Cheney, WA – Portland State's win at Eastern Washington was an easy one… until it wasn't. The Vikings played the best first half of football in recent memory, but had to hang on for dear life in the second half as the Eagles roared back. In the end though, the Vikings came away with a 38-35 Dam Cup victory at Roos Field.
 
PSU raced to a 35-7 halftime lead and looked for all the world like it would not be challenged. However, Eastern Washington played a great second half behind quarterback Gunner Talkington to make it a close game in the waning moments. 
 
The Eagles scored 21 points in the fourth quarter and attempted an onside kick with just over three minutes to play. Elias Spence covered the ball and the Vikings were able to get the needed first downs to close out the game. The Vikings drove to the Eagles' 13-yard line and went for it on fourth-and-two with 1:05 to play. Senior wide receiver Beau Kelly got four yards on a fly sweep and the Vikings were able to run out the clock.
 
PSU's win ends a two-game losing streak and improves its record to 3-5 on the season, 2-3 in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings also ended a five-game losing streak to the Eagles.
 
Portland State had a season-high 628 yards of offense, including 427 on the ground, which ranks as sixth-most in school history. Sophomore quarterback Dante Chachere rushed for a career-high 141 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, while sophomore running back Jobi Malary went for 148 yards on 19 carries. Chachere also completed 17-22 passes for 201 yards and one touchdown.
 
"It was a tale of two halves in this game, but to run the football like that, that was fun to watch," said Viking Coach Bruce Barnum. "I was proud of what I saw from our guys on the field after having two tough weeks. 
 
"Our run game kept them off the field. We got some offensive linemen back and that made a difference. Dante distributed it to a lot of guys and he saw how productive this can be. And he made a bunch of plays himself."
 
"This team really wanted to win at Eastern Washington. To get the "Dam" trophy back was a big deal," said Barnum.
 
Portland State's first quarter performance had to be the best of any quarter this season. The Vikings ran three offensive drives, all resulting in touchdowns. Both defensive series forced Eagle punts. The Vikings out-gained the Eagles 262-33 in the quarter.
 
PSU scored first on a 51-yard sprint by Chachere just a minute-and-a-half into the game. The next series was an efficient mix of run and pass that went 84 yards on eight plays. Sophomore running back JoJo Siofele scored on a three-yard run. 
 
In the Vikings third series, they were finally stopped at the Eagles' 11 after going 79 yards. That set up a 28-yard field goal attempt. However, the Vikings faked with holder Mataio Talalemotu going through the left side, dodging a pair of would-be tacklers and scoring for a 21-0 lead.
 
The lead grew to four touchdowns on PSU's first drive of the second quarter. The Vikings converted a 4th-and-7 play at the Eastern 17-yard line, then Chachere rushed in from eight yards out on the next play.
 
The Eagles finally got on the board with 3:02 to play in the second quarter. Running back Justice Jackson had a 62-yard breakaway run, making the score 28-7.
 
PSU's final drive of the half went 78 yards in six quick plays. Kelly caught two passes in the series, with the second being a nine-yard score in the left corner of the endzone.
 
The Vikings went into halftime with a 35-7 lead and a remarkable 434 yards of total offense and 22 first downs.
 
Eastern Washington came out with energy on offense in the second half. The Eagles opened with a 74-yard drive for a score in just three minutes. That trimmed the Viking advantage to 35-14.
 
PSU crossed midfield on its first two possessions of the second half, but ended up punting both times.
 
The Eagles put together a 15-play drive that straddled the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth quarter, eventually scoring on a Tuna Altahir five-yard run. 
 
PSU finally got a second-half score when sophomore kicker Gianni Smith booted a 40-yard field goal. PSU led 38-21 with 9:51 to play.
 
But the Eagles kept coming. Eastern scored again within a minute-and-a-half, getting an 11-yard touchdown reception from Freddie Roberson. It was 38-28 Vikings with 8:22 to go. 
 
PSU punted on its next series. However, senior linebacker Robert Holt intercepted a Gunner Talkington pass on the Eagles first play from scrimmage. PSU took over at the Eastern 23 and appeared ready to ice the game. But the Vikings fumbled the ball back two plays later.
 
This time, Talkington was on target. Nine plays later he threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Nolan Ulm. Suddenly, the Vikings led only 38-35 with 3:49 to play.
 
The Eagles attempted the onside kick that was recovered by Spence at Eastern's 47-yard line. The Vikings were able to convert three first downs, the final one by Kelly, and run out the clock.

Kelly had five receptions for 53 yards and a score and two running plays for eight yards. Emmanuel Daigbe was also a dual threat with seven rushes for 69 yards and one reception of 33 yards. 
 
On defense, linebacker Jaymason Willingham made 12 tackles, including one for loss. Safety Broderick Harrell made 11 tackles with one for loss. 
 
Talkington was 36-60 passing for 394 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for the Eagles. Roberson caught nine passes for 145 yards.
 
The Eagles are now 2-6 on the season, 1-4 in the Big Sky.
 

GAME NOTES

• SO QB Dante Chachere had his second 100-yard rushing game of the season. 
• SR WR Mataio Talalemotu's 11-yard touchdown run on a fake field goal was his second rushing TD of the season. He has eight total touchdowns to lead the Vikings.
• SR WR Beau Kelly caught five more passes and moved into fourth place all-time in receptions at Portland State with 152. He trails only Orshawante Bryant (223), Barry Naone (199) and Terry Charles (180) - all PSU Athletics Hall of Famers - in receptions. Kelly's TD was the 17th of his career, moving him to ninth on the all-time receiving TD list.
• SR WR Maclaine Griffin caught a season-high four passes.
• SO RB Jobi Malary had the most rushing yards by a Viking running back this season. His previous best game was a 93-yard rushing performance at Eastern Washington in 2019.
• SR LB Robert Holt's interception with 6:49 to play was his second career pick. He had one at Arkansas in 2019.
• SO K Gianni Smith kicked his first field goal since the second game of the season. He is 4-5 on FGs this year.
• With another sack against the Eagles, SR DT EJ Ane has a team-leading five sacks this season.
• Portland State comes home for its next two games. The Vikings will host Northern Colorado on Saturday in a 2 p.m. game at Hillsboro Stadium.