Game 6

#6 WEBER STATE WILDCATS (5-0, 2-0) at PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-3, 1-1)

Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, 2 p.m., Hillsboro Stadium (7,600), Hillsboro, OR
TELEVISION: None
LIVE STREAMING: ESPN+ • Play-by-Play: Matt Richert • Analyst: Scott Hermo
LIVE STATS: www.ViksLive.com
Game notes and stats in pdf

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BIG GAMES START RIGHT NOW AS VIKINGS HOST #6 WEBER STATE

If Portland State has expectations of making waves in the Big Sky Conference and threatening for a post-season berth, this Saturday will be one of its biggest tests. The Vikings host sixth-ranked and undefeated Weber State in a 2 p.m. game at Hillsboro Stadium.
     
The Vikings (2-3, 1-1) have some momentum with a pair of home wins the past two weeks. They also have the memory of knocking off #24 Weber State late last season in Ogden, UT, 30-18. All of that and a superior performance will be necessary to take down the Wildcats again. Weber State (5-0, 2-0) is one of just eight teams in the nation at the FCS level that are still undefeated. And, the Wildcats share the longest road winning streak in the nation at seven in a row. Among those road wins was a 35-7 drubbing of FBS Utah State earlier this season.
     
Portland State will be led by suddenly hot SO QB Dante Chachere, who has thrown eight touchdown passes, rushed for three scores and totaled 724 yards of offense over the past two weeks. SR WR Mataio Talalemotu has been a beneficiary, catching five TD passes in his last six receptions.
     
On defense, the Vikings have relied on big plays this season. PSU has 13 sacks, ranks ninth in the nation in tackles for loss, and - outside a 7-10 third-down performance by FBS Washington - has held the other four opponents to only 11-49 conversions on third down (22%).
     
Weber State brings a balanced and potent offense to town, scoring 36.4 points per game. The defense is even more notable, giving up just 11.8 points (fifth in the nation) and forcing 14 turnovers to lead the Big Sky.
     
The Wildcats hold the edge in the all-time series (22-15) and the Big Sky Conference series (12-9).
     
Saturday's game will be live-streamed on ESPN+. Live statistics are available at www.ViksLive.com.
 

TEAM LEADERS

• PORTLAND STATE: SO QB Dante Chachere has completed 75-124 passes for 936 yards and 11 touchdowns. Chachere is also the rushing leader with 48 carries for 294 yards and three TDs... SO RB Jalynnee McGee has rushed 36 times for 137 yards... All-Big Sky Conference SR WR Beau Kelly has 22 receptions for 303 yards and two touchdowns. SO WR Nate Bennett leads the team with 23 catches for 278 yards, while SR WR Mataio Talalemotu had five TDs on eight receptions... SO ROV Tyreese Shakir leads the team with 26 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions... SR DT EJ Ane has a  team-best three sacks while SR DE VJ Malo leads with six tackles for loss... PSU averages 330.6 yards of total offense and 24.4 points per game... the Vikings have allowed 392.4 yards and 31.8 points.
• WEBER STATE: Quarterback Bronson Barron is 88-135 for 1,160 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions... his top target is Ty McPherson, who has 21 receptions for 441 yards and a Big Sky leading six touchdowns... Jacob Sharp has 21 catches for 335 yards and a score... the backfield is a three-headed monster with Damon Bankston (59-348-3), Josh Davis (72-338-2) and Dontae McMillan (28-182-3) leading the way... linebacker Garrett Beck has a team-high 31 tackles, while cornerback Maxwell Anderson leads the nation with five interceptions and four pass breakups... Weber State averages 36.4 points and 436.6 yards of offense per game... the Wildcats allow only 11.8 points and 289.4 yards per game.

 

STORYLINES

• This week's game is the third of three straight games at home (Oct. 1-8-15). The last time PSU played three straight home games was in 2003 (Sept. 4-13-20).
• Portland State is now 9-4 at Hillsboro Stadium since the venue became its new permanent home in 2019.
• Weber State was Big Sky Champion or co-champion in the 2017, 2018, 2019 and spring 2021 seasons.
• Portland State is 21-50 all-time against nationally-ranked FCS teams since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996. PSU is 13-24 at home, 8-26 on the road... PSU has faced Weber State four times when the Wildcats were nationally ranked (2008, 2009, 2017, 2021), going 1-3. Weber State was ranked 24th when the teams met last season.
• The 2007 meeting between the teams in Portland is the highest-scoring Division I regulation football game in college history with Weber State winning, 73-68. Amazingly, that was NOT the most points by either team in the series. Weber State earned a 74-6 win in 1965. A Mouse Davis-coached Portland State team won 75-0 in 1980. A 65-43 win by the Vikings in 2001 in Portland was the highest-scoring game in PSU history by two teams, combined, until the 2007 contest.

 

QUICK SNAPS

 

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• Portland State has averaged 464.0 yards and 41.5 points in its two wins the past two weeks... the Vikings had their biggest offensive day of the season against Northern Arizona (10/1), compiling 479 yards of total offense, 274 through the air and 205 on the ground... PSU averages 330.6 total yards per game and 24.4 points.
• DANTE'S DATA: SO QB Dante Chachere (SASH-er-ay) has totaled 724 yards of offense the past two weeks, including 554 passing (36-57) and 170 rushing (16 carries). Chachere has accounted for 11 touchdowns, completing eight TD passes (five to SR WR Mataio Talalemotu) and rushing for three scores... his career highs for passing are 280 yards and five touchdowns, and for rushing are 128 yards and two touchdowns.... Chachere was named Big Sky Conference co-Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against NAU (272 yards passing, 3 TDs, 128 yards rushing, 2 TDs)... for the season, Chachere is completing 61% of his passes, has 936 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also has 48 carries for a team-high 294 rushing yards and three TDs... he has 1,230 yards total offense (246.0 per game).
• KELLY IS A HERO: SR WR Beau Kelly has 22 catches for a team-high 303 yards and two scores. He ranks eighth in receiving yards in the Big Sky Conference... Kelly had a season-high nine receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown at San Jose State… last season Kelly led the Big Sky Conference during the regular season in receptions (69), total yards (981) and touchdowns (10)... Kelly's career numbers are 137 receptions (9th all-time at PSU) for 1,937 yards (11th all-time) and 15 TDs (11th).
• SO WR Nate Bennett has a team-high 23 catches for 278 yards this season.
• MT's TDs: SR WR Mataio Talalemotu is on a pretty good run. In the past two weeks, he has caught six passes for 189 yards and 5(!) touchdowns. Talalemotu made three catches for 106 yards against NAU, then three for 83 yards and two scores against Lincoln. His three-TD day marked the first time since Sept. 26, 2013 that a Viking had caught three touchdowns in a game... Talalemotu leads the Vikings with six total touchdowns this season, which ranks fourth in the Big Sky Conference... Talalemotu now has 108 receptions, 1,720 yards and 15 TDs in his career (11th all-time).
• TB's TDs: Among the many youngsters getting playing time last Saturday, FR TE Tanner Beaman had the biggest impact. The freshman from Vancouver's Skyview High School had a team-high five receptions, including a 14-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter and three-yard receiving score in the third... true FR WR Jaylen Lynch also caught a touchdown pass, a 22-yarder from SR QB Mike Irwin.

 

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• DEFENSIVE DIAMONDS: Portland State's defense held Lincoln scoreless for 59:57 before allowing a late touchdown. It was the fewest points (6) the Vikings have allowed since a 24-0 win over Idaho on Oct. 12, 2019... the 234 yards allowed were the fewest by a Viking opponent this season... the Vikings had 11 tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions in the game... PSU currently ranks ninth in the nation with 7.8 TFLs per game this season... PSU's defense held Northern Arizona to 0-11 on third down, then Lincoln to 0-11 on third down before the Oaks finally converted one. That was 22 straight third-down stops. Outside of a 7-10 third-down performance by Washington on Sept. 10, PSU has held the other opponents to 11-49 (22%).
• "INITIAL" DEFENDERS: SR DT EJ Ane had another big game for the Vikings with six tackles and a sack against Lincoln. He leads the team with three quarterback sacks this season among his 21 tackles... SR DE VJ Malo made two tackles for loss in the game and has a team-high six TFLs this season (and 26 in his 17-game PSU career).
• D-LINE DOMINANCE: SR DEs Jake Porter and VJ Malo and SR DTs EJ Ane and Moses Finau have combined for 56 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and seven sacks this season. 
• SO ROV Tyreese Shakir picked up his second interception of the season against Lincoln and he leads the team in that category. Shakir has four INTs and two fumble recoveries in 16 career games... this season, Shakir is the team leader with 26 tackles, and has three tackles for loss and two sacks.
• Portland State's defense had one of its best performances ever against an FBS-level program at San Jose State (9/1). The Vikings allowed only 288 yards in the game, making seven sacks. The most sacks PSU had in a game last season was five, and the seven sacks were the second-most in the nation by an FCS team in week one... the Viking D held SJSU to 66 yards in the second half helping the offense turn a 14-7 deficit into a 17-14 lead... PSU held four of 11 opponents under 300 yards in 2021.
• Eight different Vikings have sacks (13 total) and 18 have tackles for loss (39 total) through five games. PSU's 7.8 tackles for loss per game ranks ninth in the nation.
• SR DE Porter has now played in the most games of any current Viking (40), making 26 starts.
• SR CB Anthony Adams suffered an ankle injury at Washington and is out indefinitely. Prior to that, Adams had started 37 consecutive games in his career. He missed his first game ever at Montana. In the first two games, Adams had 15 tackles. At SJSU he had a team-high 10 tackles, one tackle for loss and two pass breakups. It was the third double-digit tackle game of his career... Adams now has 33 career pass breakups, tying former Viking Rashad Floyd (1997-2000) for the PSU career record.
• PSU has also missed top tackler SO LB Parker McKenna the past two games. SO LB Jaymason Willingham has capably filled in making 10 total tackles.

 

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• FOOTNOTES: SR P George Triplett, a transfer from Princeton, has punted for an average of 43.6 yards with a long of 57... of his 27 punts, six have gone over 50 yards... he ranks second in the Big Sky Conference and 13th in the nation.
• FOOTNOTES PART II: SO K Gianni Smith is 3-4 on field goals this season with a long of 40 yards. Smith is now 8-12 on field goals in his career. He missed the first extra point of his career against Lincoln, but had made 43 straight prior to that. He is now 44-45 in his career.
• BLOCK PARTY: SO TE Elias Spence has been a key special teams player this season. Against Lincoln, he had three big plays on the punt block team, tackling the punter on one series, then blocking a punt on the next series. Spence's blocked punt was the first since 2018 (Jacob Bystry) for the Vikings. Later in the game, Spence blocked another punt... Spence has four tackles on special teams this season.
• SO LS Ryan Alvidrez started the 17th consecutive game of his career. He has a perfect long snapping record as a Viking.

 

LET'S OPEN UP THE RECORD BOOK

Three Vikings are having an impact on the Portland State career record book this season.

• SR CB All-American Anthony Adams is tied for first all-time in pass breakups (33 in 37 games) with former Viking All-American Rashad Floyd (1997-2000, 45 games). Adams is two interceptions shy of making the top 10 for picks (9).
• SR WR Beau Kelly now ranks ninth all-time in receptions (137), he is 32 yards shy of the top 10 in receiving yards (1,937), one touchdown short of the top 10 for receiving touchdowns (15), and ranks ninth all-time in punt return yards (267).
• SR DE VJ Malo now ranks 10th all-time in career sacks with 11.5 in 17 career games... his 26 tackles for loss is two shy of the PSU all-time top 10.

 

VIKINGS ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS

• RUSHING: Dante Chachere, 71-434-3; Jalynnee McGee, 85-396-2; Jobi Malary 31-130-1
• PASSING: Dante Chachere, 76-126-3-948-11; Mike Irwin, 6-15-1-44-1
• RECEPTIONS: Beau Kelly, 137; Mataio Talalemotu, 108; Emmanuel Daigbe, 73; Nate Bennett, 73
• RECEIVING YARDS: Beau Kelly, 1,937; Mataio Talalemotu, 1,720; Emmanuel Daigbe, 1,090
• TOUCHDOWNS: Beau Kelly, 15; Mataio Talalemotu, 15; Emmanuel Daigbe, 11
• ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Beau Kelly, 2,299; Emmanuel Daigbe, 1,337
• TACKLES: Anthony Adams, 180; Parker McKenna, 115; David Joseph, 88; Jake Porter, 82; Xavier Bell, 72; Broderick Harrell, 70; VJ Malo, 64; Robert Holt, 63.
• SACKS: VJ Malo, 11.5; Jake Porter, 10
• TACKLES FOR LOSS: VJ Malo, 26; Jake Porter, 21.5; Anthony Adams, 15.5
• INTERCEPTIONS: Anthony Adams, 9; Tyreese Shakir, 4
• PASS BREAKUPS: Anthony Adams, 33; Xavier Bell, 9; Broderick Harrell, 5
• FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Anthony Adams, 4; Jake Porter, 2; Tyreese Shakir, 2