Game 1
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (6-6, 3-5 - '13) vs. OREGON STATE BEAVERS (7-6, 4-5 - '13)
Saturday, August 30, 2014, 1 p.m., Reser Stadium (45,674), Corvallis, Oregon

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TELEVISION: Pac-12 Network (in Oregon and Washington)
    Play-by-play: JB Long • Analyst: Anthony Herron • Sidelines: Drea Avent
RADIO: Fox Sports Radio 620 AM, www.foxsportsradio620.com
    Pregame Show: Noon • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Analyst: Mike Lund
 
THE SERIES RECORD: Vikings vs. Beavers
All-Time Series: Oregon State leads 3-0 • OSU leads 2-0 in Corvallis • OSU leads 1-0 in Portland
 
Sept. 10, 1983: OSU 51-14 @ Portland
Sept. 3, 2005: OSU 41-14 @ Corvallis
Sept. 5, 2009: OSU 34-7 @ Corvallis
 
LAST MEETING, Sept. 5, 2009: Oregon State 34, Portland State 7
Oregon State held Portland State scoreless until late in the game on the way to a season-opening win. The Beavers got 103 rushing yards and three touchdowns from star back Jacquizz Rodgers.
     
OSU outgained the Vikings only 433 to 351, but never turned the ball over while converting 8-14 third downs and its only fourth-down attempt.

Drew Hubel completed 20-37 passes for 252 yards for the Vikings while Ray Fry had 10 catches for 146 yards. Connor Kavanaugh scored on a one-yard run for the Vikings' only touchdown.
 
STORYLINES
• Portland State is 2-30 all-time against NCAA I FBS programs. PSU is 0-12 all-time against members of the Pac-12, including 0-3 against Oregon State.
• Oregon State is one of two Pac-12 opponents the Vikings will play in 2014 (Washington State). PSU plays two Pac-12 teams in the same season for only the third time in its history. It marks the fifth time in PSU's history it has played against at least two FBS level programs in the same season (the Vikings played three in 2006).
• PSU Head Coach Nigel Burton was an Oregon State assistant under Mike Riley from 2003 to 2007.
• Oregon State is the only FBS level program to ever play at Portland State. The Beavers beat the Vikings, 51-14, on Sept. 10, 1983 at Civic Stadium (now Providence Park). The crowd of 26,102 is the largest home attendance in the history of Portland State football.
• Oregon State was the Hawai'i Bowl Champion, beating Boise State, 38-23, last Dec. 24 in Honolulu.
 
VIKINGS OPEN 2014 SEASON AT FORMIDABLE PAC-12 FOE
The Portland State football team will travel to Oregon State for their 2014 season opener this Saturday as the Vikings face the first of two Pac-12 opponents in the preseason. The Vikings will meet in a 1 p.m. game at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, reviving a series that is 31 years old but consists of only three previous games.
        
Kickoff for Saturday's game will be at 1:07 p.m. It will be televised on the Pac-12 Network in Oregon and Washington. The game also airs on Fox Sports Radio 620 AM with a pregame show starting at noon.
        
PSU begins its 19th season as a member of the Big Sky Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Vikings come off a 6-6 season in 2013, 3-5 in Big Sky play. Head Coach Nigel Burton begins his fifth season on the Park Blocks and has compiled an 18-27 record. Burton has 47 returning letterwinners and 14 returning starters from last year's team.
        
The Vikings are 2-30 all-time against FBS schools and have never beaten a Pac-12 opponent. PSU has lost 10 in a row to FBS opponents with the last win coming at New Mexico, 17-6, on Sept. 2, 2006. Portland State is 0-3 all-time against Oregon State, 0-12 all-time against Pac-12 schools.
        
OSU is a member of the Pac-12 Conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Beavers were 7-6 in 2013, 4-5 in the Pac-12 North Division. Oregon State won the post-season Hawai'i Bowl, 38-23, over Boise State. Head Coach Mike Riley starts his 14th season at OSU. Riley has an 88-73 record overall. He has beaten the Vikings in his two previous meetings (2005 and 2009).
        
Portland State has four games on its preseason schedule. After opening at OSU, the Vikings come home to host Western Oregon at Hillsboro Stadium on Sept. 6. PSU then plays at Washington State on Sept. 13 and Cal Poly on Sept. 20. After the game against Western Oregon, all of PSU's remaining home games are at Providence Park, with the Big Sky Conference opener on Oct. 4 against UC Davis. That game is one of three Big Sky Conference Games of the Week featuring PSU on Root Sports. PSU's home contests with Northern Arizona (Oct. 18) and Eastern Washington (Fri., Nov. 21) will also be televised on Root. The Vikings other Big Sky home game is a Nov. 1 meeting with Idaho State.
 
THE VIKINGS: A QUICK LOOK
Portland State has the majority of its skill position players and seven starters returning from 2013's record-breaking offense (school-record 540.5 yards per game). The Vikings ranked third in the nation at the FCS level in total offense last season.
        
JR QB Kieran McDonagh (2,305 yards total offense, 19 TDs) is the incumbent at quarterback, but will get a stern challenge from SO QB Paris Penn for the starting role. SR WR Kasey Closs (63-1,167-8) leads a fleet of returning receivers and SR RB Shaquille Richard (1,252 career rushing yards) will pace a stable of talented backs.
        
SO LT Kyle Smith (6-5, 315), SR C Cornelius Edison (6-3, 295) and SO RG Cam Keizur (6-3, 320) return on the offensive line that has led a powerhouse offense the last four years. PSU must replace a pair of three-year starters in Mitch Gaulke and Mitchell Van Dyk (St. Louis Rams), who have graduated.
 
On defense, PSU has just four starters returning, but eight others who made starts and a total of 21 letterwinners are back. SR DT Joe Lopez (5.5 tackles for loss), SR LB Corey Crowder (59 tackles, 6.5 TFLs), JR LB Brandon Brody-Heim (46 tackles, 4 TFLs) and JR CB Aaron Sibley (42 tackles) are the top returners for a defense that cut points allowed by more than 8 in 2013 over 2012.
        
Also returning for the Vikings is All-American punter Kyle Loomis, who led the nation and set a new Portland State record last season with a 46.5 average. PSU also led the nation in kick return coverage (14.9 yards allowed per return) and net punting (41.7 per punt). The Vikings struggled in the kicking game, making only 3-16 field goals and 52-56 extra points. A three-way competition for the starting kicking role appears to have been won by SO TR Jonathan Gonzales.
 
SCOUTING OREGON STATE
Oregon State is led by senior quarterback Sean Mannion who set a Pac-12 record for passing yards in 2013 (4,662). With 10,436 career yards, Mannion is on pace to break USC's Matt Barkley's record of 12,274.
     
The Beavers averaged 372.6 yards passing per game last season. Meanwhile, the Vikings gave up a league-high 288.7 passing yards in the Big Sky Conference.
     
OSU returns 52 letterwinners overall, including 18 starters. Although star receiver Brandin Cooks is gone, a host of talented skill players remain. Junior split end Richard Mullaney had 52 receptions for 788 yards and three touchdowns last year. Running back Storm Woods was a dual-threat last year, rushing for 477 yards, and catching passes for 440 yards while scoring seven touchdowns. Terron Ward (113-521-5) also returns in the backfield.
     
A strong group of senior linebackers and safeties return to lead the defense, including Tyrequek Zimmeraman, Jabral Johnson, Ryan Murphy, Michael Doctor and DJ Alexander. Zimmerman had a team-high 104 tackles last season. Also back is cornerback Steven Nelson, who had team-highs of six interceptions and eight pass breakups in 2013.
     
Kicker Trevor Romaine (14-20 FG, 50-52 PAT) and punter Keith Kostol (40.5 ypp) return on special teams for the Beavers, though Romaine's status appears questionnable.
 
CONNECTIONS
In addition to being an in-state school and the closest Division I football playing school, Oregon State has other connections to Portland State.
• Viking Head Coach Nigel Burton was the defensive backs coach at Oregon State from 2003-07 under Beavers Head Coach Mike Riley.
• SR P Kyle Loomis was the starting punter at OSU in 2006. He left the OSU program, later joined the Army, and returned to college at Portland State in 2013. Loomis led the nation in punting with a Portland State record 46.5 yards per punt in 2013. He was a consensus first team All-American.
• SO TE Jake Nall of Portland State is the brother of FR RB Ryan Nall of Oregon State.
• SR DT Joe Lopez of Portland State was a walk-on at Oregon State in 2010. He played in six games in 2011 and 10 games in 2012. He transferred to PSU and started all 12 games last year, earning honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference.
• FR WR Stevie Coury of Portland State was a walk-on at Oregon State last year where he was a redshirt.
• SO K Ian Crist of Oregon State spent the past two season at Portland State. Crist appeared in one game for the Vikings in 2013.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE: VIKING QUICK NOTES
 
THE 2014 VIKINGS: A BREAKDOWN
• Portland State has 47 returning letterwinners.
• The Vikings have 14 returning starters, seven on offense, four on defense and three special teams.
• A total of 26 players return that have started games.
• There are 28 redshirts returning.
• 46 players hail from the state of Oregon, 35 are from the Portland metropolitan/SW Washington area, and 63 are from the Pacific Northwest.
 
WINS AND LOSSES:
• Portland State was 6-6 last season, 4-2 at home and 2-4 on the road.
• The Vikings are 10-7 at home since the start of 2011, 6-11 on the road.
• Head Coach Nigel Burton now has a 11-10 home record, 7-17 road record.
• The Vikings have eight winning records in 18 years as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
• PSU is 61-36 in home games since moving to the NCAA I level, 31-72 on the road.
• PSU is 60-79 all-time in Big Sky Conference games in 18 seasons as a member. The Vikings are 37-33 at home, 23-46 on the road in BSC games.
 
VETERANS: Entering the 2014 season, SR RB Shaq Richard has the most experience, playing in 32 career games. SR DE Brandon Tobias is second on that list with 30 games played, followed by SR LB Corey Crowder (27) and SR OL Cornelius Edison (26)... players with the most career starts are Edison (23), JR QB Kieran McDonagh (20), JR LS Kameron Canaday (17) and JR CB Aaron Sibley (15).
 
AREAS TO IMPROVE ON
• WINNING THE CLOSE ONES: Portland State set a school record for offense with 540.5 yards per game last year. And, although the defensive yards allowed was up from 401 per game in 2012 to 430 in 2013, the Vikings allowed fewer points, down to 27.5 from 36. Still, PSU lost its last two games by a single point (43-42 and 42-41) and had four conference losses by a combined 16 points (they were 16 points from a 7-1 mark in conference play). The only game that PSU was out of in the late-going was a loss at Montana.
• FIXING THE KICKING: All of Portland State's special teams were among the best in the conference and nation (kick coverage, punt coverage, punting, kick return) except for kicking. PSU made only 3-16 FGs, and 52-56 PATs. Those misses were key considering the number of close losses the Vikings had in 2013.
• BUILDING UP THE DEFENSE: Portland State has only four full-time returning starters (though eight others have made starts). As a result, 15 of the 21 players added on signing day were on defense, including eight defensive linemen and four defensive backs. Expect SO DE Michael Doman (BYU transfer), JR LB Zach Berg (Wyoming), JR LB Anthony McNichols (Golden West CC) and JR S Patrick Onwuasor (Arizona) to play big roles in 2014.
 
NEW STAFF: Portland State has four new assistant coaches in 2014. Malik Roberson, who was PSU's defensive line coach in 2011, has returned to the same position after two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Central Washington. Jason Belford is new to the staff as the assistant defensive line coach after working at Weber State for two seasons. Those two replace Ikaika Malloe and Mike Scheper, who took jobs with Utah State and the Canadian Football League, respectively... veteran coach Steve Morton, who begins his 40th season in coaching, is the new offensive line coach. He replaces Brad Davis, who moved on to a similar position at James Madison University... Mike Preston is the new tight ends coach. He was most recently at Lindenwood College. Preston replaces Matt Leunen, who now works in private business... Trevor Gentry is serving as the team's defensive quality control coach.
 
TASTY, YET INSIGNIFICANT, TIDBITS:
• Portland State is 29-36-2 all-time in season-opening games.
• Portland State has appeared on television locally in Portland 54 times since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996. PSU is 19-35 in those games, 12-11 at home, 7-24 on the road... PSU was 0-4 in televised games in 2013... the Vikings play in five televised games this season.
• The 57 points scored by the Vikings against Eastern Oregon in last year's season-opening game was the most in a season-opener in the 67-year history of the PSU program.
• The Vikings are 13-0 against lower division teams since moving to the Big Sky Conference in 1996. PSU hosts NCAA II Western Oregon on September 6.
• PSU has played two Big Sky Conference schools in non-conference games in the past two seasons. The Vikings lost at North Dakota, 45-37, in 2012, and won at UC Davis, 41-10, in 2013. PSU will play a non-conference game at Cal Poly on September 20.
• Head Coach Nigel Burton is 3-0 at UC Davis and the Vikings have averaged 43.7 points in those games. The Vikings host UC Davis on October 4.
• The Vikings' 14-10 win against North Dakota were the fewest points in a win since PSU beat Sacramento State, 13-7, on Nov. 11, 2006. PSU plays at UND on October 11.
• The 2007 meeting between Portland State and Weber State 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 was the highest-scoring game in PSU history by two teams, combined, until the 2007 contest. PSU plays at Weber State on Oct. 25.
• PSU has averaged 422.7 rushing yards and 52.2 points per game over its last three meetings with Idaho State. The Vikings face ISU on November 1 in Portland.
• Portland State is 4-1 all-time in Thursday games. The Vikings have one Friday game this year, November 21 vs. Eastern Washington.
• PSU has won the Dam Cup - a multi-sport competition with Eastern Washington - in three of the four years of the existence of the competition.
 
PORTLAND STATE AND THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE: Portland State will begin its 19th season as a member of the Big Sky Conference and Division I football in 2014. The Vikings are 60-79 all-time in Big Sky games, 37-33 at home and 23-46 on the road.
        
Former coach Tim Walsh (42-41 in Big Sky games) led the Vikings through the first 11 years, and Jerry Glanville (7-17) was the head coach for three seasons. Nigel Burton is 18-27 in four seasons as head coach.
        
The Vikings have never won a Big Sky title, but tied for second four times, tied for third two times, and tied for fourth twice under Walsh. The Vikings finished sixth, sixth and eighth under Glanville. Burton has placed in a tie for eighth, third, tie for 11th and 9th.
        
PSU has made one NCAA I playoff appearance (2000) after placing second in the Big Sky.
 
VIKING ONE-LINERS (and sometimes two)
• Portland State's offensive line allowed only 10 sacks in 2013, that makes a total of only 25 over the last three years combined. PSU threw nearly 1,000 passes over that span.
• Portland State had a pair of former players meet in the Super Bowl for the first time in history last February. TE Julius Thomas ('10, Denver) and DB DeShawn Shead ('11, Seattle) both played in Super Bowl XLVIII. Shead joins Clint Didier and Ted Popson as former Vikings with Super Bowl rings. Thomas was named a Pro Bowl tight end in 2013.
• SR WR Kasey Closs was a walk-on to the Viking program. His father, Rob, was a star basketball and baseball player at the University of Oregon back in the 1970s.
• RS FR RB Steven Long had brain surgery in April 2013 to remove an infectious lesion. 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. Long had surgery on April 28 and, miraculously, made it back on the field for the opening of practice in August. Long's father, Jeff, played at Portland State from 1978-81.
• SR P Kyle Loomis had been away from college football for seven years. He spent four years in the Army and will be 27 on Sept. 30. He led the nation in punting in 2013 with a 46.5 average. Loomis had 18 punts go over 50 yards., with a pair of 67-yard punts and one that traveled 66 yards. Portland State's 41.7 net punting average also led the nation. Loomis accomplished all of this after seven years away from football. He was a veteran of one season of football as the starting punter at Oregon State in 2006, then nearly four years in the US Army.
• JR WR Thomas Carter, SR WR Josh Milhollin and JR WR David Jones were all high school quarterbacks. Carter and Milhollin started their PSU careers as quarterbacks.
• SO TE Cam Sommer's older brother, Carl, played defensive end at Portland State (2009-11).
• JR DE Sadat Sulleyman was born in Accra, Ghana. He has also lived in Europe and New York.
• SO DT Savali Talalemotu is from Saipan. He attended high school in Beaverton as there was no high school football in Saipan, living with his uncle, Ina. Ina Talalemotu played on Portland State's Division II national runner-up teams in 1987 and 1988.
• SR WR Roston Tatum's parents were both top sprinters at TCU during their college days. His father was a two-time national champion in the 4x100 meters and five-time All-American.
• SO DE Michael Doman is one of 16 children in his family - 13 boys and three girls. He is also married (Julianne) and has two sons, Dee (16 months) and Carder (one month).
• FR RB Rey Vega has written, sung, mixed and filmed numerous songs (look him up on You Tube).
• Portland State has 12 players that were formerly members of FBS programs.
• JR QB Kieran McDonagh placed eighth in the balloting for the 2012 Jerry Rice Award, given to the nation's top freshman football player at the NCAA I FCS level. McDonagh averaged 235.7 yards of total offense per game. He completed 171 of 314 passes for 2,187 yards, 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. McDonagh ran 89 times for 406 yards and nine touchdowns.
• SO K Marcus Kinsella is a native of Australia. He follows Thomas Duyndam, the first Australian ever to play for PSU. Duyndam was a four-year starter at punter (2009-12).
• SO TE Jacob Nall's brother, Ryan, was the Oregon 6A High School Player of the Year in 2013 and is now playing at Oregon State.
• Returning Vikings who won Academic All-Big Sky Conference honors are JR LB Brandon Brody-Heim, SO CB Xavier Coleman, SO RB Zach Dwyer, SO OL Josh Hanson, SR TE Tyson Heller, SO OL Cam Keizur, SO K Marcus Kinsella, SR DT Joe Lopez, JR LB Kawika Stant, SR WR Alex Toureen and SR LB Jake Woolley.
• Viking Defensive Coordinator Jaime Hill was a member of Tim Walsh's defensive coaching staff at Portland State from 1993-97.
• Head Coach Nigel Burton was the cornerbacks coach on Tim Walsh's PSU staff in 2001 and 2002.