Game 4

NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS (1-3, 0-1) at PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (0-3, 0-1)

Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, 2 p.m., Hillsboro Stadium (7,600), Hillsboro, OR
LIVE STREAMING: ESPN+ • Play-by-Play: Matt Richert • Analyst: Scott Hermo
LIVE STATS: www.ViksLive.com
Complete notes and stats in pdf

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A LATE START AT HOME AND THE VIKINGS CAN'T WAIT

After a full month away from home and three opponents that are likely the best three Portland State will see all season, the Vikings are thrilled to come for a Big Sky Conference game. The Vikings will host their home opener and Homecoming Game this Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium at 2 p.m. The game will be live streamed on ESPN+.
     
The Oct. 1 home opener is the latest start at home in 12 years for the Viking program. It begins a rare stretch of three straight home games that includes a non-conference battle with Division II Lincoln (CA) on Oct. 8, then another Big Sky game with nationally-ranked Weber State on Oct. 15.
     
PSU is 0-3 on the season and will be playing its first Big Sky home game. The Lumberjacks began Big Sky play last week, losing to Idaho, and are 1-3, 0-1.
     
Both Portland State and Northern Arizona go into this week's game looking for some offensive flow. The Vikings (13.0 ppg/241.7 ypg) and the Lumberjacks (11.8 ppg/267.8 ypg) rank 11th and 12th in scoring and total offense in the Big Sky Conference. In particular, the 'Jacks have managed only 67 rushing yards per game. The only real difference in the stats is that NAU has played four games to the Vikings' three.
     
Portland State allows 433.7 yards per game defensively while Northern Arizona gives up 347.0.
     
PSU started the season with a strong offensive performance, totaling 395 yards at FBS San Jose State. But the last two outings have come against nationally-ranked FBS Washington (15th) and nationally-ranked FCS Montana (2nd), both of whom are known for their defense. The result was 131 yards and 199 yards, respectively, for the Viking offense.
     
Northern Arizona has losses to Arizona (40-3) on the road, and North Dakota (27-24) and Idaho (27-10) at home. Mixed in was an impressive road win at Sam Houston State (10-3) on Sept. 10.
     
The Lumberjacks will be making their first appearance at PSU since 2017. NAU has a four-game winning streak in the series, the most recent being a 31-29 win in 2019 on a last-second field goal.
 

TEAM LEADERS

• PORTLAND STATE: SO QB Dante Chachere has completed 39-67 passes for 382 yards and three touchdowns. Chachere is also the rushing leader with 32 carries for 124 yards (168 positive yards)... SO RB Jalynnee McGee has rushed 21 times for 100 yards... All-Big Sky Conference SR WR Beau Kelly leads the team with 12 receptions for 163 yards and two touchdowns. SO WR Nate Bennett has 12 catches for 139 yards... SO LB Parker McKenna leads the Vikings with 17 tackles. SR S Broderick Harrell has 16 stops - including 10 last Saturday - in just two games... SO ROV Tyreese Shakir, SR DE Jake Porter and SR LB Robert Holt all have three tackles for loss and two sacks... SR P George Triplett leads the Big Sky with a 44.4 yard average.
• NORTHERN ARIZONA: Quarterback RJ Martinez has completed 93-151 passes for 757 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions... Coleman Owen leads the team with 25 receptions for 255 yards and two TDs... Kevin Daniels is the top rusher with 36 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown... defensive back Morgan Vest leads the team with 33 tackles and five pass breakups.

 

STORYLINES

• Portland State is making its latest home-opening start (Oct. 1) since 2010 (Oct. 2)... this week's game is the first 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 and Northern Arizona had identical records last season (5-6 overall, 4-4 in Big Sky Conference play).
• In the 2019 meeting, PSU's Cody Williams made five field goals to tie a Portland State record set by Dan Frantz in 1999.
• Portland State and Northern Arizona are meeting for only the fourth time in the last 10 seasons... the last time the teams met was 2019 (NAU 31-29 at NAU)... the Vikings most recent win was in 2011, also by a 31-29 score in Portland. NAU has won the last four.... the last time the teams met in Portland was 2017 (NAU 42-20 at PSU)... Northern Arizona has never played PSU at Hillsboro Stadium.

 

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• Portland State is averaging 241.7 yards per game through the first three contests. After gaining 395 yards of total offense against San Jose State, 270 through the air and 125 on the ground, the Vikings were held to 131 total yards at Washington and 199 at Montana. 
• SO QB Dante Chachere (SASH-er-ay) made his first career start at San Jose State. He completed 24-37 passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions... Chachere had 353 yards of total offense as he was the Vikings leading rusher with 14 carries for 83 yards. However, he has managed only 112 yards passing (15-30) and 43 yards rushing the past two games.
• SR WR Beau Kelly caught nine passes for 133 yards and a touchdown at San Jose State, but has only three catches for 30 yards and a touchdown in the past two games… he and SO WR Nate Bennett lead the Vikings with 12 receptions each this season... Kelly (163) and Bennett (139) also lead in receiving yards... last season Kelly led the Big Sky Conference during the regular season in receptions (69), total yards (981) and touchdowns (10).
• SR RB Jalynnee McGee had a team-high 58 yards on 12 carries at Washington. Through three games he has 21 carries for 100 yards. Chachere has a team-high 124 yards on 32 carries (168 positive yards).
• At Montana, SR WR Mataio Talalemotu (two receptions, five yards; one rush, eight-yard TD), SO RB JoJo Siofele (9-16) and SO RB Jobi Malary (2-0) returned to play after nursing injuries the first two games of the season... Talalemotu picked up the first rushing touchdown of his career to go with 10 receiving touchdowns in 32 career games... SO RB Jalynnee McGee completed a 28-yard halfback option pass to SR WR Emmanuel Daigbe.

 

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• Portland State's defense had one of its best performances ever against an FBS-level program at San Jose State. 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.
• Unfortunately, the tables were turned at Washington. The Huskies racked up 617 yards of total offense and 52 points... PSU allowed 396 yards and 53 points to Montana. However, 16 of those points came on two special teams TDs and a safety.
• Seven different Vikings have sacks (10 total) and 13 have tackles for loss (21 total) through three games.
• SO LB Parker McKenna leads the Vikings with 17 tackles... SR LB Robert Holt, SR DE Jake Porter and SO ROV Tyreese Shakir all have three tackles for loss and two sacks.
• SR S Broderick Harrell led the Vikings with 10 tackles at Montana. He also tackled the Griz punter for a 13-yard loss and a safety.
• Shakir made seven tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks - all career-best numbers for him – at San Jose State. Shakir had an interception at Washington – the third of his career in 14 games. He also has two career fumble recoveries.
• Porter has now played in the most games of any current Viking (38), making 24 starts.
• For the first time in his career SR CB Anthony Adams was unable to answer the bell at Montana. Adams had started 37 consecutive games in his career. He missed his first game ever due to an ankle injury. 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.

 

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• SR P George Triplett, a transfer from Princeton, has punted for an average of 44.4 yards with a long of 57... of his 21 punts, five have gone over 50 yards... he leads the Big Sky Conference and ranks 12th in the nation.
• 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 and 33-33 on extra points.
• SO LS Ryan Alvidrez started the 14th consecutive game of his career. He has a perfect long snapping record as a Viking.
• The Vikings will need to shore up their special teams after allowing two touchdowns at Montana - a 72-yard punt return and a 99-yard missed field goal return.

 

LET'S OPEN UP THE RECORD BOOK

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

• SR CB All-American Anthony Adams is now 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 10th all-time in receptions (127), he is 170 yards shy of the top 10 in receiving yards (1,797), one touchdown short of the top 10 for receiving touchdowns (15), and ranks 10th all-time in punt return yards (235).
• SR DE VJ Malo now ranks 10th all-time in career sacks with 11.5 in 15 career games.

 

VIKINGS ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS

• RUSHING: Jalynnee McGee, 70-359-2; Dante Chachere, 55-264-0; Jobi Malary 27-130-1
• PASSING: Dante Chachere, 31-55-2-332-2; Beau Kelly, 3-4-0-103-0
• RECEPTIONS: Beau Kelly, 127; Mataio Talalemotu, 102; Emmanuel Daigbe, 73
• RECEIVING YARDS: Beau Kelly, 1,797; Mataio Talalemotu, 1,531; Emmanuel Daigbe, 1,090
• TOUCHDOWNS: Beau Kelly, 15; Emmanuel Daigbe, 11; Mataio Talalemotu, 10
• ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Beau Kelly, 2,126; Emmanuel Daigbe, 1,337
• TACKLES: Anthony Adams, 180; Parker McKenna, 115; David Joseph, 82; Jake Porter, 74; Broderick Harrell, 64; Robert Holt, 63.
• SACKS: VJ Malo, 11.5; Jake Porter, 10
• TACKLES FOR LOSS: VJ Malo, 22.5; Jake Porter, 19.5; Anthony Adams, 15.5
• INTERCEPTIONS: Anthony Adams, 9; Tyreese Shakir, 3
• PASS BREAKUPS: Anthony Adams, 33; Xavier Bell, 7; Broderick Harrell, 5
• FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Anthony Adams, 4; Jake Porter, 2; Tyreese Shakir, 2