Game 1

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS at SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS

Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, 7:30 p.m., CEFCU Stadium (30,456), San Jose, CA
TELEVISION: NBC Sports Bay Area
LIVE STREAMING: TheMW.com/watch/
LIVE STATS: www.ViksLive.com

Complete notes and stats in pdf

VIKINGS OPEN 2022 SEASON AT SAN JOSE STATE

The 2022 Portland State football season will open in similar fashion to past years as the Vikings will play on the road against an FBS-level program. The Vikings meet San Jose State at CEFCU Stadium on Thursday night in a 7:30 p.m. game. The contest will be televised on NBC Sports Bay Area, though not in the Portland area. A live stream can be accessed at the Mountain West Network (themw.com/watch/).     

Portland State opens a very challenging month of play with San Jose State. After SJSU, the Vikings move on to play Washington of the Pac-12 on Sept. 10. Following a bye week, PSU opens Big Sky Conference play at number-three ranked Montana on Sept. 24.     

The 2022 Viking football season will be a mixture of outstanding returning talent and high expectations for newcomers in vital roles.     

PSU Head Coach Bruce Barnum, now in his eighth season, has 44 letterwinners back, including 19 starters with eight on offense, nine on defense and two on special teams. Portland State returns depth and experience at wide receiver, defensive end, linebacker and defensive back. The Vikings will look for newcomers at the key positions of quarterback, nose tackle and running back to step forward.     

SO QB Dante Chachere appears poised to take over behind center after the graduation of Viking star Davis Alexander. The athletic Chachere has limited experience but begins his third year in the program. He will have a fleet of talented returning receivers led by SRs Beau Kelly, Mataio Talalemotu and Emmanuel Daigbe and SO Nate Bennett.     

SR RB Andrew Van Buren is a transfer from Boise State that bolsters a young and unheralded backfield.     

Two-time All-American DB Anthony Adams (13 career takeaways, 31 PBUs) anchors the defense, as does preseason All-American DE VJ Malo (10.5 sacks in 2021). SO LB Parker McKenna led the Vikings with 88 tackles last season and brings side-to-side speed to the team. PSU has a veteran defensive backfield led by Adams, SR S Xavier Bell, SR S Broderick Harrell and SR TR CB Isaiah Avery.     

The Vikings were 5-6 last season, 4-4 in Big Sky Conference play.     

San Jose State was 5-7 in 2021, including 3-5 in the Mountain West Conference-West Division. Head Coach Brent Brennen begins his sixth year at the helm.     

The Spartans have four starters returning on offense and virtually the entire starting defense. Adding intrigue is the addition of quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, a transfer from the University of Hawai'i. Cordeiro faced the Vikings in the season-opener last year while playing for the Warriors. He was 18-25 passing for 305 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in a 49-35 Hawai'i win. He started 10 games for Hawai'i in 2021, passing for 2,793 yards and 17 touchdowns.     

Defensively, SJSU is strong up front, featuring first team All-MWC lineman Viliami Fehoko and 2020 MWC Defensive Player of the Year Cade Hall. Also back is first team All-MWC linebacker Kyle Harmon (133 tackles in 2021).

STORYLINES

• Former SJSU defensive lineman EJ Ane transferred to Portland State last winter. Ane played in 28 career games for the Spartans, making 68 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. He is expected to start for the Vikings against his old team.
• PSU SR RB Andrew Van Buren played against the Spartans twice while a member of the Boise State Broncos. He combined for 20 carries, 111 yards and a touchdown, and five receptions for 39 yards in the two games.
• The Vikings are 4-42 all-time against FBS-level competition, 2-19 against current members of the Mountain West Conference. Wins have come over Hawai'i (2000), New Mexico (2006), Washington State (2015) and North Texas (2015).
• The only other meeting between Portland State and San Jose State was an offensive showcase. The Spartans totaled 642 yards of offense, including 409 on the ground. A pair of long touchdown runs in the fourth quarter, totaling 161 yards boosted that number late. Despite committing six turnovers, the Vikings were able to still produce a decent offensive output with 458 yards and 35 points. But a two-minute stretch at the end of the first half turned a 14-14 game into a 28-14 halftime lead for the Spartans. The Vikings could never recover from there.
• PSU also played San Jose State and Washington back-to-back in the 2016 season (though in games 2/3).

ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS

The Vikings return four players that earned All-Big Sky Conference honors in 2021: 1st team: SR CB Anthony Adams (52T, 5 TFL, 5 PBU, 3 INT, 3 FR, 1FF); 2nd team: SR WR Beau Kelly (69 receptions, 981 yards, 10 TDs); SR DE VJ Malo (45T, 20 TFL, 10.5 SK, 3 FF, 2 PBU); Honorable Mention: SO WR Nate Bennett (50 receptions, 616 yards, 4 TDs)... Adams was named second team All-American by Hero Sports. He is now a two-time All-American (2019)...SR TE Malik Thirdgill was named to the Big Sky Conference Community Service team for contributions away from the field. Thirdgill is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee on campus, was a co-creator of a Social Justice Team, has also been involved with PSU's freshman student-athlete mentorship program and is a volunteer with Holy Redeemer Athletics and Big Yard Foundation.

BIG SKY LEADERS

SR WR Beau Kelly led the Big Sky Conference in receptions (69), receiving touchdowns (10), total receiving yards (981) in 2021. He would have led in punt return average (14.4) but did not reach the required number of returns... SR CB Anthony Adams led the Big Sky in fumble recoveries (3) and had six total takeaways.

ALL-AMERICAN ADAMS

SR CB Anthony Adams is a two-time All-American - once as a safety and once as a cornerback. He led the nation in passes defended in 2019 (24; 19 PBUs, 5 INTs). He enters the 2022 season as the nation's leader in career passes defended (40; 31 PBUs, 9 INTs, plus 4 FRs).

Adams has been selected to five 2022 FCS Preseason All-America teams and was named to the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List for the second time in his career. He was 12th in the balloting in 2019. Adams is also considered one of the top NFL prospects at the FCS level for 2023.

MALO-IFICENT TO OFFENSES

SR DE VJ Malo terrorized opposing quarterbacks in 2021. He made 10.5 sacks (2nd in the Big Sky), 20 tackles for loss (4th in the Big Sky) and forced three fumbles (1st in the Big Sky). His 20 TFLs are the second most for a season in school history, most ever at the Division I level and most since 1987. His 10.5 sacks rank eighth all-time, are the most at the Division I level and most since 1988.     

Malo has been selected to four preseason All-America teams and preseason All-Big Sky.

WIDE RECEIVER U

Portland State has an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position in 2022, effectively returning five starting receivers, and a whole lot more. Consider these talents:

• SR WR Beau Kelly led the entire conference in receptions (69), receiving yards (981) and touchdowns (10) during the regular season.
• SO Darien Chase (54-579-4, 10 g)
• SO Nate Bennett (50-616-4)
• SR Mataio Talalemotu (42-573-3, 8 g)
• SR Emmanuel Daigbe (40-651-7 in 2019, missed 2021 due to injury)

Add to that group returners SR Marquis Spiker (9-112-0) and JR Deion Malone (injured in 2021), Boise State SR transfer Maclaine Griffin and four redshirt freshmen.

FABULOUS AS FRESHMEN

The Vikings started six freshmen, had eight making major contributions, and played 24 total freshmen in 2021... WRs Nate Bennett (50-616-4) and Darien Chase (54-579-4) were important members of the offense, while OLs Richard Estrella and D'Angalo Titiali'i became starters... LB Parker McKenna led the Vikings in tackles with 88, including four tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Also on defense, ROV Tyreese Shakir became a starter, making 32 tackles, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and four pass breakups. LB Justice Pagan made 39 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, two sacks and two pass breakups... on special teams, K Gianni Smith and LS Ryan Alvidrez were starters and steady performers.

BEAU KNOWS RECEIVING, PASSING, RETURNING, RUSHING...

SR WR Beau Kelly has done it all for the Vikings during his career. He had 1,111 all-purpose yards last season, gaining yards receiving, rushing and on punt returns. He was also 2-2 passing for 56 yards.

KELLY'S CAREER NUMBERS

• RECEIVING: 115-1,634-13
• RUSHING: 8-70-0
• PUNT RETURNS: 25-221-0
• PASSING: 3-4-0-103
• TOTAL PLAYS/YARDS: 152/2,028

BEAM ME UP

The NCAA transfer portal has become a significant recruiting tool in all sports. In 2022, Portland State will have 16 Division I transfers on its roster, 11 of which are from FBS schools.

VETERANS

• CAREER GAMES PLAYED: Jake Porter, DE, 35; Anthony Adams, CB, 35; Beau Kelly, 32; Mataio Talalemotu, WR, 31; David Joseph, LB, 28; Shiloh Ta'ase, OL, 27; Malik Thirdgill, TE, 26; Robert Holt, LB, 25
• CAREER STARTS: Anthony Adams, CB, 35; Beau Kelly, WR, 31; Mataio Talalemotu, 25; Jake Porter, DE, 21; Shiloh Ta'ase, OL, 20
• CONSECUTIVE STARTS: Anthony Adams, CB, 35; Beau Kelly, WR, 24; Tyson Pauling, OL, 12; Evan Camarena, CB, 12; Parker McKenna, LB, 12

CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN

The Portland State Football team has selected its captains for the 2022 season. In a vote of the players, seniors Anthony Adams, Beau Kelly, VJ Malo, Tyson Pauling and Mataio Talalemotu were named team captains.

VIKING TRIVIA

• BUY LOCAL: Portland State has 28 players on the roster from the state of Oregon, plus seven others from just across the river and the Vancouver, WA area.
• REMEMBER ME?: SR WR Emmanuel Daigbe was born in Liberia. Originally he wrestled in college at Highline and Green River CCs. He has not played since 2019 due to a groin injury, but was an All-Conference wide receiver and special teams performer that season.
• THE ADAMS FAMILY: SR CB Anthony Adams is the brother of former Vikings WR Darnell Adams. Anthony is a key player on the Viking defense this season. Darnell finished his career in 2017 (99 receptions, 1,568 yards, 12 touchdowns) which was Anthony's redshirt freshman season. This season Darnell has returned as the wide receivers coach.
• LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: JR WR Mataio Talalemotu is the son of Ina Talalemotu, who played in 1987-88 on Portland State's two NCAA II National finalist teams. He is also the cousin of former Viking DL Savali Talalemotu.
• OH, BROTHER: SO QB Dante Chachere's brother, Andre, is a cornerback for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.
• FAMILY AFFAIR: SR DE Jake Porter's father, Jason, was a four-year letterwinner in baseball at Portland State (1991-94). A cousin, FR OL Braylon Cornell, signed with the Vikings in 2022. Another cousin, Ellie Snook, is an All-Conference libero on the Viking volleyball team.
• 19 DEGREES: Nineteen Portland State players have already earned their degrees, and/or are working on advanced degrees. They are: Anthony Adams, Shea Carstens, Emmanuel Daigbe, Boogie Davis, Isaiah Henry, Robert Holt, Beau Kelly, Deion Malone, Tyson Pauling, Jake Porter, Mataio Talalemotu, Malik Thirdgill, Nathan West, Isaiah Avery, Xavier Bell, Broderick Harrell, Mike Irwin, Jaylen Larry and George Triplett.
• FROM THE FIELD TO THE SIDELINE: Offensive Line Coach Matt Leunen (OL/TE, 2005-09) is a PSU alum who played for the Vikings... Quarterbacks Coach Kieran McDonagh (2012-15) is also a PSU alum who was recruited by and played for Bruce Barnum... Wide Receivers Coach Darnell Adams (2012-17) joined the Viking staff this season.
• GOING PRO: Former Viking QB Davis Alexander finished his Portland State career in 2021 ranked number two in virtually every PSU passing category behind only Neil Lomax. Alexander is currently a member of the Montreal Alouettes.
• SUPER PLAYERS: Portland State had a pair of former players meet in the Super Bowl for the first time in history in February 2014. TE Julius Thomas ('10, Denver) and DB DeShawn Shead ('11, Seattle) both played in Super Bowl XLVIII. Shead returned to the Super Bowl in 2015 with the Seahawks. He joins Clint Didier and Ted Popson as former Vikings with Super Bowl rings. Thomas was named a Pro Bowl tight end in 2013 and 2014. In the 2014 off-season, he signed the richest tight end contract in the NFL to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Thomas retired in the 2018 off-season after a seven-year career that included 71 games, 226 receptions, 2,406 yards and 36 touchdowns. Shead, a starting corner with the Seahawks in 2016, missed 2017 due to an ACL injury, then signed and played with Detroit in 2018. Shead is now an assistant coach with the Seahawks.