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GAME 4
MONTANA GRIZZLIES (2-2, 0-1) vs. PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (0-3, 0-0)
Saturday, September 30, 2 p.m. • Hillsboro Stadium (7,000), Hillsboro, OR
complete notes in pdf

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TV: None
RADIO: Rip City Radio 620 AM, www.ripcityradio.com • Pregame Show: 1 p.m. • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Analyst: Mike Lund
INTERNET: Live video stream: Pluto TV Channel 232 (www.pluto.tv) • Live stats: www.ViksLive.com
 
THE SERIES RECORD: VIKINGS vs. GRIZZLIES
All-Time Series: Montana leads 29-12 • UM leads 12-9 in Portland • UM leads 17-3 in Missoula
Big Sky Conference Series: Montana leads 15-3 • UM leads 9-0 in Missoula • UM leads 6-3 in Portland
 
Big Sky Conference games
Nov. 9, 1996: UM 63-6 @ Missoula
Nov. 8, 1997: UM 37-7 @ Portland
Oct. 3, 1998: UM 20-17 @ Missoula
Oct. 2, 1999: PSU 51-48 @ Portland (OT)
Oct. 28, 2000: UM 33-21 @ Portland
Oct. 27, 2001: UM 33-13 @ Missoula
Oct. 26, 2002: UM 24-21 @ Portland
Oct. 25, 2003: UM 42-14 @ Missoula
Oct. 30, 2004: PSU 35-32 @ Portland
Oct. 29, 2005: UM 37-16 @ Missoula
Sept. 30, 2006: UM 26-20 @ Portland
Nov. 3, 2007: UM 34-31 @ Missoula
Nov. 8, 2008: UM 29-12 @ Portland
Sept. 19, 2009: UM 49-17 @ Missoula
Oct. 16, 2010: UM 23-21 @ Portland
Oct. 15, 2011: UM 30-24 @ Missoula
Oct. 5, 2013: UM 55-27 @ Missoula
Oct. 31, 2015: PSU 35-16 @ Portland
 
VIKINGS OPEN BIG SKY SCHEDULE WITH MONTANA
Still seeking its initial victory of the season, the Portland State Viking football program opens its Big Sky Conference schedule with no less an opponent than Montana. The Vikings and Grizzlies will meet for the first time in two seasons when they kick it off at Hillsboro Stadium on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game has been moved to Hillsboro due to a scheduling conflict with the Portland Thorns soccer club at Providence Park.
           
PSU is 0-3 on the season, with losses to BYU, Oregon State and UC Davis. The Vikings come off a bye week. 
           
Montana is 2-2 on the season, having beaten Valparaiso and Savannah State and lost to Washington in non-conference games. Last Saturday the Griz opened their conference schedule with a 48-41 home loss to 11th-ranked Eastern Washington. After leading 24-6 at halftime, Montana gave up 42 second-half points.
           
Portland State won the most recent meeting between the schools, 35-16, on Oct. 31, 2015 in Providence Park.
           
Montana leads the Big Sky series with Portland State, 15-3, including a 6-3 edge in Portland. The Grizzlies have played the Vikings twice previously in their alternate home of Hillsboro Stadium. Montana won both times, 33-21 in 2000, and 23-21 in 2010.
           
Over the next two weeks, the Vikings will hope to pull off the same double they achieved two seasons ago when they defeated both teams from the Treasure State. After playing Montana this week, the Vikings travel to Montana State for an Oct. 7 game. In 2015, PSU beat Montana State, 59-42, then Montana, 35-16. The Vikings have achieved that feat only one other time previously (1999).
           
But, in order to win both, you have to get the first one. That has the Vikings focusing on Montana this week.
           
Portland State alternates home/road over the next eight weeks as it plays its Big Sky Conference schedule. Opponents in order are: Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Idaho State, North Dakota, Cal Poly, Weber State and Eastern Washington. The Vikings were picked to place ninth by the coaches and 10th by the media in the Big Sky's preseason polls. Montana was picked sixth among 13 teams in both polls.
           
Saturday's game is available on a live video stream at Pluto TV channel 232 (www.pluto.tv). The game airs on Rip City Radio 620 AM and www.ripcityradio.com. Live stats are available at www.ViksLive.com.
 
STORYLINES
• Montana and Portland State have played only twice in the last four years due to the expanded Big Sky Conference. 
• PSU has beaten Montana three times in its 18 Big Sky meetings. All three wins have come at Providence Park (1999, 2004, 2015). 
• The Grizzlies have been nationally-ranked every season the Vikings have played them in Big Sky competition. The Vikings were nationally-ranked five times.
• Linebacker Josh Buss led the Big Sky Conference in tackles for loss last season with 20. Buss and fellow linebacker Connor Strahm were named All-Big Sky Conference last season, as was offensive lineman David Reese.
• Montana led the Big Sky in total defense (350.6 yards per game) and sacks (2.55 per game) in 2016.
 
SCOUTING THE GRIZZLIES
Montana has opened the season at 2-2, with a Big Sky Conference opening loss last Saturday to Eastern Washington, 48-41. The Grizzlies, under third-year Head Coach Bob Stitt, were 6-5 last season.
           
Despite the loss of starting quarterback Reese Phillips in game three, the Grizzlies offense is still a powerhouse. Redshirt freshman quarterback Gresch Jensen has taken over. He threw for 358 yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles.
           
Montana averages 450.0 yards and 37.2 points per game. Top receiver Jerry Louie-McGee leads the team with 17 receptions and 250 yards. Jeremy Calhoun is the leading rusher with 63 carries for 226 yards and three touchdowns.
           
The only weak spot to the offense so far this season has been taking care of the ball. The Grizzlies have committed nine turnovers leading to 42 opponent points.
           
Montana's defense has forced eight turnovers, leading to 35 points. However, the Griz have proven susceptible to the pass, allowing 332.2 yards per game. Overall, Montana gives up 456.8 yards and 34.2 points per game.
           
James Banks leads the team with 41 tackles. Linebacker Josh Buss, an All-Big Sky Conference linebacker last season, has 39 stops, three sacks and an interception.
           
Montana has 14 sacks through four games, led by defensive lineman Tucker Schye's four QB takedowns. Defensive back Ryan McKinley has six pass breakups.
 
LAST MEETING, Oct. 31, 2015: #12 Portland State 35, #17 Montana 16
It was all treats and no tricks for 12th-ranked Portland State as the Viking running game ground down 17th-ranked Montana on Halloween. 
           
PSU rushed for 339 yards of its 460-yard total offense. Running back David Jones (165) and quarterback Alex Kuresa (119) both had big performances on a rainy afternoon. Kuresa ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more.
           
The defense played a huge role as well. Safety Patrick Onwuasor intercepted three passes in successive Montana possessions in the first quarter. That allowed the Vikings to get out to a lead they never relinquished. The Griz were held to 294 total yards on 83 plays. Onwuasor added eight tackles.
 
ON THIS DATE: Sept. 30, 2006
The Vikings last played on Sept. 30 in 2006. That game was also against Montana in Providence Park. The Grizzlies won 26-20 in a game that featured nine turnovers between the teams as neither offense was dominant. The loss ended a nine-game home winning streak for PSU, which was missing starting QB Sawyer Smith and starting RB Mu'Ammar Ali. The Vikings are 4-4 on Sept. 30, dating back to 1957 (previous game dates not available).
 
THE VIKINGS ON TELEVISION
PSU is scheduled to have six games televised this season (ESPN, Pac-12 Network, Root (2), Eleven Sports (2)). That ranks as the second-most games available locally in school history (there were nine in 2012). PSU is 22-42 all-time on television since joining Division I (1996). The Vikings are 14-15 at home and 8-27 on the road.
 
QUICK SNAPS
 
IT'S ABOUT THE WINS: Portland State went 9-2 in the regular season in 2015. Since that time, the Vikings are 3-12. Included was an NCAA playoff loss, four losses to FBS opponents, an overtime loss, and four losses by a touchdown or less.
 
LOOKING FOR BETTER STARTS: The Vikings have been outscored 24-6 in the first quarter and 45-12 in the first half of games so far this season. PSU has come back to win third quarters 27-20, and has lost fourth quarters 27-13.
 
TRUE FRESHMEN FEATURED ON 2017 VIKINGS: A total of 11 true freshmen have been a part of the active roster so far this season. Included are QB Jalani Eason, RB Antwone Williams, LB Dylan Hanley, S Anthony Adams, S Ryan Swanson, TE AJ Ruffin, RB Jason Talley, K Noah Brosio, P Hayden Cowden, DT Semise Kofe and LB Nicolas Ah Sam... Eason, Williams, Ruffin, Talley, Brosio, Hanley, Cowden and Kofe have all played.
• In all, PSU has played 26 underclassmen (true freshmen, redshirt freshmen, sophomores).
• Last season, Portland State played six true freshman on defense, in part due to numerous injuries. DE Kenton Bartlett, DT Anthony Del Toro, DT Sione Taumoe'anga, CB Montre Brown, LB Devin Thompson and DE Mason Vega all played... the Vikings also played true freshmen TE Charlie Taumoepeau and LS Riley Shackelford (who handled every special teams snap).
 
JUST CALL HIM MR. FIRST DOWN: SO TE Charlie Taumoepeau is the Vikings' leading receiver this season with 13 catches for 164 yards. 
• Taumoepeau had career-highs of six receptions for 73 yards at BYU. 
• All 13 of his receptions have been good for first downs. Four of those were third-down plays, and one was a fourth-down play.
 
OLD MAN RIVER KEEPS ON FLOWING: Head Coach Bruce Barnum likes to call SR WR Darnell Adams "Old Man River." Why? Well, Adams is in his sixth season at Portland State, and will turn 24 years old on Nov. 15. In the off-season Adams was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA due to losing two seasons to injury (2013 - knee; 2016 - foot). 
• Adams has eight catches for 99 yards and three touchdowns this season. He caught TDs of eight and 10 yards against UC Davis.
• Adams is PSU's career leader in receiving with 63 catches for 962 yards and 10 touchdowns in 37 career games played.
 
RUN, PASS, CATCH - JOSH KRAGHT DOING JOSH KRAGHT THINGS: SR WR/QB Josh Kraght began his Portland State career as a quarterback, earning three starts at the position as a freshman. However, the past two seasons he has played slot receiver and punt returner while remaining a backup QB. Kraght has played slot receiver again this year but has also seen time at quarterback in the past two games. In the fourth quarter against Oregon State Kraght nearly led the Vikings to a win, scoring a go-ahead touchdown with 2:43 remaining on a five-yard run. For the game, he had three receptions for 82 yards and touchdowns of 42 and 37 yards. He added eight carries for 50 yards and a TD. And, he completed 4-9 passes for 59 yards. That's a total of 191 yards and three TDs.
• His line for 2017 includes five receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns, nine rushing plays for 63 yards and a touchdown, and 5-13 passing for 75 yards. That is a total of 244 yards and three touchdowns so far this season.
• In 2016, Kraght led the team with 36 receptions for 518 yards and a touchdown. He had eight rushing plays for 47 yards and a touchdown, 11 punt returns for 64 yards, and completed 3-5 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown... for his career, Kraght has been a quadruple threat:
• He has completed 58-117 passes for 721 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
• Kraght has rushed 62 times for 341 yards and four touchdowns. 
• Kraght has 57 career receptions for 851 yards and four touchdowns.
• He has 28 punt returns for 153 yards.
• In total, he has accounted for 2,066 yards and 11 touchdowns.
 
DEFENSE HAS MADE GREAT STRIDES: Although the defense took a step back against UC Davis, it has shown improvement in 2017. The Vikings allowed only 20 points and 365 yards to BYU, then 35 points (though seven came on an interception return) and 389 yards to Oregon State. That is an average of 377 yards and 27.5 points per game against two FBS programs... UC Davis tacked 490 yards and 37 points on the Vikings, although 14 points came directly from punt blocks.
• PSU is currently allowing 414.7 yards and 30.7 points per game. Last year PSU gave up 39.5 points and 478 yards per game against all opponents. 
• JR S Artuz Manning has a team-high 26 tackles this season. He had a game-high 10 tackles and a forced fumble at Oregon State, then nine stops against UC Davis.
• SR LB Beau Duronslet has 23 tackles this season. Duronslet is the Vikings' active career leader in tackles with 208.  With an interception and a fumble recovery (both leading to Viking scores) against OSU, Duronslet now has five takeaways in his career. He was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week for Sept. 2.
• SR DE Davond Dade made four tackles, with two for losses, including a sack, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry against BYU, earning Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors.
• The Vikings have 12 pass breakups, including four by SR CB Donovan Olumba and three by SR CB Chris Seisay.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES: 
• Portland State started three freshmen on special teams with P Hayden Cowden, PK Noah Brosio and KO Thomas Ciobanasiu in the first game. FR K Graycen Kennedy played at Oregon State, attempting a 46-yard game-tying field goal with three seconds left. It was wide right by only a few feet. He got the start at kicker against UC Davis.
• Cowden has averaged 44.1 yards on 15 punts. He had a 70-yarder against BYU and was named Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.
• SR WR/KR Kahlil Dawson now ranks fourth all-time in kick return yards at Portland State with 1,291.
• The Vikings are still trying to solve some special teams woes with the young group of specialists. That includes three missed extra points, two missed field goals and two blocked punts.
 
VETERANS: Among Portland State's returning players, here are the most experienced:
• Most games played: SR WR/QB Josh Kraght, 38; SR FS Beau Duronslet, 38; SR WR Darnell Adams, 37; SR DE Davond Dade, 33, SR DT William Dawson, 31; SR WR Kahlil Dawson, 31.
• Most career starts: SR FS Beau Duronslet, 26; SR LT Randin Crecelius, 23; SR OL Chad Bach, 16; SR WR Darnell Adams, 16; SR WR/QB Josh Kraght, 15; SR WR Trent Riley, 15.
• Consecutive starts: SR LT Randin Crecelius, 18; SO DT Anthony Del Toro, 14; SR S Tyler Foreman, 14; SO LS Riley Shackelford, 14
 
ROSTER BREAKDOWN: On Portland State's current 93-player roster, there are 23 seniors, 14 juniors, 13 sophomores and 43 freshmen (30 true, 13 redshirt)... Portland State has 41 players on the roster from the state of Oregon.
 
MOST DIFFICULT SCHEDULE IN THE BIG SKY? COULD BE THE VIKINGS
Based on this season's preseason polls, the Vikings have the most difficult conference schedule in the Big Sky (not to mention non-conference games with BYU and Oregon State). Using the poll rankings of each team, the Vikings face the most difficult combination of opponents (as a side note, PSU DOES play UC Davis, however it is a non-conference matchup). PSU plays all four of last season's FCS playoff teams: Eastern Washington, North Dakota, Cal Poly and Weber State.
           
In the hyper-competitive 13-team Big Sky Conference it is more about the teams you AVOID on your schedule in a given season than the teams you play. The teams with the easiest schedules (based on the rankings) are Northern Arizona and Cal Poly. Both of those schools avoid the top two in the rankings, defending co-champions Eastern Washington and North Dakota.
           
Rankings of schedule difficulty provided by Bill Lamberty, Montana State Media Relations.
 
DIFFICULTY OF CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 
(based on preseason polls, ranked most difficult to least difficult, listing teams they DO NOT play)
1. Portland State (Northern Colorado, Sacramento State, Southern Utah, UC Davis)
2. UC Davis (Montana, Montana State, Northern Colorado, Portland State)
3. Southern Utah (Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Portland State)
4. Montana State (Cal Poly, Sacramento State, Southern Utah, UC Davis)
5. Sacramento State (Montana, Montana State, Portland State, Southern Utah)
6. Montana (Cal Poly, Sacramento State, Southern Utah, UC Davis)
7. Northern Colorado (Eastern Washington, Portland State, UC Davis, Weber State)
8. Weber State (Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, North Dakota, Sacramento State)
9. Eastern Washington (Cal Poly, Idaho State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado)
T10. Idaho State (Eastern Washington, Northern Arizona, North Dakota, Southern Utah)
T10. North Dakota (Cal Poly, Idaho State, Northern Arizona, Weber State)
12. Northern Arizona (Eastern Washington, Idaho State, North Dakota, Weber State)
13. Cal Poly (Eastern Washington, Montana, Montana State, North Dakota)