Game 7

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-4, 1-2) at #17 IDAHO VANDALS (4-2, 3-0)

Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, Noon, ASUI Kibbie Dome (16,000), Moscow, ID
TELEVISION: None
LIVE STREAMING: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: www.govandals.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
Complete notes and stats in pdf

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VIKINGS PLAY RED-HOT IDAHO IN FIRST ROAD GAME IN FOUR WEEKS

It is common knowledge that there are no weeks off in the Big Sky Conference. Portland State's game this Saturday at 17th-ranked University of Idaho is evidence of that.
     
The Vikings will be playing a second-straight nationally-ranked opponent and third in four Big Sky games so far this season. The Vandals have won four straight games and come off one of their biggest wins since returning to the FCS level by knocking off #3 Montana on the road, 30-23. Picked near the bottom of the Big Sky in 2022 preseason polls, the Vandals are currently at the top of the standings (4-2, 3-0), having won four in a row. Idaho's only losses were to FBS opponents.
     
Portland State (2-4, 1-2) saw its upward trend stymied last Saturday in a disappointing 42-7 loss to fifth-ranked Weber State. PSU now goes down the stretch with three of five games on the road. The Vikings' margin of error has been eliminated if it has any hope of a post-season bid. A five-game winning streak and 7-4 record would be necessary for FCS playoff consideration.
     
In a scheduling quirk, PSU plays at Idaho for a second straight season. The Vikings lost to the Vandals 42-35 last year after making a big comeback and having a Hail Mary pass attempt on the game's final play. This will be the fourth meeting between the teams overall in Big Sky Conference play.  Idaho has won two of the first three, and the Vikings have never won in Moscow (0-9 all-time, 0-2 Big Sky).
     
Portland State struggled offensively last week against one of the nation's top defensive teams in Weber State. The Vikings had only 236 total yards and the one score. They will be challenged again as the Vandals bring the third-best defense in the Big Sky to this week's game, allowing only 304.3 yards of offense. PSU has already faced the number-one (Montana) and two (Weber State) defenses the Big Sky has to offer. Idaho also has a remarkable +9 turnover margin which ranks best in the Big Sky.
     
On defense, the Vikings have battled health as much as the opponent this season. Two-time All-American SR CB Anthony Adams has missed the last four games with an ankle injury, while top tackler SO LB Parker McKenna has missed the last three. The Vikings were down four projected defensive starters in the game with Weber State. 
     
Saturday's game kicks off at noon from Idaho's ASUI Kibbie Dome and will be live-streamed on ESPN+.
 

TEAM LEADERS

• PORTLAND STATE: SO QB Dante Chachere has completed 93-153 passes for 1,103 yards and 12 touchdowns. Chachere is also the rushing leader with 67 carries for 314 yards and three TDs... SO RB Jalynnee McGee has rushed 39 times for 150 yards... All-Big Sky Conference SR WR Beau Kelly has 26 receptions for 363 yards and two touchdowns. SO WR Nate Bennett leads the team with 32 catches for 344 yards, while SR WR Mataio Talalemotu has 11 catches for 220 yards and six touchdowns. His seven TDs overall lead the Vikings... SR S Xavier Bell and SR DT EJ Ane are tied for the team lead with 27 tackles and four tackles for loss each. Ane has a team-best three sacks while SR DE VJ Malo leads with seven tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries... PSU averages 314.5 yards of total offense and 21.5 points per game... the Vikings have allowed 423.3 yards and 33.5 points.
• IDAHO: Quarterback Gevani McCoy completes a  remarkable 74% of his passes (112-152) and has thrown for 1,359 yards and 12 touchdowns this season against only three interceptions... running backs Anthony Woods (79-392-1) and Roshaun Johnson (70-237-4) have been a strong one-two punch on the ground while Elisha Cummings (30-125-3) has also been effective... Hayden Hatten (32-410-4) and Jermaine Jackson (28-545-2) have caught more than half of McCoy's passes and account for nearly 70% of the receiving yardage... linebacker Fa'avae Fa'avae has 55 tackles to rank second in the Big Sky Conference... linebacker Paul Moala has 32 tackles and a team-leading three interceptions... defensive back Tommy McCormick also has three interceptions as the Wildcats have forced 12 turnovers in six games while committing only three... Idaho averages 32.2 points and 390.8 yards of offense per game... the Vandals allow 23.5 points and 304.3 yards per game.

 

STORYLINES

• Idaho leads the all-time series, 13-2, and the Big Sky Conference series, 2-1... this will be the second year in a row and third time in four Big Sky meetings that the game is played in Moscow... Portland State has never won a game at Idaho (0-9).
• Portland State's shutout of Idaho in 2019 was the first over a Big Sky Conference team since 2006 (34-0 vs EWU) - a span of exactly 100 league games. PSU had shutout two lower division teams in 2011 and 2015.
• Idaho is ranked 17th in this week's media poll and 24th in this week's coaches poll... Portland State is 21-51 all-time against nationally-ranked FCS teams since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996. PSU is 13-26 at home, 8-25 on the road... PSU has never faced Idaho as a ranked opponent... Head Coach Bruce Barnum is 7-13 all-time against nationally-ranked FCS opponents.

 

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• Portland State had its poorest offensive output in two seasons with only seven points in the loss to Weber State... 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 314.8 total yards per game and 21.5 points.
• DANTE'S DATA: SO QB Dante Chachere (SASH-er-ay) totaled 724 yards of offense and accounted for 11 touchdowns in the Vikings' two wins, including 554 yards passing (36-57) and 170 yards rushing (16 carries). He completed eight TD passes (five to SR WR Mataio Talalemotu) and rushed for three scores... his career highs for passing are 280 yards (Lincoln) and five touchdowns (Lincoln), and for rushing are 128 yards (Northern Arizona) and two touchdowns (Northern Arizona)... 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 1,103 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also has 67 carries for a team-high 314 rushing yards (418 positive yards) and three TDs... he has 1,417 yards total offense (236.2 per game).
• KELLY IS A HERO: SR WR Beau Kelly has 26 catches for a team-high 363 yards and two scores. He ranks ninth 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 141 receptions (7th all-time at PSU) for 1,997 yards (10th all-time) and 15 TDs (12th)... Kelly also has the most career starts (37) and consecutive starts (30) of any active Viking.
• NATE THE GREAT: SO WR Nate Bennett has a team-high 32 catches for 334 yards this season. His nine receptions against Weber State matched his career high set last season against.... Weber State... Bennett already has 82 career receptions in 17 games.
• MT's TDS: SR WR Mataio Talalemotu is on a pretty good run. In the past three weeks, he has caught nine passes for 215 yards and 6(!) touchdowns. Talalemotu made three catches for 106 yards against NAU, then three for 83 yards and two scores against Lincoln, followed by three for 26 yards and a TD against Weber State... 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 seven total touchdowns this season. He ranks second in receiving TDs (6) and third in scoring (10.5 ppg) in the Big Sky Conference... Talalemotu now has 111 receptions, 1,746 yards and 16 TDs in his career (10th all-time).

 

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• DEFENSIVE DIAMONDS: Portland State's defense held Lincoln (10/8) 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... PSU currently ranks 15th in the nation with 7.3 TFLs per game this season... PSU's defense had a stretch of 22 straight third down stops at one point this season (Northern Arizona 0-11, then Lincoln 0-11 before the Oaks finally converted one).
• "INITIAL" DEFENDERS: SR DT EJ Ane had six tackles against Weber State, marking the third time he has hit that mark this season. His 27 total tackles is tied for the team lead and he leads the team with three quarterback sacks... SR DE VJ Malo has a team-high seven TFLs this season (and 27 in his 18-game career to rank 11th all-time at PSU).
• D-LINE DOMINANCE: SR DEs Jake Porter and VJ Malo and SR DTs EJ Ane and Moses Finau have combined for 70 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and seven sacks this season. 
• TURNOVER TABLE: SO ROV Tyreese Shakir missed the game with Weber State, but has a team-high two interceptions this season... SR S Xavier Bell, JR LB Isaiah Henry and JR ROV David Joseph also have interceptions. Bell and Joseph each have two in their careers.
• 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, so far this season two have been under 300 yards.
• Eight different Vikings have sacks (13 total) and 20 have tackles for loss (44 total) through six games. PSU's 7.3 tackles for loss per game ranks 15th in the nation.
• SR DE Porter has now played in the most games of any current Viking (41), making 27 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 also missed top tackler SO LB Parker McKenna, SR LB Robert Holt and SO ROV Tyreese Shakir from the starting lineup last week.

 

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• FOOTNOTES: SR P George Triplett, a transfer from Princeton, has punted for an average of 40.5 yards with a long of 57... of his 34 punts, six have gone over 50 yards.
• 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 has made 44-45 extra points in his career, including a stretch of 43 straight.
• 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 18th consecutive game of his career. He has a perfect long snapping record as a Viking.

 

LET'S OPEN UP THE RECORD BOOK

Four Vikings are having an impact on the Portland State career record book this season. A more complete look at record book updates can be found after the season stats in these game notes.

• 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 seventh all-time in receptions (141), he is three yards shy of 2,000 in his career (10th) and one touchdown short of the top 10 for receiving touchdowns (15)... he 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 18 career games... his 27 tackles for loss ranks 11th all-time.
• SR WR Mataio Talalemotu has moved into 10th all-time with 16 career touchdown catches. He is also approaching the top 10s for receptions (111) and receiving yards (1,746).

 

VIKINGS ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS

• RUSHING: Dante Chachere, 90-454-3; Jalynnee McGee, 88-409-2; Jobi Malary 32-135-1
• PASSING: Dante Chachere, 94-155-4-1,115-12; Mike Irwin, 6-15-1-44-1
• RECEPTIONS: Beau Kelly, 141; Mataio Talalemotu, 111; Nate Bennett, 82; Emmanuel Daigbe, 73
• RECEIVING YARDS: Beau Kelly, 1,937; Mataio Talalemotu, 1,720; Emmanuel Daigbe, 1,090
• TOUCHDOWNS: Mataio Talalemotu, 16; Beau Kelly, 15; Emmanuel Daigbe, 11
• ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Beau Kelly, 2,359; Emmanuel Daigbe, 1,337
• TACKLES: Anthony Adams, 180; Parker McKenna, 115; David Joseph, 94; Jake Porter, 86; Xavier Bell, 77; Broderick Harrell, 74; VJ Malo, 65; Robert Holt, 63.
• SACKS: VJ Malo, 11.5; Jake Porter, 10
• TACKLES FOR LOSS: VJ Malo, 27; 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