Flagstaff, AZ – It was Dante's Day. And the Viking running game's day… and the Viking defense's day… and it all added up to a convincing 45-21 win for Portland State at Northern Arizona. The Vikings picked up a key road win and knocked off one of the hottest teams in the Big Sky.
 
Portland State overcame a lot of demons to get the victory. PSU had not won a game at the Walkup Skydome since 2006 (four straight losses), and they had not won a game on the road yet this season (0-3). Even Coach Bruce Barnum confessed he had not won a game at NAU in his career (spanning PSU and Idaho State). "I didn't tell anybody that until after the game though," he laughed in a jubilant post-game locker room.
 
The win moves the Vikings to 2-1 in Big Sky Conference play, 3-3 on the season. PSU comes home for its next two games with a chance to build a winning streak.
 
Quarterback Dante Chachere led a lot of stars for Portland State in the win, accounting for all six PSU touchdowns. Chachere was 14-19 passing for 159 yards and five touchdowns. He rushed 12 times for 83 yards and another score.
 
Chachere had a lot of help on the ground as PSU rushed for 366 of its total 525 yards of offense. Running back Quincy Craig had 10 carries for 103 yards. Christian Grubb added nine carries for 76 yards. Jobi Malary rushed 14 times for 66 yards, and Andrew Van Buren carried 10 times for another 41 yards.
 
Through the air, Jermaine Braddock caught five passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns. Craig had four catches for 35 yards and two scores, and Maclaine Griffin added a fifth receiving TD on a 21-yarder.
 
The defense was also good, holding NAU to 318 total yards and intercepting two passes. The Lumberjacks had only 65 yards on the ground as PSU held star back Devon Starling to 20 yards.
 
Meanwhile, Duhron Goodman, making his first start of the season at nickelback had an inspired performance with a team-high six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a key interception and a pass breakup.
 
"I am happy with how we ran the football against a good defense, particularly against the run," said Barnum. "It was a very composed game by us after a rough start and some chippy stuff going on. We got after it, offense, defense and special teams."
 
"Winning in the Big Sky is tough. Winning on the road is damn near impossible," said Barnum. "We beat a damn good football team today. They had been playing lights out."
 
Each team had a long scoring drive in the first quarter, and each team needed a fourth-down conversion to sustain it. The Vikings got a 4^th-and-2 completion from Chachere to Braddock down to the NAU 24. Three plays later Chachere tossed a swing pass to Craig who rambled in from 14 yards. That tied the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter.
 
A Goodman interception stopped the Lumberjacks' ensuing possession. On NAU's next series, the 'Jacks made a fourth-and-five attempt at the PSU 40-yard line, but the Vikings held. Chachere led the next series with a 16-yard run, a 10-yard completion to Nate Bennett, then a scrambling 20-yard scoring pass to Braddock. PSU led 14-7 at the 7:34 mark of the second quarter.
 
Another defensive stand got the ball back to the Vikings at their own 20 with 5:12 to play in the first half. Chachere engineered another marvelous drive of 12 plays for a score. The Viking QB rushed three times for 41 yards in the series. He finished it off with a two-yard toss to Braddock for another score and only 12 seconds on the clock. PSU led 21-7 at halftime.
 
After the Lumberjacks' initial scoring drive of 80 yards, the Viking defense buckled down, holding NAU to 57 yards on 17 plays. By halftime, the Vikings held a 266-137 total offense advantage.
 
Each team scored twice in the third quarter. PSU forced a three-and-out against NAU to open the second half. Then, Craig got the attention of the crowd once again. He broke free on a 67-yard run. Two plays later, he caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Chachere, the QB's fourth scoring toss of the game. PSU extended its lead to 28-7.
 
NAU finally put together a second-half scoring drive – its first since the first series of the game – and got on the board again.
 
With the lead down to two touchdowns, PSU just kept rolling. A 35-yard running play by Grubb highlighted the next series. Chachere then threw his career-high fifth touchdown pass – a 21-yarder to Griffin. It was 35-14 with just over five minutes left in the third quarter. PSU had 300 rushing yards and 423 total yards at that point.
 
But now, Northern Arizona had started moving the ball with play-action passing. Quarterback Adam Damante threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Coleman Owen. And again, it was a two-score game at 35-21 with 3:36 left in the third quarter.
 
PSU took possession and continued the grind with its ground game. The Vikings ran 12 plays, going 75 yards and burning 6:36 off the game clock. On 4^th and goal at the one-yard line Barnum told his team to go for it. Chachere found a gap and snaked into the endzone. That put the lead back at three scores, 42-21, with 12 minutes remaining in the game.
 
On NAU's next possession the 'Jacks were forced to go for it on fourth-down from their own 29. Again, the Vikings held. PSU ran clock, tacked on a 28-yard Gianni Smith field goal and cruised to victory.
 

GAME NOTES

• Cornerback Michael Jackson made an interception in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice.
• Portland State had lost in its last four appearances in the Skydome with the last win coming in 2006. PSU has now won two in a row in the series after beating NAU in Portland last season, 35-27.
• Dante Chachere likes playing Northern Arizona. Last year, he had 402 yards of total offense, passed for three touchdowns and rushed for two more. He was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week.
• The Vikings are at home the next two weeks. PSU hosts Idaho State on Oct. 21, then Eastern Washington Oct. 28 in a Dam Cup game. Both games kick off at 1 p.m. at Hillsboro Stadium and can be seen on ESPN+.