Game 3
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (1-1) vs. WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (0-2)
Saturday, September 13, 2014, 5 p.m. • Martin Stadium (32,740), Pullman, WA

complete notes and stats in pdf • game day information for fans attending the game
 
TELEVISION: Pac-12 Network (Oregon and Washington) • Play-by-play: JB Long • Analyst: Mike Pawlawski • Sidelines: Drea Avent
RADIO: Rip City Radio 620 AM (KPOJ), www.ripcityradio.com • Pregame Show: 4 p.m. • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Analyst: Mike Lund
INTERNET: Live video stream: None • Live stats: www.wsucougars.com/livestats/livestats.dbml?
 
THE SERIES RECORD: Vikings vs. Cougars
All-Time Series: WSU leads the all-time series 1-0
 
Sept. 20, 2008: WSU 48-9 @ Pullman
 
STORYLINES
• Portland State is 2-31 all-time against NCAA I FBS programs. After an Aug. 30 loss at Oregon State (29-14), PSU is 0-13 all-time against members of the Pac-12, including 0-1 against Washington State.
• Washington State is one of two Pac-12 opponents the Vikings will play in 2014 (Oregon 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).
• The Cougars were 6-7 in 2013, earning their first Bowl appearance since 2003 - the New Mexico Bowl.
• SR QB Connor Halliday set Washington State records in every category with 449 completions in 714 attempts for 4,597 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2013. The Cougars also return their top eight receivers.
 
LAST MEETING, Sept. 20, 2008: Washington State 48, Portland State 9
Washington State rolled up 638 yards of total offense on 92 plays, gaining 277 on the ground and 361 through the air. This after Portland State knocked out the Cougars top two quarterbacks (Kevin Lopina/Gary Rogers) and WSU committed four turnovers. Reggie Jones had two interceptions and 10 tackles for the Vikings.
     
Washington State broke the game open with a 238-yard, 24-point third quarter performance.

PSU's only touchdown came on a nine-yard pass from Tygue Howland to Lavonte Kirven. The Vikings had 246 yards of total offense, with only eight rushing yards. PSU was 1-8 on third down, while the Cougars were 8-14.
 
VIKINGS' GET ANOTHER CHANCE TO MAKE HISTORY IN PULLMAN
The 2014 Vikings get an opportunity to do something that no other Portland State team has done in the history of the program. PSU will go after a first-ever win against a Pac-12 school (0-13) when it faces the Washington State Cougars in Pullman this Saturday. Game time is 5 p.m. and it will air on the Pac-12 Network and Rip City Radio 620 AM.
     
The Vikings (1-1) have already had a shot at a Pac-12 school this season, losing at Oregon State on Aug. 30, 29-14. PSU had a 14-13 lead at halftime but couldn't finish the upset. Last Saturday, the Vikings won their home opener in a wild affair, 45-38, over Western Oregon.
     
PSU plays Washington State for only the second time in its history (losing 48-9 in 2008).
     
Washington State (0-2) comes off a pair of close losses to Rutgers (41-38 in Seattle) and at Nevada (24-13). The Cougars will be playing their first game at Martin Stadium while looking for their first win.
     
The Cougars were 6-7 last year, losing in the New Mexico Bowl - their first Bowl appearance since 2003.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Portland State's final non-conference game comes on Sept. 20 at Cal Poly. Although the Mustangs are also a member of the Big Sky Conference, the contest will be played as a non-conference game.
     
PSU has a bye on Sept. 27, then begins Big Sky Conference play at home 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 UC Davis contest marks the start of three out of five games at home and includes three teams that finished behind the Vikings in last year's Big Sky standings (North Dakota, Idaho State, Weber State).
 
LAST WEEK: WOLVES EXTEND VIKINGS TO 4TH, PSU WINS 45-38
The expectation of a home-opening win did not become reality until the late-going as Portland State held on to defeat Western Oregon, 45-38, at Hillsboro Stadium.
     
The Vikings twice built 17-point leads on the Wolves, but both times Western came back. The game was tied 31-31 with just over 11 minutes to play when SR LB Corey Crowder forced and recovered a fumble by WOU QB Ryan Bergman. SO QB Paris Penn scored on a 48-yard touchdown run on the very next play. A few minutes later Penn hit SR WR Kasey Closs on a 36-yard TD pass and it appeared the Vikings, leading 45-31, had the game sewn up. However, Bergman tossed his third TD pass of the night with 46 seconds left to close the gap. Western Oregon was unable to recover the ensuing onside kick and PSU ran out the clock.
     
PSU had 507 yards of offense, including 285 on the gournd and 222 passing. Shaq Richard rushed for a career-high 151 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Closs made six catches for 109 yards and two scores. QBs Penn and Kieran McDonagh combined for 321 yards of total offense and five touchdowns passing and rushing.
     
Crowder led the defense with eight tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and the big sack and fumble recovery. PSU made seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss.
     
Bergman threw for 413 yards in the game, although the Wolves managed just 17 total rushing yards.
 
SCOUTING WASHINGTON STATE
Washington State loves to pass, pass, pass. That is the offensive style Head Coach Mike Leach brought to the Palouse in 2012. Leach is 9-18 at WSU and 93-61 overall in his coaching career.
     
Pulling the trigger on Leach's offense is quarterback Connor Halliday, who has completed 78-113 passes for 921 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions in two games. On the flip side, the Cougars have run the ball only 32 times for 44 yards. WSU averages 482.5 yards of offense per game.
     
Vince Mayle (20-210-2) and Isiah Myers (15-196-2) have been Halliday's top two receiving targets. Twelve different players have caught passes through the first two games.
     
On defense, Washington State is giving up 214.5 yards per game on the ground and 410.0 overall.
     
Linebacker Mitchell Peterson has a team-high 20 tackles through the first two games, but is not listed on the depth chart this week. Linebackers Darryl Monroe and Daquawn Brown each have 17 tackles.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE: VIKING QUICK NOTES
 
WINS AND LOSSES:
• Portland State is 1-1 this season, 1-0 at home, 0-1 on the road.
• PSU was 6-6 last season, 4-2 at home and 2-4 on the road.
• The Vikings are 11-7 at home since the start of 2011, 6-12 on the road.
• Head Coach Nigel Burton now has a 12-10 home record, 7-18 road record, 19-28 overall.
• The Vikings have eight winning records in 18 years as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
• PSU is 62-36 in home games since moving to the NCAA I level, 31-73 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.
 
OFFENSE OPENS UP: After being stymied to the tune of just 215 yards against Oregon State in the season opener, the Vikings were able to open things up against Western Oregon, totaling 507 yards and 45 points. A few highlights:
• The Vikings rushed for 285 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 7.5 yards per carry.
• SR RB Shaq Richard ran 14 times for a career-high 151 yards and a touchdown. He had a career-high 70-yard run on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter.
• JR QB Kieran McDonagh (166 yards, 2 TDs passing; 41 yards, 1 TD rushing) and SO QB Paris Penn (56 yards, 1 TD passing/58 yards, 1 TD rushing) were a very effective combo under center with a combined 321 yards and five touchdowns.
• SR WR Kasey Closs had six catches for 109 yards and two TDs. He caught a 48-yard Hail Mary touchdown from McDonagh on the final play of the first half, and a 36-yard TD from Penn in the fourth quarter. Closs has five 100-yard games in 14 career starts at PSU.
 
PENN ULTIMATE: SO QB Paris Penn has run 14 times for 180 yards in two games, an average of 12.1 yards per carry. He averages 8.5 yards on 42 career rushing plays (358 total).
• This season Penn has three TDs on runs of 58, 11 and 48 yards.
• Penn ran for a career-high 112 yards on nine carries at Oregon State.
 
UP TO THE CHALLENGE: Portland State struggled to stop the passing of Western Oregon's Ryan Bergman, but the defense still made a number of big plays on Saturday. The Vikings had 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks, forced three fumbles and recovered two. Some highlights:
• SR LB Corey Crowder led the Vikings with eight tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in the game. His sack, forced fumble and recovery with just over 11 minutes left was the defensive play of the game. The score was tied 31-31 and Western had the ball near midfield. After Crowder's play, Paris Penn took the next snap from scrimmage 48 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
• SR DE Brandon Tobias had 2.5 of the Vikings seven sacks against Western Oregon. He is the Vikings active career leader in tackles for loss (11.5) and sacks (5.5).
 
DEFENSIVE LEADERS: In two games, the Vikings have 20 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and 12 pass breakups. In addition, the Vikings lead the Big Sky Conference in rushing defense at 96.5 yards allowed per game... PSU also has the most sacks, and best third down defense, allowing only a 31.2% conversion rate.
 
HE'S NOT GETTING OLDER, HE'S GETTING BETTER: 2013 consensus 1st team All-American SR P Kyle Loomis is the oldest Viking (he will be 27 on Sept. 30). But the All-American proved he is aging well, averaging 47.6 yards on 10 punts through two games. That ranks second-best in the nation. 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 in 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 seven turnovers in the first two games and a -4 turnover margin.
 
YELLOW FEVER: Portland State had a whopping 18 penalties for 146 yards against Western Oregon. That came one week after commiting only three penalties at Oregon State... last year, PSU led the Big Sky in penalties with 109 for 876 yards.
 
VETERANS: SR RB Shaq Richard has the most playing experience on the Viking team, competing in 34 career games. SR DE Brandon Tobias is second on that list with 32 games played, followed by SR LB Corey Crowder (29) and SR OL Cornelius Edison (28)... players with the most career starts are Edison (25), JR QB Kieran McDonagh (22), JR LS Kameron Canaday (19) and JR CB Aaron Sibley (17).
 
KIERAN IS CLOSING IN: JR QB Kieran McDonagh is closing in on Portland State's top 10 passing lists for yards, touchdowns, and completions as well as total offense. Here is a look:
 
YARDS PASSING
   1.   Neil Lomax, 1977-80 13,220
   2.   Jimmy Blanchard, 1997-00  8,455
   3.   Chris Crawford, 1985-87 7,543
   4.   Terry Summerfield, 1981-85            6,501
   5.   Drew Hubel, 2007-11 6,678
   6.   Tim Von Dulm, 1969-70 5,967
   7.   June Jones, 1975-76 5,798
   8.   Juston Wood, 1999-02 5,653
   9.   John Charles, 1991-92 5,563
10.   Kyle Allen, 1994-95 4,489
11.   Kieran McDonagh, 2012-14            4,341
 
TOUCHDOWN PASSES
   1.   Neil Lomax, 1977-80 106
   2.   Jimmy Blanchard, 1997-00  63
   3.   John Charles, 1991-92 58
   4.   Tim Von Dulm, 1969-70 51
   5.   Chris Crawford, 1985-88 48
   6.   Drew Hubel, 2007-11_ 44
   7.   June Jones, 1975-76_ 41
   8.   Juston Wood, 1999-02 37
   9.   Terry Summerfield, 1981-85            36
10.   Ed Gorman, 1965-68  32
         Kyle Allen, 1994-95  32
12.   Kieran McDonagh, 2012-14            31
 
PASS COMPLETIONS
    1.   Neil Lomax, 1977-80 938/1,607
    2.   Jimmy Blanchard, 1997-00  618/1,038
   3.   Chris Crawford, 1985-88 588/954
   4.   Terry Summerfield, 1981-85            527/928
   5.   Drew Hubel, 2007-11 506/897
   6.   Tim Von Dulm, 1969-70 500/924
   7.   Juston Wood, 1999-02 414/724
   8.   June Jones, 1975-76 375/658
   9.   John Charles, 1991-92 340/527
10.   Joe Wiser, 2001-04 331/612
11.   Ed Gorman, 1965-68 329/746
12.   Kieran McDonagh, 2012-14            308/570
 
TOTAL OFFENSE
   1.   Neil Lomax, 1977-80 13,345
   2.   Jimmy Blanchard, 1997-00  8,509
   3.   Chris Crawford, 1985-88 7,258
   4.   Drew Hubel, 2007-11 6,439
   5.   Terry Summerfield, 1981-85            6,046
   6.   Charles Dunn, 1997-00 (RB)           6,007
   7.   Juston Wood, 1999-02 5,681
   8.   June Jones, 1975-76 5,590
   9.   Tim Von Dulm, 1969-70 5,501
10.   John Charles, 1991-92 5,338
11.   Kieran McDonagh, 2012-14            5,147
     
TASTY, YET INSIGNIFICANT, TIDBITS:
• Portland State has appeared on television locally in Portland 55 times since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996. PSU is 19-36 in those games, 12-11 at home, 7-25 on the road... PSU is 0-1 in televised games this season and will play at least four more.
• Portland State is 29-37-2 all-time in season-opening games.
• The Vikings are 15-4 in home opening games since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996. They are 36-21-1 in home openers since 1958.
• 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.
• With a 45-38 win over Western Oregon, the Vikings are 14-0 against lower division teams since moving to the Big Sky Conference in 1996.
• 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.