Hillsboro, OR – Portland State opened its home schedule with a methodical but convincing victory, defeating Western Oregon 21-7, at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
The teams dodged rain storms and penalty flags all day, but PSU came out the clear victor. The Vikings improved to 1-2 on the season heading into their Big Sky Conference opener next week. Western Oregon dropped to 0-3.
 
PSU out-gained the Wolves 417 yards to 278. However, the Vikings also out-gained Western in penalty yards, with 112 to the Wolves 85. There were 23 accepted penalties in all.
 
"We are still not cleaned up totally. We are still not smooth yet," said Viking Coach Bruce Barnum. "We have shown signs, but we still have to get some kinks out before next week."
 
The first half was a bit of a surprise for the fans, and likely the teams as it was a defensive struggle.
 
The Vikings went 90 yards for a score in their first series, but the remainder of the half was scoreless. PSU was pass heavy, with Davis Alexander completing 14-23 for 159 yards. The Vikings had 210 yards of total offense by halftime, but were stopped near midfield on two occasions and also missed a pair of field goal attempts.
 
Western Oregon had only 106 yards of offense and five punts in the half. Portland State linebacker Broderick Harrell had nine tackles, a sack and a pass breakup to lead the defensive effort.
 
The difference was the Beau Kelly nine-yard touchdown reception on PSU's first series of the game.
 
In the midst of a downpour to open the second half, the Vikings took the ball downfield for their second score. Alexander took advantage of the Wolves defense with his cadence, drawing them offside three times. A late hit penalty on an Alexander scramble also hurt Western. When Malik Walker rushed in from a yard out, PSU took a two-touchdown lead.
 
Later in the quarter, Kelly grabbed his second touchdown reception of the day, an 18-yarder in the back of the endzone. With PSU up 21-0 and 2:22 to play in the third, the Vikings had the game in hand.
 
It was almost a four-touchdown lead as PSU drove to the Western 14 early in the 4^th quarter, but Luis Vicino picked off an Alexander pass in the endzone.
 
The Wolves finally got on the board with 4:16 to play as quarterback Ryan Worthley connected with Damon Hickok on a six-yard touchdown pass.
 
Alexander finished with 295 yards passing on 23-37 completions. He threw for two TDs and had the one interception. Darian Chase caught eight passes for 73 yards. Nate Bennett added six receptions for 106 yards.
 
Malik Walker led the ground game with 18 carries, a career-high 89 yards and one score.
 
Harrell finished with a team-high 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Defensive end VJ Malo had five tackles and two quarterback sacks.
 
"The defense played a hell of a game with the exception of one series when we were jumping offside and getting penalties," Barnum said.
 
Game Notes
• Portland State now leads the all-time series 12-11-1. PSU has won the last nine in a row, dating to the early 1960s.
• PSU is 19-0 against lower division schools since moving to the NCAA I FCS level and the Big Sky Conference in 1996.
• Beau Kelly had 92 all-purpose yards to go with his two touchdowns.
• VJ Malo has 5.5 sacks in three games this season.
• Davis Alexander is now responsible for 69 career touchdowns, 49 passing and 20 rushing.
• Portland State will host Montana State next Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium in a 2:05 p.m. game available on ESPN+. It will be the Big Sky Conference opener for both teams.