Well that was a real gut punch, wasn't it?
 
Portland State suffered one of its most wrenching losses in a long time on Saturday in Flagstaff when Luis Aguilar drilled a 38-yard field goal with four seconds remaining to hand the Vikings a 31-29 loss.
 
The Vikings, who started slow in the first half, got up to speed by the third quarter and mounted a 20-point comeback to nearly pull off the road win.
 
PSU trailed 28-9 early in the third when things started coming together. The defense buckled down, forcing four straight punts from the Lumberjacks. And the offense finally found the end zone after three first-half field goals from Cody Williams. A bruising 61-yard catch-and-run by All-American tight end Charlie Taumoepeau set up the first touchdown. Sirgeo Hoffman scored on a one-yard run to complete the quick four-play drive. He also converted a two-point conversion and the Vikings trailed 28-17.
 
Six minutes later Williams hit his fourth field goal of the day to pull PSU within 28-20. Then the Vikings opened the fourth quarter with an 11-play, 90-yard drive. Taumoepeau had another big 39-yard reception in the middle of the series. When Malik Walker rushed in from a yard out, the Vikings were within 28-26, However, a two-point conversion attempt failed.
 
But after another defensive stop, PSU rolled out what it thought might be the game-winning drive. The Vikings went 76 yards on 14 plays, burning nearly six-and-a-half minutes off the clock. With the aid of a roughing the kicker penalty, PSU got a go-ahead 21-yard field goal by Williams to lead 29-28.
 
Just one problem. There was still 1:26 on the game clock and NAU boasts the best passing quarterback in the Big Sky Conference and the nation's top passing offense. Case Cookus completed four straight passes for 47 yards. After a running play in the middle of the field, Aguilar was set up for his game-winning kick. And it was lights out, Vikings.
 
The loss ended Portland State's three-game winning streak, dropping the Vikings to 3-2 in league play, and prevented them from keeping pace with conference leaders Sacramento State and Weber State (both 4-0). PSU was in third place, but has dropped to 4^th in the 13-team league.
 
The games get no easier down the stretch as PSU faces Top-10 ranked Montana this week, followed by UC Davis (Nov. 9), then Eastern Washington (Nov. 23).
 
SOME HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE VIKINGS
• SO K Cody Williams converted five of six field goal attempts in the game. He tied a Portland State record for field goals set by Dan Frantz against Montana back in 1999.
• Portland State's offense got up to speed with 512 total yards. JR QB Davis Alexander passed for 307 yards, SR TE Charlie Taumoepeau caught five passes for 127 yards, and SR RB Sirgeo Hoffman had another big day with 23 rushes for 140 yards and a score.
• SO S Anthony Adams continues to be a leader on defense and in the nation. Adams had a career-high 10 tackles to lead the Vikings. He also broke up three passes. That improves his pass breakup total to 14 on the season – one short of the Portland State record. With four interceptions as well, he now has 18 passes defended, which leads the nation.
• The Vikings lead the Big Sky Conference in rushing defense (108.6) and interceptions (11). SR CB Deon Crayon picked off his second pass of the season. With seven pass breakups, Crayon has nine total passes defended to rank second in the league behind Adams.