. He completed 19-38 passes for 318 yards and a touchdown. The Viking offense did not commit a turnover.
 
TAKE A SECOND LOOK AT THE DEFENSE: It is true that the Vikings have lost their last two games. It is also true that the Viking defense has had to endure a number of injuries to key players. But look at what the defense has accomplished against the number-one and number-three offenses in the Big Sky Conference the past two weeks:
• The Vikings held Idaho State to its fewest points (31) in seven weeks, and 150 yards below its season average (430).
• PSU held Montana State 13 points below its scoring average (29) and 82 yards under its season average (424).
• Although the Vikings allow 429.0 yards per game this season, that is good for fifth in the 13-team Big Sky.
 
DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS: JR LB Jeremy Lutali continues to play well this season. He tied his career high with 11 tackles at Montana State. Lutali leads the Vikings with 69 tackles... JR DT Junior Alexis had one of his best games as a Viking with a career-high nine tackles and one for loss... SR LB Corey Crowder made five tackles with a sack, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery... JR S Patrick Onwuasor had two tackles for loss and a sack.
 
SAFETY FIRST: FR WR Anthony Jenkins made a play that was a potential game changer in the third quarter when he blocked a Montana State punt. The ball went through the end zone, giving the Vikings a safety - their first in five years - and closing the deficit to 22-15. However, PSU was unable to turn the ensuing kickoff  and possession into a tying score.
 
TURNOVER MARGIN: Giveaways and takeaways have been a point of contention for the Vikings this year with too many of the former (19) and not enough of the latter (11). The good news is the Vikings were a +1 against Montana State as they had their third game this season without a turnover... PSU has now allowed 99 points off turnovers this season, while getting just 44 off forced turnovers.
 
RUNNING BACK BY COMMITTEE: Portland State's running game is evolving as the season continues. After two big games by FR RB Steven Long, SR RB Shaquille Richard got the start the last two weeks. Richard has had 18 carries for 134 yards in those games. Against Montana State, FR QB Josh Kraght rushed for 96 yards.
• Richard (613) and Long (512) lead the Viking running game. SO RB Nate Tago has 278 yards, while QBs Paris Penn, Kieran McDonagh and Josh Kraght have combined to rush for 494 yards.
• Six different Vikings have rushing touchdowns this year, led by four from McDonagh.
• For the fifth straight season, PSU has over 2,000 rushing yards and is averaging over 200 yards rushing per game.
 
5x100: FR QB Josh Kraght came very close to a 100-yard rushing game against Montana State (96). He would have been the sixth Viking on the roster to accomplish that feat. 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 each reached 100 career tackles in the game at Weber State. Crowder now has a team-leading 113, while Sibley has 107 in his career... JR LB Jeremy Lutali (98) is about to pass 100 career tackles as well.
 
CLOSS ALSO REACHES 100: SR WR Kasey Closs had his best production of the season against Idaho State (11/1) with nine catches for 139 yards and a touchdown. That pushes him to 105 career receptions in two seasons. Closs caught 63 passes to lead the Vikings last year and has a team-high 42 catches so far this season.
 
GREAT RUN DEFENSE (MOST OF THE TIME): Portland State gave up 329 rushing yards to Montana State - one of the nation's top rushing teams. Earlier in the season, the Vikings gave up 470 yards to Cal Poly - also one of the nation's top rushing teams. That is 799 yards rushing for two opponents. PSU's other eight opponents have only 702 rushing yards (87.7 ypg) on 241 carries (2.9 ypc)... for the season, the Vikings allow 150.1 rushing yards per game.
 
BACK WHERE HE BELONGS: 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 46.2 yards per punt this season to lead the nation. Loomis has 27 punts of 50 yards or better and 27 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.
 
IT WAS GREAT WHILE IT LASTED: SO K Jonathan Gonzales saw a streak of eight straight field goals made finally come to an end when he missed a 56-yard attempt at Montana State wide left. Ironically, his last miss, four games earlier was also a 56-yarder wide right. If either of those attempts had been good, it would have been a school record.
• Gonzales is now 15-21 on field goals for the season to lead the Big Sky Conference.
• Gonzales has made 14-17 field goals over the last six weeks.
• His 15 field goals made ties for fourth best in season in school history.
     
LOPEZ NAMED ACADEMIC ALL DISTRICT 8: SR DT Joe Lopez has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District 8 team for his achievement on the football field and in the classroom. Lopez was one of 24 student-athletes among all Division I schools in the eight-state District 8 region to be honored. He will now go to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.
      Lopez, a 6-foot, 275-pound senior from Portland's Central Catholic High School, is a two-year starter on the Viking team. This year, Lopez has 25 tackles, five tackles for loss and a forced fumble through 10 games. He has 47 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss over two seasons. Lopez was named honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference in 2013. He maintains a 3.50 GPA in Exercise and Sport Science.
 
LOOMIS ON LIST FOR ARMED FORCES MERIT AWARD: After gathering information and reviewing the credentials for the "record" nominations for this year's Armed Forces Merit Award presented by the Football Writers Association of America, the selection committee reviewed 15 "candidates" for the 2014 honor to be announced this Veteran's Day, November 11.
      "We are very pleased with the list of nominations for the 2014 Armed Forces Merit Award presented by the FWAA," said Brant Ringler, the executive director of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.  "The 2014 nominees feature active college players, administrations, coaches, officials and programs that are currently involved with college football.  Our goal is to recognize these individuals for their valuable service to our country before their current involvement with the sport.  Our first two recipients were outstanding individuals that served in the military before returning to school to earn their degrees while making an impact on their football teams."
 
PREVIOUS WINNERS
      2012: Nate Boyer, University of Texas long snapper (U. S. Army)
      2013: Brandon McCoy, University of North Texas defensive lineman (U. S. Army)
 
2014 Armed Forces Merit Award Nominees
College Player - Active
Jason Everding, Incarnate Word offensive lineman (U. S. Marines)
Nick Jones, UTEP tight end (U. S. Marines)
Kyle Loomis, Portland State punter (U. S. Army)
Tehuti Miles, Maryland wide receiver (U. S. Army)
A. J. Mobley, Florida wide receiver (U. S. Marines)
Lennie Richardson, Georgia Southern defensive end (U. S. Army)
Steven Rhodes, Middle Tennessee defensive end (U. S. Marines)
Daniel Rodriguez, Clemson wide receiver (U. S. Marines)
 
College Administration, Coaching Staff & Football Operations
Kent Baer, Colorado defensive coordinator
Dr. Hans J. Mueh, United States Air Force Academy Athletic Director
Nathan Peterson, Oklahoma State defensive graduate assistant (U. S. Marines)
 
College Football Officials - Active
Raymond Daniel (Mid-American Conference, Temple Hills, MD, Army National Guard)
Steve Thielen (Mid-American Conference, Eagan, MN, U. S. Army)
 
Programs
National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics - Wounded Warrior Project™
Kansas State Football Team & 1-28 Black Lions
 
VETERANS: SR RB Shaq Richard has the most playing experience on the Viking team, competing in 42 career games. SR DE Brandon Tobias is second on that list with 38 games played, followed by SR LB Corey Crowder (36) and SR OL Cornelius Edison (36)... players with the most career starts are Edison (33), JR QB Kieran McDonagh (29), JR LS Kameron Canaday (27) and JR CB Aaron Sibley (25). Edison has started 33 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 23 receptions for 308 yards and one touchdown this season. He has played in 31 career games, totaling 42 receptions, 591 yards and five touchdowns.