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Hillsboro, OR – Opportunity knocked and the Vikings answered.
 
Portland State took advantage of virtually everything they earned or were given on Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium and the result was a relatively easy 52-31 Big Sky Conference win over Southern Utah.
 
The Vikings scored 10 points on their first two drives of the day, then when opportunities arose the rest of the way they took advantage. Excellent field position after defensive stops and a pair of forced turnovers in the second quarter led to a 28-point run by the Vikings allowed them to go to halftime with a 38-10 lead.
 
"We wanted to start fast and take care of the football, because our start last week buried us," said Vikings Coach Bruce Barnum. "To come out against them and not have any turnovers, that's great, they had forced 10 in five games.
 
"We got those short fields and we scored touchdowns. We were able to run the football. The field position, forcing turnovers… it all led to a "W"."
 
Portland State improved to 3-3 on the season, 1-1 in the Big Sky Conference.
 
Portland State engineered the quality start they needed. The first two possessions resulted in 10 points – a 37-yard field goal by Cody Williams, and a two-yard touchdown run by Sirgeo Hoffman. Sandwiched in between was a key fourth-down stop by the Viking defense after Southern Utah had driven to the PSU 29.
 
The Vikings exploded in the second quarter, scoring four touchdowns in the span of 7:31, aided by two forced turnovers. Quarterback Davis Alexander ran for one touchdown and threw two more. One was a 16-yarder to Beau Kelly, the other a 46-yard pass to Davis Koetter late in the half. Koetter also figured in the Vikings' second TD of the four in a row. He recovered a muffed punt return by the Thunderbirds on the SUU 19. Two plays later, Emmanuel Daigbe rushed in from 11 yards out.
 
PSU amassed 306 yards in the first half and led 38-10 at halftime. The Thunderbirds had 154 yards, but the two turnovers led to a pair of Viking TDs.
 
The Thunderbirds scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half to close within 38-17. But the Vikings controlled possession and the clock from there. A pair of touchdown drives – one in the third quarter and one in the fourth quarter – chewed up more than 11 minutes of clock time. That simply didn't allow Southern Utah enough opportunities to come back.
 
Alexander finished with another big day, passing for 234 yards and two touchdowns, and rushing for 80 yards and another score.
 
"He's a magnificent player, a great leader, and he is fun to watch. If we protect him like that, don't let him get hit, he is going to help us win some games," Barnum said of his quarterback.
 
Alexander was a part of an effective Viking running game led by Hoffman. The senior tailback had a career-high 24 carries for 81 yards and two short TD runs. Malik Walker rushed for 40 yards and Evyn Holtz had 28 yards as PSU totaled 239 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
 
Koetter caught five passes for a career-high 108 yards and a score.
 
Defensive end Jake Porter led the Vikings with eight tackles. Linebacker Dylan Hanley made seven stops. Freshman linebacker Zack Mandera had five tackles, including a forced fumble and recovery. Anthony Adams picked up a key second-quarter interception that the Viking offense later turned into a touchdown.
 
PSU out-gained the Thunderbirds 473 to 394. SUU quarterback Chris Helbig completed 31-41 passes for 302 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, but most of his damage came after the first half.
 
GAME NOTES: Portland State's 52 points were the most against a Division I opponent since scoring 59 against Montana State on Oct. 17, 2015… the Vikings lead the all-time series with Southern Utah, 10-4. The T-Birds lead 3-2 in Big Sky games… PSU did not commit a turnover in the game and had a season-low five penalties… Portland State hosts another Big Sky Conference game next Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium. The Vikings take on Idaho in a 2:05 p.m. game that can be seen on Pluto TV Channel 532.