Complete notes and stats in pdf

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 ^#18/^#15 SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS (7-2, 6-0) vs.
^#15/^#16 PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (7-2, 4-2)
Game 10 • Saturday, November 14, 2015, 2:05 p.m. • Providence Park (18,627), Portland, OR

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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.GoViks.com • Live stats: www.ViksLive.com
 
GAME WEEK ACTIVITIES
VIKINGS ON THE RADIO: All Portland State football games can be heard on Rip City Radio 620 AM and www.ripcityradio.com. The Viking Pre-Game Show begins one hour prior to kickoff each week... Tom Hewitt (play-by-play) and Mike Lund (analyst) call the action.
 
BRUCE BARNUM ON THE RADIO: Viking football Coach Bruce Barnum can be heard every Monday at 3:15 p.m. on Rip City Radio 620 AM. Barnum will review and preview Viking football games.
 
VIKING PLAYER DIARY: Look for JR CB Xavier Coleman's player diary each week on OregonLive.com and in the Oregonian. Coleman will give weekly updates on the Viking team's progress throughout the 2015 season.
 
VIKING FOOTBALL LUNCHEONS: Every Friday of a home football week (Sept. 25, Oct. 2, Oct. 16, Oct. 30 and Nov. 13), Portland State Athletics will host a football luncheon at the Old Spaghetti Factory, located at 0715 SW Bancroft. Coach Barnum and Viking players will speak and be available for questions. The luncheon is open to the public and costs $12.
 
TICKETS: Single-game tickets range from $20 to $69. Students and Bi-Mart section tickets are $10 each. Kids 14 and under are $5. Portland State Students tickets are FREE with valid ID. All other students and Bi-Mart section tickets are $10 each. Kids 8th grade and under are $5. Visit www.GoViks.com of call 1-888-VIK-TIKS for all details and pricing.
 
THE SERIES RECORD: VIKINGS vs. THUNDERBIRDS
All-Time Series: Portland State leads 8-3 • PSU leads 4-1 in Portland • PSU leads 3-2 in Cedar City
Big Sky Series: Southern Utah leads 2-0 • SUU leads 1-0 in Portland • SUU leads 1-0 in Cedar City
 
Western Football Conference games (NCAA II)
Oct. 11, 1986: PSU 41-17 @ Portland
Sept. 26, 1987: PSU 38-6 @ Cedar City
Oct. 22, 1988: PSU 52-24 @ Portland
Oct. 21, 1989: SUU 36-26 @ Cedar City
Nov. 10, 1990: PSU 35-19 @ Portland
Oct. 5, 1991: PSU 30-6 @ Cedar City
Oct. 3, 1992: PSU 35-18 @ Portland
 
Nov. 6, 1993: PSU 24-14 @ Cedar City
Nov. 12, 1994: PSU 48-16 @ Portland
 
Big Sky Conference games
Sept. 22, 2012: SUU 49-42 @ Portland
Oct. 12, 2013: SUU 17-7 @ Cedar City
 
VIKINGS CAN PLAY SPOILER OVER FIRST-PLACE T-BIRDS
Portland State hosts the hottest team in the Big Sky Conference and perhaps the nation this Saturday as it takes on the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Providence Park. The T-Birds, winners of seven in a row, control their own destiny in the Big Sky title chase. They are 7-2 on the season and 6-0 in the Big Sky. SUU holds a one-game lead over Eastern Washington (6-3, 5-1) in the Big Sky standings and a two-game advantage on the Vikings (7-2, 4-2). PSU maintains slim title hopes if it can win the last two and Southern Utah loses its last two. Even more important, the Vikings want a coveted eighth win which is usually a passport to the NCAA playoffs.
     
PSU and Southern Utah will kickoff at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday. Live video, audio and stats can be found at www.GoViks.com. Just click on the Game Day box. The game also airs on Rip City Radio 620 AM and www.ripcityradio.com.
     
Portland State saw a streak of its own come to an end last Saturday as Northern Colorado pulled out a final-minute victory over the Vikings 35-32. That ended PSU's four-game winning streak and four-game road winning streak. Still, at 7-2 overall, the Vikings are destined for their best season since 2011 (7-4).
     
Portland State is 3-1 at home this season while Southern Utah has a 3-2 road record. The Thunderbirds have won the only two Big Sky meetings between the schools (2012 and 2013).
     
This season's game has the Vikings taking on a stifling Southern Utah defense that leads the Big Sky in fewest yards (345.9) and points allowed (15.9), as well as turnovers forced (25). The T-Birds have six defensive touchdowns.
     
The Vikings enter the game ranked 15th in the nation in the Media Poll, 16th in the Coaches Poll. Southern Utah has moved up to 18th in the nation in the Media Poll and 15th in the Coaches Poll. This is the third straight home game for the Vikings against a Top-20 program. PSU is 3-0 against nationally-ranked teams this year.
     
Portland State will honor 22 seniors playing in their final regular season home game this Saturday.
 
STORYLINES AND SERIES HISTORY
• Portland State and Southern Utah have only three common opponents this season: Montana State, Cal Poly and Northern Colorado. The T-Birds are 3-0 against that group, while the Vikings are 2-1.
 • In 2012, Portland State and Southern Utah renewed a series that had previously existed only for a span of nine seasons - 1986 to 1994. The Vikings and Thunderbirds were co-members of the old Division II Western Football Conference from '86 to '92. PSU leads the WFC series 6-1, but now trails the Big Sky series, 2-0.
• Due to the expanded Big Sky Conference, the Vikings and Thunderbirds did not meet last season.
• Southern Utah joined the Big Sky Conference in 2012.
• A consensus All-American in 2014, senior defensive end James Cowser was named the 2015 Big Sky Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
 
SCOUTING THE THUNDERBIRDS
The Thunderbirds have climbed to the top of the Big Sky Conference standings on the strength of their defense this season. They have two shutouts and three games of holding opponents to seven points or less.
     
Southern Utah scores 34.9 points per game while giving up a league-low 15.9. The offense has committed only five turnovers while the defense has forced 25, giving the Thunderbirds a national-best +20 turnover ratio.
     
Ammon Olsen has been solid at quarterback, completing 197 of 325 passes for 2,151 yards, 15 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Juston Brown has 42 catches for 546 yards and four touchdowns to lead all receivers.
     
Malik Brown leads the running game with 121 carries for 646 yards and seven TDs.
     
On defense, Miles Killebrew has a team-leading 98 tackles. Kyle Hannemann has four interceptions while Matt Holley and Mike Needham each have three picks on a Thunderbird team that has made 17. SUU holds opponents to only 165.6 passing yards per game.
     
James Cowser is having another big year from his defensive end spot with 12.5 tackles for loss,  eight sacks, two fumble returns, includng one for touchdown.
 
POST-SEASON POSSIBILITIES
The Big Sky Conference champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs, beginning on Nov. 28. 24 teams qualify for the NCAA playoffs, with eight games on Nov. 28 and eight teams earning first-round byes. If PSU does not win the Big Sky, it expects to need at least eight wins on the season to be considered for an at-large berth.
     
The NCAA Division I Football Championship bracket will be announced on Sunday, November 22. The field consists of 11 automatic qualifiers and 13 at-large teams selected by the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee.
     
The top eight teams in the 24-team bracket for the championship are seeded and receive first-round byes. Team pairings are determined according to geographical proximity. Teams from the same conference will not be paired for first round games or for second round games when both teams are playing their first games of the championship (except for teams from the same conference that did not play against each other during the regular season; such teams may play each other in the first and second round).
     
Eight first round games will be conducted on Saturday, November 28 on the campus of one of the competing institutions, and the winners will advance to the second round. The second round also features eight games on Saturday, December 5 on the campus of one of the competing teams. Second round winners meet in the quarterfinals on December 11 or 12 on the campus of one of the competing institutions with the winners advancing to the semifinal games on December 18 or 19 also on campus. The winners will play in the 2016 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game in Frisco, Texas on Saturday, January 9 at 11 a.m. Central Time.
 
QUICK SNAPS (SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE)
 
A LOSS, AND HERE IS WHY
Six teams in the nation's Top 10 lost their game last Saturday. Portland State was one of them. The Vikings lost just their second game of the season, 35-32, at Northern Colorado. The Vikings got off to a poor start, falling behind 14-0 and 21-7. Those were the largest deficits of the season for PSU. Northern Colorado had 167 offensive yards on its first two possessions and the Vikings were playing catch-up for the rest of the way. PSU also lost the turnover battle for the first time this season (2-1) while giving up 483 yards of offense.
 
STATISTICAL HIGHLIGHTS
• Portland State ranks third in the nation in turnover ratio (1.33) and sixth in pass efficiency defense (98.30) and third-down defense (.287 conversion rate)
• The Vikings are eighth in the nation in rushing offense (265.7) and fourth in yards per completion (16.56).
• SR S Patrick Onwuasor leads the nation with eight interceptions. That ranks as second-most in school history.
• SR QB Alex Kuresa ranks first in the Big Sky and third in the nation in yards per pass completion (16.65).
• SR RB David Jones ranks fifth in the nation with 6.92 yards per carry. With just over 100 rushing yards per game he is 14th in the Big Sky Conference.
• Portland State's home attendance of 11,045 against Montana was its best since 2008.
• PSU has scored 230 points in the last five games (46.0 ppg).
 
SETTING NEW STANDARDS
• PSU ended an eight-game losing streak to Montana on Oct. 31.
• The Vikings stopped a three-game losing streak to Cal Poly on Oct. 24.
• PSU ended an eight-game losing streak to Montana State on Oct. 17.
• An Oct. 10 win at North Texas gave PSU two wins over FBS teams in a season for the first time ever.
• The Vikings beat a Pac-12 team for the first time ever in a win over Washington State on Sept. 5.
• The Vikings are 3-0 against nationally-ranked teams after losing the previous 21 in a row.
• PSU tied a school record with four straight road wins.
                                            
THE COMMITTEE IS BACK IN SESSION: Portland State had its seventh 200-yard rushing game of the season at Northern Colorado. Here is a look at the Vikings' rushing "committee."
• PSU has passed 2,000 rushing yards as a team (2,391) for the sixth straight year under Bruce Barnum.
• SR RB David Jones has five 100-yard games this year. He had a career-high 285 yards on 23 carries with three TDs against Montana State (10/17). Jones leads the Vikings in rushing this season with 132 carries for 913 yards and six touchdowns. His 101.4 yards per game ranks fifth in the Big Sky.
• JR QB Alex Kuresa is second on the team in rushing with 123 carries for 593 yards and seven scores. Kuresa went for a career-high 119 yards on 11 carries against Montana. That came after 101 yards against Cal Poly.
• SO RB Steven Long has 64 carries for 275 yards and five scores.
• JR RB Nate Tago missed the game at Northern Colorado with injury but has six rushing TDs this year. He has carried 67 times for 274 yards.
• JR UQ Paris Penn has rushed 35 times for 173 yards and four touchdowns.
• Seven different Vikings have combined for 30 rushing touchdowns.
• For the season, PSU averages 265.7 rushing yards per game to rank eighth in the nation.
 
AERIAL ASSUALT: As good as PSU's running game has been, the passing attack has been dangerous as well. 
• JR QB Alex Kuresa has completed 59-97 passes for 1,089 yards and 10 touchdowns in the past five games. That is an average of 18.4 yards per completion. Kuresa ranks second in the nation with a 16.6 yards per completion rate.
• JR WR Darnell Adams had a big game at Northern Colorado with three receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He leads the team with 15 catches for 392 yards and five scores. His 26.1 yards per catch also leads the team.
• SR WR Thomas Carter III also has 15 receptions for 241 yards and three touchdowns. Carter has 119 receptions in his career to rank 11th all-time at Portland State.
• JR UQ Paris Penn has 11 catches for 184 yards and a score. SR RB David Jones also has 11 catches for 184 yards and one touchdown.
• 14 different players have caught passes this year.
 
DEFENSIVE LEADERS: Portland State ranks second in the Big Sky Conference in scoring defense (20.1) and total defense (358.2) behind Southern Utah. The Vikings also rank second in the Big Sky and sixth in the nation in third-down conversion defense (28.7%).
• SR SS Patrick Onwuasor leads the Big Sky Conference and the nation with eight interceptions. His three picks against Montana tied a school record for a single game. Onwuasor's eight interceptions is tied for second all-time at PSU. The record is 10.
• SR LB Jeremy Lutali leads the team with 72 tackles this season. He is also the current career leader with 188.
• SR DE Sadat Sulleyman leads the Vikings with eight tackles for loss this season.
• SO DE Davond Dade leads the Vikings with five sacks.
• JR CB Xavier Coleman leads the team with 10 pass breakups. He is also the team's career leader with 24 PBUs. Coleman ranks fifth all-time in PBUs at Portland State. SR CB Aaron Sibley ranks ninth all-time with 16 PBUs.
 
THE TAKEAWAY: Portland State has forced 21 turnovers in nine games while committing only nine for a +12 turnover ratio. That is a far cry from last year's -12 ratio (26 turnovers/14 takeaways).
• Portland State's defense has made 13 interceptions after making only six picks all of last season.
• The Vikings have won the turnover battle in seven of nine games and tied it with Montana State (one each).
 
FANCY FOOTWORK: JR K Jonathan Gonzales is having another good season after being named second team All-Big Sky Conference a year ago. So far, Gonzales has made 11-14 field goals and 41-41 PATs.
• Gonzales hit a 27-yard field goal with 33 seconds to play at Cal Poly (10/24), leading the Vikings to a 38-35 win. He was named Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.
• Gonzales has made 74 consecutive extra points in his career. That sets a new PSU record for consecutive extra points made. The previous mark was 44, set twice previously by Pat Moore (1972-75) and Zach Brown (2009-11).
• Gonzales is 11-14 on field goals this season, ranging from 19 to 51 yards. He had a streak of nine straight made before having one blocked at Cal Poly. Last year, he had a streak of eight straight field goals made.
• Gonzales leads the Big Sky in kick scoring (8.5 ppg).
• Gonzales is fifth all-time in field goals made at Portland State (29) in less than two seasons.
 
VIKING SENIORS PLAYING THEIR FINAL HOME GAME
Portland State will recognize 22 seniors on Saturday prior to the game against Southern Utah.
 
Kieran McDonagh, QB, 6-2, 230, Vancouver, WA
McDonagh has played four seasons at Portland State, starting 29 games at quarterback. He ranks in Portland State's all-time top 10 in pass completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns.
 
David Jones, RB, 6-1, 205, Kent, WA
Jones moved to running back in his fourth season and has excelled. He leads the Vikings in rushing this season with 913 yards.
 
Thomas Carter III, WR, 5-10, 185, San Bernardino, CA
A four-year letterwinner at Portland State, Carter has started 24 games and made 119 career receptions as a Viking to rank 11th all-time.
 
Demetrius Jackson, S, 5-10, 180, Duarte, CA
Another four-year letterwinner, Jackson has played in 32 career games for the Vikings
 
Patrick Onwuasor, S, 6-2, 225, Inglewood, CA
A starter at safety for the Vikings, Onwuasor has become one of the team's top defenders. With eight interceptions this season, he leads the nation and is a national defensive player of the year candidate.
 
Walter Santiago, S, 5-11, 195, Kahuku, HI
After overcoming injuries, Walter has taken over as a starting safety for the Vikings. He has 24 tackles and seven pass breakups this season.
 
Anthony McNichols, LB, 5-11, 235, Long Beach, CA
McNichols is a two-year letterwinner at linebacker for the Vikings. He has battled injuries both seasons, playing in eight games.
 
Aaron Sibley, CB, 5-10, 180, Decatur, GA
A four-year letterwinner, Sibley has been a starter for three seasons with the Vikings, making 134 tackles, 16 pass breakups and three interceptions. He is also a team captain.
 
Jeremy Lutali, LB, 5-11, 230, Long Beach, CA
A three-year letterwinner with Portland State, Lutali has anchored the middle of the linebacking corps. A team captain, he leads PSU in tackles for the second straight season and has 188 in his career.
 
Cameron Thompson, TE, 6-5, 240, Lebanon, OR
Thompson is a three-year letterwinner for the Vikings, starting 13 games.
 
Sadat Sulleyman, DE, 6-2, 250, Spanaway, WA
A four-year letterwinner for the Vikings, Sulleyman has more tackles for loss (21.5) and sacks (10) in his career than any current Viking.
 
Nick Rothstein, LB, 5-11, 205, Portland, OR
Rothstein has played in nearly 30 games in his career making 47 career tackles.
 
Brandon Brody-Heim, LB, 5-11, 220, Vancouver, WA
Despite a variety of injuries, Brody-Heim has played in 29 games during his four seasons, making 75 career tackles.
 
Kameron Canaday, LS, 6-4, 230, Eugene, OR
Over the past four seasons, Canaday has proven to be one of the best and most consistent long snappers in the country. He has started all 38 games of his career.
 
Zack Berg, LB, 6-2, 235, Edmonds, WA
Berg is a two-year letterwinner at Portland State. He has played in 15 games on special teams and as a backup linebacker, making 28 tackles.
 
Dennis Taylor, LB, 6-0, 230, Fontana, CA
Taylor has been a four-year letterwinner at Portland State, playing in 31 games on special teams and as a backup linebacker.
 
Junior Alexis, DT, 6-2, 290, Los Angeles, CA
Alexis is a four-year letterwinner at defensive tackle for the Vikings. He has played in 38 games, making 104 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.
 
Mike Davis, OL, 6-4, 275, Chico, CA
A four-year letterwinner on the offensive line, Davis has been a starter the last two seasons as well as a team captain.
 
Alex Toureen, WR, 6-0, 180, Cottage Grove, OR
Although he was injured this season, Toureen competed in 34 games for the Vikings, including 20 starts, in his career.
 
Cutter Baldock, DE, 6-4, 250, Tigard, OR
Baldock was injured this season, but has lettered the past two years for the Vikings.
 
Daniel Fusi, NT, 6-0, 340, Santa Ana, CA
Fusi has lettered for two seasons, becoming the starting nose tackle for the Vikings. A team captain, Fusi has made 33 tackles in his career.
 
Dame Ndiaye, TE, 6-4, 235, New York, NY
Ndiaye has lettered three seasons for the Vikings, playing at tight end, defensive end and special teams in 30 games.