Boxscore – HTM | PDF
 
Pocatello, ID – A first half to forget doomed the Portland State Vikings at Holt Arena as the Idaho State Bengals rolled to a 51-24 win in the Big Sky Conference opener for both teams.
 
Bengals quarterback Matt Struck threw five first-half touchdown passes, and the ISU defense picked up a score of its own on an interception return. That vaulted the Bengals to a 41-10 halftime lead and Portland State would never recover.
 
With the win, Idaho State goes to 2-2 on the season, 1-0 in the Big Sky. The Vikings dropped to 2-3, 0-1 as they come home for games over the next two weeks.
 
A pair of teams that had shown their bonafides on defense in the opening weeks of the season matched up in this one. But after two stops of the Idaho State offense, the dam broke and Portland State's defense struggled against the big play.
 
Struck threw long touchdown passes to Michael Dean (45 yards) and Tanner Conner (66 yards) for a 13-0 lead.
 
Bengal safety Christian McFarland then picked off a Davis Alexander pass and returned it 64 yards for another score. That had the Vikings down, 20-0 with 4:21 to go in the first quarter.
 
Portland State finally got on the board on the first play of the second quarter when Cody Williams nailed a 37-yard field goal.
 
But Struck came back to throw his third long TD pass, this time to Mitch Gueller, less than a minute later. The 45-yard bomb put the Bengals ahead 27-3.
 
Portland State mounted a lengthy drive to answer, but after moving 69 yards down the field failed on a field goal.
 
Struck then hit Dean again on a 15-yard score and it was 34-3.
 
The Vikings finally found the end zone on a 61-yard pass from Davis Alexander to Beau Kelly, but they went to the halftime locker room down 41-10.
 
PSU battled in the second half, but could not get closer than 24 points.
 
Idaho State finished the day with 509 yards of total offense while Portland State was close with 505. But a costly turnover, some big plays by the Bengals, and some lengthy PSU drives that came up empty added up to a loss.
 
Struck finished the day 14-23 passing for 332 yards and six touchdowns. Conner caught four passes for 117 yards and three scores.
 
Alexander was 20-33 throwing the football for 296 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for 44 yards and one touchdown. Tight end Charlie Taumoepeau, finally back in the lineup after missing two games, caught seven passes for 104 yards.
 
GAME NOTES: Sirgeo Hoffman rushed 13 times for a career-high 88 yards and one touchdown. He had a 76-yard touchdown run in the first half called back due to an illegal motion penalty… Romeo Gunt and Robert Holt each had eight tackles to lead the Vikings… Portland State now plays four of its next six games at home. The Vikings will host Southern Utah next Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium in a 2:05 p.m. game.