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HILLSBORO — Portland State rediscovered the lightning in its offensive bottle at Hillsboro Stadium Saturday afternoon, but it wasn't enough for the Vikings' first victory of the year. Visiting Montana ran off with a 45-33 Big Sky Conference football victory.
 
The Vikings made a change at quarterback, giving senior Josh Kraght the start. It was the first start at college quarterback since he was a freshman for the former Lynden, WA, High School gunslinger, and the move had spectacular results. With Kraght at the controls, the Vikings ran up 544 offensive yards — 295 on the ground and 245 through the air. The quarterback himself was good for 381 of those yards. Kraght ran for a career-high 132 yards on keepers, including one 47-yarder for PSU's second touchdown and hit 18 of 42 passes for all 249 of PSU's yards and its only score through the air.
 
But the Grizzlies were up to the challenge. They broke away from a 7-7 first-quarter tie with 13 consecutive points in the first half and were never headed off. The Vikings closed to within six points twice, and might have had a game-leading touchdown in the second quarter but for an inopportune penalty call that nullified a pick-6 by PSU corner Chris Seisay.
 
Kahlil Dawson contributed a spectacular 87-yard kickoff return to the PSU point explosion.
 
The biggest problem player for Portland State was not anyone on the Montana offense — the Vikings outgained the Griz by 90 yards — but free safety Justin Strong. Strong intercepted three PSU passes, including a fourth-quarter momentum-killing pick-6 he returned for 64 yards to put Montana up by 16 with 3:15 left in the game.
 
Strong also intercepted a two-point conversion pass in the fourth quarter.
 
PSU's defensive star was also a back: Seisay had his touchdown overruled, but he got two other interceptions to keep PSU in the game.
 
The game was out of reach late, but the Vikings kept swinging until the end and scored on a Kraght-to-Trent Riley pass with 1:09 remaining in the game.
 
The Vikings put two long offensive drives together to play the Grizzlies more or less to a standstill in the first half, at the end of which Montana led 27-14.
 
The only difference may have been a combination of two consecutive crippling penalties that killed one Portland State drive and set up one for Montana.
 
"Penalties are what really hurt us," said Viking Coach Bruce Barnum. "I talked about it to the team at halftime and we still come out and have a couple that hurt us. You can't do that and beat a football team like that."
 
PSU had 104 total yards in penalties, including three personal fouls.

A 28-yard touchdown run by Za'Quan Summers pulled the Vikings within six at 27-21 with 10:16 left in the third quarter, but that was as close as they would get. 

"They didn't stop fighting," Barnum said of his team. "They believed they were going to win the game when they were down two scores. But we have to clean up the turnovers and penalties and get after it next week."

The game started awful for PSU. Quarterback Josh Kraght's pass on the first play from scrimmage was deflected and went straight to Grizzly defensive back Justin Strong, who returned it to the PSU 39.
 
The drive was easy from there. Montana stayed primarily with running back Jeremy Calhoun for the eight-play touchdown drive, and the junior moosed over from the 2 for the touchdown just 2:25 into the game for a 7-0 Montana lead.
 
The Vikings, stifled offensively two weeks ago against UC-Davis, responded with an impressive 90-yard, 13 play drive. Portland State mixed runs by three different running backs with two critical passes from Kraght to Darnell Adams that added up to 34 yards.
 
Freshman Jason Talley went the last seven yards following a big push by the left side of the Viking line, and with 7:40 left in the first period the Vikings had it all squared up.

Two PSU defensive stands limited Montana to pair of field goals, and the Vikings were within six points barely into the second period.
 
PSU seemed to have stolen the lead when Montana quarterback Gresch Jensen threw a sideline ball right to PSU cornerback Chris Seisay, who went untouched for a touchdown. But an official ruled a substitution infraction on the Vikings that gave Montana a first down on its own 38.
 
Jensen hurled a deep sideline pass down the right side for Samori Toure, and PSU's Malik Cyphers was hit with a pass interference penalty that put the Griz in business on the Viking 47. Montana needed six more plays to score on a 1-yard burst out of the wildcat formation by Makena Simis and extend its lead to 20-7.
 
PSU responded with a long drive again, but this one ended with a dramatic scoring play. The Vikings drove to the Montana 47, then on second and 10, Kraght ran the quarterback draw up the middle, cut back to his right and romped in to cut the Montana lead to six once again.
 
The Grizzlies closed the scoring in the first half with a 66-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard blast by Calhoun.
 
Darnell Adams had a career-high 114 receiving yards on nine catches for the Vikings.
 
Kasun Jackett led the Viking defense with 11 stops. Braxton Winterton and Sam Bodine each had 10 tackles. Seisay made two interceptions.

Dawson's kickoff return for touchdown was the third of his career.
 
The Vikings, 0-4, head to Montana for a showdown next Saturday against Montana State in Bozeman. The game will be televised on Root Sports at 10 a.m. PDT.