Hillsboro, OR – A week off from Big Sky Conference play and a lower division opponent added up to a big win for Portland State as the Vikings took down Lincoln (CA) University, 48-6.
 
Nearly everyone got into the act on the Viking roster as they won their second home game in a row and built a little momentum for a big game with seventh-ranked Weber State next Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium. PSU is now 2-3 overall, 1-1 in the Big Sky.
 
"Everybody played and that's important," said Viking Coach Bruce Barnum. "We started slow, but once we got settled down, I liked how we played. We executed and did what we were supposed to do."
 
The Vikings out-gained Lincoln 449-234 and prevented the Oaks from converting a first down until the fourth quarter. The lone score for Lincoln came with three seconds remaining.
 
Eight different Vikings rushed the ball, eight caught passes, three threw passes, 25 made plays on defense. 
 
"Everything wasn't perfect, but we played on the opposite side of a "money" game and did what we were supposed to do. We played with poise and effort; I liked what I saw," said Barnum. "We got the bench cleared after the first drive of the third quarter and I was happy with that because they got rewarded for their work."
 
Portland State got off to a bit of a sluggish start, but finally took the lead with 4:58 to play in the first quarter on a nine-yard run by sophomore quarterback Dante Chachere. The Vikings had been set up in Lincoln territory following a blocked punt by Elias Spence. A 36-yard pass from Chachere to senior wide receiver Beau Kelly set up the score.
 
Chachere tossed two TD passes early in the second quarter. The first went to senior wide receiver Maclaine Griffin, a 23-yarder, and the second was a 32-yarder to senior wide receiver Mataio Talalemotu. In between was an interception by junior linebacker Isaiah Henry for the Viking defense.
 
It was Chachere to Talalemotu again later in the quarter, this time for 29 yards, and the Vikings led 28-0. A fourth TD pass by Chachere went to freshman tight end Tanner Beaman before halftime and the Vikings went into the locker room with a 35-0 lead.
 
On the first possession out of the locker room, the Vikings drove 69 yards on seven plays to score again. Chachere's fifth TD pass again went to Beaman, this time for three yards. With a 41-0 lead, the rout was on.
 
The big lead allowed numerous Vikings to get playing time throughout the third and fourth quarters. Senior quarterback Mike Irwin threw his first touchdown pass as a Viking, 22 yards to freshman wide receiver Jaylen Lynch. That bumped the Viking lead to 48-0 late in the third quarter.
 
Each team had only one possession in the fourth quarter (except for a final kneel down play by the Vikings) as they both burned clock. The Oaks were able to produce a 17-play, 97-yard drive, finishing on a five-yard scoring run. A failed conversion made the final score, 48-6.
 
Chachere completed 14-29 passes for 280 yards and five touchdowns in a little more than two quarters of play. He added four rushes for 42 yards and a score.
 
Beaman led the team with five receptions for 58 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Nate Bennett caught four passes for 86 yards. Talalemotu had three catches for 83 yards and two TDs.
 
Defensively, the Vikings forced two turnovers, had 11 tackles for loss and two sacks. Senior defensive tackle EJ Ane made six tackles and a sack. Junior linebacker Ian Crocker had six tackles, including one for loss. Senior defensive end VJ Malo made four tackles with two for losses.
 

GAME NOTES

• Mataio Talalemotu has five TD receptions among his six catches in the last two weeks. With 15 TDs in his career, he and Beau Kelly are tied for 11th all-time at PSU.
• Dante Chachere has thrown eight touchdown passes and run for three scores in the last two games.
• Elias Spence had three big plays on the punt 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 half, Spence blocked another punt. 
• Isaiah Henry's interception was the first of his career. Tyreese Shakir's interception was his second of the season and fourth of his career.
• The six points allowed are the fewest by Portland State since a 24-0 win over Idaho on Oct. 12, 2019.
• Lincoln is a Divison II program from Oakland, CA playing its second season of football.
• PSU is 20-0 all-time against lower division opponents since joining the Big Sky in 1996.
• Portland State hosts seventh-ranked Weber State next Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium. Game time is 2 p.m.