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Game 10
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (4-5, 3-3) at NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING HAWKS (5-4)
Saturday, Nov. 10, 2 p.m. CT/Noon PT • Alerus Center (12,283), Grand Forks, ND

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TELEVISION: None in Portland, MidCo in North Dakota
RADIO: Rip City Radio 620 AM, www.ripcityradio.com • Pregame Show: 11 a.m. PT • Play-by-play: Matt Richert • Analyst: Mike Lund
INTERNET: Live video stream: Pluto TV (Channel 240), www.pluto.tv, WatchBigSky.com • Live stats: https://fightinghawks.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
Complete notes and stats in pdf
 
THE SERIES RECORD: VIKINGS vs. FIGHTING HAWKS
All-Time Series: UND leads the series 5-2 • The series is tied 2-2 in Portland • UND leads 3-0 in Grand Forks
Big Sky Series: UND leads the series 3-1 • UND leads 2-1 in Portland • UND leads 1-0 in Grand Forks
 
Sept. 6, 1980: PSU 28-14 at Portland
Sept. 5, 1981: UND 17-10 at Grand Forks
Sept. 8, 2012: UND 45-37 at Grand Forks (NC)
 
Big Sky Conference games
Oct. 26, 2013: PSU 14-10 at Portland
Oct. 11, 2014: UND 24-16 at Grand Forks
Oct. 3, 2015: UND 19-17 at Portland (HS)
Oct. 28, 2017: UND 48-21 at Portland
 
FINAL ROAD GAME ON TAP AS VIKINGS TRAVEL TO UND
Portland State is headed down the home stretch of the 2018 season as it has two games remaining. The final road game comes this Saturday at the University of North Dakota. PSU (4-5, 3-3) takes on the Fighting Hawks (5-4) in a noon PT kickoff at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.
     
The Vikings come off a narrow loss to Idaho State last Saturday, 48-45. That ended a three-game winning streak. PSU will now play for a winning record in the Big Sky and the full season for the first time since 2015. The Vikings are 2-1 in Big Sky road games.
     
North Dakota left the Big Sky Conference at the end of last season to join the Missouri Valley Conference. However, they are still in the Big Sky football scheduling rotation for the next two years. Although they do not appear in the Big Sky standings, games with the Fighting Hawks count for current Big Sky members.
     
UND got off to a 5-2 start before dropping their last two games by close scores. In fact, the Fighting Hawks three Big Sky losses have come by a combined 13 points. North Dakota has beaten the same three opponents as the Vikings (Montana, Northern Colorado and Sacramento State) and has losses matching two of PSU's losses (Idaho and Idaho State). Now 5-4, UND has a 2-2 home record.
     
The Fighting Hawks pulled off a convincing win over the Vikings last season in Portland (48-21) and have won three straight in the series.
     
Saturday's game is not televised in Portland but will be on the MidCo Sports Network in the midwest. There is also a live video stream on Pluto TV Channel 240 (www.pluto.tv) and WatchBigSky.com. The radio broadcast is available on Rip City Radio 620 AM and www.ripcityradio.com. The pregame show begins at 11 a.m. Live stats can be found at www.undsports.com.
 
STORYLINES
• North Dakota has won three straight games against Portland State.
• The Vikings play at North Dakota for the first time in four years and are 0-3 all-time in Grand Forks.
• Five of the seven games in the all-time series have been decided by one score.
• The Fighting Hawks are moving to the Missouri Valley Conference and are not considered members of the Big Sky Conference in 2018 despite playing a BSC schedule.
• Running back John Santiago was named first team All-Big Sky Conference in 2017.
• North Dakota won the Big Sky Conference title in 2016, sharing the honor with Eastern Washington at 8-0.
• Head Coach Bubba Schweigert was the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year in 2016.
 
LAST MEETING, Oct. 28, 2017: North Dakota 48, Portland State 21
Portland State jumped to a 14-0 lead after one quarter but was unable to hang on. The Fighting Hawks finally grabbed the lead in the third quarter, scoring three times in the last 5:55 of the period - once on offense, once on defense and once on special teams.
     
The Vikings managed only 290 yards of offense and turned the ball over four times - two of which were returned for touchdowns.
     
John Santiago had a rushing touchdown and a punt return touchdown for UND. The Fighting Hawks were held under 400 yards of offense on 70 plays, but the Vikings made too many mistakes in the game to have a chance at victory.
 
SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota is led by Head Coach Bubba Schweigert in his fifth season. Schweigert's team won the Big Sky Conference in 2016 with a perfect 8-0 record, sharing the honor with Eastern Washington.
     
After going 3-8 last season, the Fighting Hawks have bounced back and are battling for a winning mark this year.
     
UND puts up similar numbers to Portland State, averaging 28.9 points and 439.3 yards per game. The Fighting Hawks are particularly tough on the ground, rushing for 256.3 yards per game. Conversely, they allow only 130 rushing yards per game.
     
Brady Oliveira leads the running game with 135 carries for 844 yards and eight touchdowns. James Johannesson has 88 rushes for 636 yards and four scores, and John Santiago has rushed 78 times for 489 yards and one TD.
     
Quarterback Nate Ketteringham has completed 137 of 246 passes for 1,636 yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His main target is wide receiver Noah Wanzek who has 41 catches for 579 yards and five scores.
     
On defense, North Dakota allows only 23.1 points and 398.8 yards per game. UND has 30 quarterback sacks and has forced 16 turnovers in nine games. Donnell Rogers leads the team with 55 tackles. Mason Bennett has a team-high 6.5 sacks.
 
WINNING STREAK ENDS BY NARROWEST OF MARGINS:  A Portland State comeback ran out of time as the Vikings lost to Idaho State in an offensive showcase, 48-45, last Saturday. Trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter, the Vikings scored a touchdown with just over three minutes remaining, then got the defensive three-and-out they needed. PSU started its final drive at its own 12-yard line with 2:31 to play and no timeouts.
     
The Vikings' final march included a fourth-and-nine conversion pass from Davis Alexander to Emmanuel Daigbe. Later, on a third-and-21 play, Alexander made a 20-yard completion to Charlie Taumoepeau. The officials marked the play just short of a first down at the ISU 36 and the Vikings had to race to get a final play off. But the scramble to snap the ball with the clock running out ended as a sack.
     
PSU had 597 yards of total offense to 518 for Idaho State but never led in the game. The Vikings tied the score on four occasions and almost a fifth, but a 48-yard field goal attempt by FR K Cody Williams with 12:22 to play hit the right upright. Missing out on those three points proved to be huge.
     
SO QB Davis Alexander was responsible for five touchdowns. He completed 18-31 passes for 273 yards and two TDs and rushed 18 times for 64 yards and three TDs. JR RB Carlos Martin notched the first 100-yard game of his career with 105 yards on 10 carries. PSU gained a total of 316 yards on the ground on 49 carries, an average of 6.4 yards per carry.
 
QUARTERBACK CAROUSEL: SO QBs Davis Alexander (337 yards total offense, 5 TDs) and Jalani Eason (30 yards total offense) again split duty and were big contributors against Idaho State.
• The QB combo has been very effective this season, combining to pass for 12 touchdowns and only three interceptions in nine games (ranking eighth in the nation for fewest interceptions). In all, PSU has passed for 1,844 yards (204.9 per game) and averages 16.5 yards per completion (6th-best in the nation).
• The tandem has also rushed for 684 yards on 135 carries with 13 touchdowns. Not counting sack yardage, they have 802 positive yards (89.1 yards per game).
• Alexander has completed 92-175 passes for 1,455 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions. He also has 10 rushing TDs, and has one reception for 17 yards.
• In 11 career starts, Alexander is 174-319 (.545) for 2,620 yards (238.1 per game), 14 touchdowns and five interceptions... he passed for 409 yards at Cal Poly last season in his starting debut.
• This season, Eason has completed 18-36 passes for 325 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He has also rushed for a team-high 359 yards and three touchdowns... in a win over Sacramento State, Eason had touchdown runs of 82 and 47 yards, finishing with a career-high 165 yards.
 
THE NUMBERS ARE UP: Portland State put up 597 yards of offense and 45 points against Idaho State. Those were season highs against a Division I opponent. Over the last two weeks, the Vikings have 1,143 total yards (571.5) and have averaged 43.0 points.
 
100-YARD GAMES: For the second straight week, Portland State had a 100-yard rusher. JR RB Carlos Martin rushed 10 times for a career high 105 yards against Idaho State. A week prior, SO QB Jalani Eason had seven rushing plays for 165 yards and two touchdowns against Sacramento State. His 165 rushing yards were a career high and marked PSU's first 100-yard rushing game in 13 contests and most rushing yards in 20 games.
 
EVEN-STEVEN... ALMOST: Viking Head Coach Bruce Barnum always expresses the desire to have a balanced offense between the run and the pass. Well, after nine games he has it... almost. The Vikings have totaled 1,882 rushing yards (209.1) and 1,844 passing yards (204.9) this season. And of course the Vikings are even-Steven in Big Sky play at 3-3.
 
MORE GOOD WORK BY THE COMMITTEE: Portland State's "by committee" running game continues to share the wealth. For the second week in a row, the Vikings rushed for 300+ yards with 316 and four touchdowns on 49 carries against Idaho State. JR CB Carlos Martin had 10 carries for a career-high 105 yards. He and SO RB Antwone Williams each had 54-yard runs in the game.  Williams' tote went for a TD.
• JR QB Davis Alexander rushed 18 times for 64 yards and three touchdowns. Williams had 63 yards on two carries. SR RB Darian Green posted a career-high 57 yards on nine carries, and SO QB Jalani Eason ran eight times for 22 yards.
• The Vikings had 46 rushes for 341 yards and four touchdowns against Sacramento State.
• Six players have seen plenty of action toting the pigskin this season and are over 200 rushing yards. Three are over 300 yards. They include SO QB Jalani Eason (54-359-3), SR RB Darian Green (75-343-2), SO QB Davis Alexander (81-325-10), JR RB Sirgeo Hoffman (80-299-2), JR RB Carlos Martin (64-286-2) and SO RB Antwone Williams (34-219-2)
• The Vikings rushed for 203 yards against Montana State after putting up 350 against College of Idaho. They had a hard-earned 179 yards at Montana, followed by 192 and five TDs against Northern Colorado... PSU had 341 yards and four TDs against Sacramento State... the Vikings average 209.1 rushing yards per game.
 
A BIG CHANGE ON DEFENSE: Defensive Coordinator Payam Saadat's flex defense has been making a big impact on the Viking team as the season progresses. Portland State needed big improvement on that side of the ball when Head Coach Bruce Barnum brought Saadat in during the off-season. And improvement has come as a young group is maturing. Although the Vikings gave up 518 yards to Idaho State last week, that was actually below the powerhouse Bengals' season average (524.5). The 48 points allowed were the most to a Big Sky Conference opponent.
• In the previous four contests PSU had allowed 20, 20, 14 and 14 points - an average of just 17 points per game - and forced 11 turnovers.
• In six Big Sky Conference games, the Vikings are allowing 26.5 points (4th in the Big Sky) and 389.5 yards (3rd in the Big Sky) per game. The Vikings are also third in sacks (14) and turnover margin (+0.8 per game)... the Vikings are allowing 21 fewer points per game and 133 fewer yards per game in Big Sky games than they were last year.
 
Defensive Production   Yards Allowed   Pts Allowed   TOs Forced  TO Margin   TFLs  Sacks
2017 Big Sky Games (8)      522.8                    47.6                 10                 -6             32         5
2018 Big Sky Games (6)      389.5                    26.5                 11                 +5            33        14      
 
• PSU allowed 289 yards to Idaho (fewer than 100 after halftime) and 13 points on defense (the other seven came on a blocked punt return). The Vikings made eight tackles for loss, three sacks and had an interception.
• The Vikings gave up 289 to Montana (-5 in the first quarter as they jumped to a 10-0 lead) and 20 points as well. PSU has six tackles for loss, three sacks, five pass breakups and four big fumble recoveries, leading to 19 points. The defense also recorded six three-and-outs... moreover, Montana QB Dalton Sneed went into the game averaging 334 yards of total offense per game to lead the Big Sky. The Vikings held him to 159 yards.
• PSU had three more turnovers forced, 11 tackles for loss and six sacks against Northern Colorado, allowing 367 total yards. Of UNC's 10 possessions, there were three turnovers, three three-and-outs, and two fourth-down stops.
• At Sacramento State, the Viking defense forced three more turnovers and had six three-and-outs.
 
MORE DEFENSIVE NOTES:
• Portland State's nine interceptions this season are more than the six the Vikings had all of last season... the seven fumble recoveries are more than last year's total of six… the 17 total sacks are more than last year's 11-game total of seven.
• SR LB Kasun Jackett leads the team with 59 tackles this season and had a game-high eight tackles against Idaho State... JR ROV Romeo Gunt is the team leader with 6.5 tackles for loss, three takeaways and two interceptions (SR CB Artuz Manning also has two interceptions)... SR DE Larry Ross leads the team with 3.5 sacks.
• SR LB Kasun Jackett (150) and SR LB Sam Bodine (150) are Portland State's active career leaders in tackles, followed closely by SR CB Artuz Manning (131). Bodine also has the most career tackles for loss (11.5). Manning has the most pass breakups (13) and interceptions (3) in his career.
 
FRESHMAN FOOTWORK: FR K Cody Williams went 3-3 on field goals at Montana including a 52-yarder with four seconds left to win the game, 22-20... Williams is one of four kickers in the Big Sky Conference to be perfect on extra points (33-33) and he has made the most without a miss.
• Williams is now 10-13 on field goals with misses from 49, 42 and 48 yards... the 10 field goals are the most by a Viking since 2015 (Jonathan Gonzales, 13).
• For his performance at Montana, Williams was named the STATS FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week and the Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week
• Williams was 3-3 on field goals against Montana State. He was the first Viking kicker to make three in one game since Jonathan Gonzales did so in 2016 (17 games ago). His three field goals also matched PSU's season total from last year.
• Williams' 52-yard field goal was the longest by a Viking since Jonathan Gonzales made a 53-yarder in 2014. It was the 14th 50+ yard field goal in Portland State school history and ranks in a tie for sixth longest made. The record is 55 yards by Pat Moore in 1975.
 
BACK ON THE GOOD FOOT: After a hot start to the 2018 season Viking star Charlie Taumoepeau suffered an ankle injury and was shelved for two weeks. He has now been back two weeks and is trying to get his feet under him. In the past two games, he has four catches for 65 yards.
• The JR TE was a Preseason All-American and All-Big Sky Conference selection and came out of the gates red-hot this season. He posted a pair of 100-yard games against Oregon and Nevada, scoring four touchdowns, two of which were 70+ yards. He saw limited time against College of Idaho, but still racked up a 71-yard TD catch. It marked the third straight game he caught a 70+yard TD.
• Touchdown Charlie has five scores. He has caught 19 passes for 485 yards. The 25.5 yards per catch average ranks first in the nation. Taumoepeau has five catches of more than 40 yards, and remarkably, one of minus-3 yards.
• Taumoepeau scored on a 48-yard touchdown reception in the Vikings' first series at Nevada, then had a 75-yard TD scamper in the second quarter (3-130-2 total). Each time he broke at least two tackles then outraced the Wolfpack to the endzone.
• Charlie had a 71-yard TD, a 47-yard reception and a four-yard TD among five catches at Oregon (5-125-2).
• In his 29-game career, Taumoepeau has 72 receptions for 1,307 yards and nine touchdowns.
• He has three career 100-yard games: Career highs of nine receptions for 145 yards and a TD in last year's season finale at Eastern Washington; 3-130-2 to open the season at Nevada, then 5-125-2 against the Ducks. That means 21 receptions, 521 yards and six TDs in his last five games with a 24.8 average per catch.
• Named second team All-Big Sky Conference last season with 45 receptions for 673 yards and 3 TDs. It was the most receptions by a Viking tight end since PSU Hall of Famer Barry Naone had 48 in 1988.
• Named to the STATS Preseason 1st team All-America list, as well as preseason All-Big Sky Conference. Taumoepeau was a second-team All-Big Sky Conference performer last season. Phil Steele and College Sports Madness each named Taumoepeau second team All-American and second team All-Big Sky behind Wes Preece of UC Davis on both teams.
 
YOUNG PUPS CHASING THAT FRISBEE: Portland State has a youthful wide receiving corps. Through nine games, they have emerged.
• FR Mataio Talalemotu (22-395-2), SO Emmanuel Daigbe (16-259-2) and FR Beau Kelly (10-150-0) have all been starters. SO Easton Trakel, the only returning wide receiver, has two receptions but has only played in two games due to injury.
• Against College of Idaho, FR Davis Koetter (2-105-1) had a 100-yard game. He has four grabs for 121 yards this season.
• Talalemotu had his first 100-yard game with three catches for 143 yards and an 81-yard touchdown at Sacramento State.
• JR TRs Jacob Bystry and Isaiah Woods are the only other WRs with receptions (three combined).
• All but Trakel are playing their first season at Portland State.
 
TURNOVER TURNAROUND: Portland State had a big deficiency in turnover margin last season, committing 21 turnovers while making only 12 takeaways. This season the Vikings have a +8 turnover margin (16/8). After averaging 1.9 turnovers per game last year, they are averaging 0.9 this season.
• PSU has 75 points off turnovers while opponents have scored 19.
• 11 different players have takeaways for the Vikings.
 
BRIGHT SPOTS ON SPECIAL TEAMS:
• FR K Cody Williams is 10-13 on field goals and 33-33 on extra points. The Viking team was 3-9 on field goals and 25-29 on PATs last year.
• Opponents average 16.6 yards per kick return (after averaging 20.8 last season), which is 10th in the nation.
• SO P Ben Niesner has averaged 38.9 yards per punt with a career-long of 56 and has twice backed his opponents up to the one-yard line.
• JR LS Riley Shackelford had been spotless on all his snaps this season. But a knee injury at Idaho ended his year. SO TE/LS Daniel Giannosa stepped into the role at Montana and was solid on every snap including the game-winning field goal by FR K Cody Williams.
• JR WR Jacob Bystry blocked a second-quarter punt by Sacramento State marking the fifth blocked kick by a Viking this season (sixth in the nation). Last year the Vikings blocked two kicks... SR LB Houston Barnes blocked a punt at Montana leading to an eventual field goal for the Vikings... JR DT Anthony Del Toro blocked an extra point and JR DT Kenton Bartlett blocked a field goal attempt at Nevada, while FR DE Jake Porter got a blocked extra point at Oregon.
 
2018 SEASON HIGHLIGHT REEL
 
LIVING UP TO THE HYPE: Junior tight end Charlie Taumoepeau was named a preseason All-American by several media outlets prior to the 2018 season. In two games against FBS level programs to open the year, Charlie lived up to the hype. Taumoepeau caught three passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns in the opener at Nevada. Included were touchdowns of 48 and 75 yards. In the game at 23rd-ranked Oregon, Taumoepeau made five catches for 125 yards and two more scores - 71 yards and four yards. He also had a 47 yard reception. After two weeks of play, he was tied for the national lead in receiving touchdowns (4), third in yards per catch (31.88) and ninth in yards per game (127.5).
 
A SPECTACULAR HOMECOMING: Portland State played its first home game since week 10 of 2017 and the result was just what it needed with a 63-14 win over College of Idaho (9/15). The victory ended a 15-game losing streak and eight-game home losing streak. PSU totaled 657 yards of offense and nine different players scored touchdowns. SO QB Davis Alexander had 250 yards of total offense and was responsible for four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) in just one half of play. The Vikings held the Coyotes to 231 yards of offense and forced four turnovers. It was the most points scored by the Vikings in 32 games, the fewest points allowed in 19 games, and fewest yards allowed in 32 games.
 
LITTLE MAN, BIG FOOT: FR K Cody Williams made a 52-yard field goal with four seconds remaining at Montana (10/6) to give the Vikings a 22-20 victory. It was his third successful kick of the game and the longest FG of Williams career - high school or college. He was named Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.
 
STOP, IN THE NAME OF DEFENSE: Portland State's defense had perhaps its best game in three seasons in a 22-20 upset of 14th-ranked Montana. The Vikings allowed only 289 yards and 20 points. They recovered four fumbles leading to 19 PSU points. Montana punted seven times and fumbled twice in nine first-half possessions against the Vikings and did not have positive offensive yardage in the first quarter. In all, PSU's defense had six three-and-outs. The win over Montana was the first by the Vikings in Missoula in Big Sky Conference play (previously 0-9).
 
ANOTHER STAND BY THE DEFENSE: Portland State continued to rely heavily on its defense in a win over Northern Colorado. The Vikings made three interceptions, had three three-and-outs, 11 tackles for loss and six sacks in a 35-14 Homecoming win over the Bears. FR S Anthony Adams and JR CB Montre Brown made interceptions during UNC's first two drives. The Vikings offense turned both takeaways into touchdowns on drives of 99 and 17 yards and cruised to victory from there. It marked PSU's first back-to-back wins since the 2015 season. 
 
ALL-AROUND EFFORT STINGS HORNETS: Portland State had quality play on offense, defense and special teams in a wire-to-wire 41-14 victory at Sacramento State. The Vikings had 546 yards of total offense and 41 points - both being their most in a Big Sky game this season. The defense forced three turnovers and six three-and-outs against the Hornets. On special teams, the Vikings blocked a punt and added two more field goals. SO QB Jalani Eason (7 rushes, 165 yards,  2 TDs), FR WR Mataio Talalemotu (three receptions, 143 yards, 1 TD) and JR ROV Romeo Gunt (8 tackles, INT, FR) all had big games for PSU.  
 
A LOSS, BUT WHAT A SHOW: Portland State lost 48-45 to Idaho State, but put on its best offensive performance of the season against a Division I team. PSU totaled 597 yards of offense, getting 316 on the ground and 281 through the air. SO QB Davis Alexander was responsible for five touchdowns, passing for 273 yards and two scores and rushing for 64 yards and three TDs. JR RB Carlos Martin rushed for a career-high 105 yards.