Hillsboro, OR – Have a day, Jobi Malary!
 
Portland State moved the football effectively, stopped Eagle drives when needed, and jumped on the back of junior running back Jobi Malary as the Vikings rolled to a 47-35 victory at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
Malary had one of the best rushing games by a Viking ever, posting a career-high 241 rushing yards on 23 carries and scoring a school-record-tying six touchdowns. It was the most rushing yards by a Viking since 2015, and tied Jeff Salta's 47-year-old rushing touchdown record of six, set against Eastern Montana.
 
This came after Malary was unable to play last week due to a bad shoulder. On this day though, he was ready to go with a little help from his friends.
 
"That was big time," said Viking Coach Bruce Barnum. "And it was big time for the entire group - all 11. For him to get runs like that, receivers are blocking, the quarterback is carrying out a fake. There is so much that goes into it. Don't get me wrong, Jobi is breaking tackles and running like his ass is on fire, but that was a helluva production by everyone. I think the offensive line wanted to get back on track in the running game, so that was good to see."
 
Portland State retained the Dam Cup Rivalry Trophy with the win over Eastern Washington. The Vikings improved to 4-4 on the season, 3-2 in the Big Sky Conference. The Eagles dropped to 3-5, 2-3.
 
PSU out-gained the Eagles, 544-513, in a game filled with big plays. Most of them came from Malary, who had scoring runs of eight, one, one, 39, 75 and 44.
 
After an early Eastern Washington field goal, Malary got the Vikings on the scoreboard and they never relinquished the lead. PSU rushed six times for 56 yards in its first scoring series, capped by an eight-yard touchdown run by Malary.
 
The Eagles missed a field goal on their next series, and PSU ended the first quarter with a 7-3 lead.
 
The Vikings went run heavy again - and why not? – in their next drive. This time, PSU went 80 yards in 12 plays, 10 of which were runs for 72 yards. Malary scored again on a one-yard plunge.
 
Following an Eastern Washington score, the Vikings went on the march. Jermaine Braddock highlighted the series with a 35-yard catch-and-run. That set up Malary for his third rushing score of the game – a one-yarder – and PSU led 20-10.
 
The Eagles added a 31-yard field goal by Jackson Cleaver just before halftime and PSU led 20-13 at the break.
 
"At halftime, the coaches and I talked about for the second half we had to get the ball to who was hot. We said Jobi and Dante (Chachere) are doing well, so let's make sure we get them enough touches," Barnum said.
 
Chachere, the Viking quarterback, rushed 13 times for 98 yards in the game. He also completed 10-13 passes for 141 yards, a touchdown and one interception.
 
Malary had 188 yards after halftime. Just two minutes into the second half he burst through a hole on a 39-yard touchdown run – his fourth of the day – to put PSU up 27-13.
 
Eastern Washington added a field goal later in the third quarter, then a touchdown on the second play of the fourth quarter. That narrowed the Viking advantage to 27-22. Eastern attempted a two-point conversion, but defensive end Jayden House chased down the Eastern quarterback and tackled him for a loss.
 
Malary then turned in the play of the day. On PSU's first play from scrimmage in the next series he burst through the left side and out-ran everyone down the left sideline for a 75-yard score and the longest run of his career. PSU was up 34-22.
 
PSU's defense snuffed out the Eagles on downs on their next possession. That led to a short drive and a 12-yard touchdown pass from Chachere to Jermaine Braddock. The Vikings now led 41-22 with 9:04 remaining in the game.
 
The Eagles had some fight left, scoring a touchdown, then recovering an onside kick. That, too, led to an Eastern Washington score. Suddenly the Vikings led only 41-35 with 4:48 to go.
 
But Malary had one last big play in him. A 44-yard breakaway run gave the Vikings a 47-35 advantage and they will roll to victory from there.
 
The Dam Cup win was not lost on Barnum or his team in a celebratory locker room.
 
"The team had that Dam Cup everywhere we were," Barnum said. "It was on the practice field this week. It was at breakfast this morning. It was in the locker room. That was good to see and to develop that tradition is great. We got it back last year, and now we get it again this year.
 
"It surprised me, the first person to rush the field (at the end) was President Cudd with the trophy. That was pretty awesome. If she had come out a little earlier, I would have put her in the game there for (the final play formation) 'victory,'" chuckled Barnum.
 

GAME NOTES

• Portland State had its second 400-yard rushing game of the season (403) – the 11^th most in school history. PSU had 404 yards against Cal Poly... Malary's 241 rushing yards rank as the 15^th-most in school history.
• Jeff Salta originally set the school record for rushing touchdowns with six against Eastern Montana, Nov. 20, 1976, in an 87-6 win.
• SO LB Parker McKenna led the Vikings with 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup.
• JR S Tyreese Shakir had an interception late in the first half. It was the fifth pick of his career. He added 10 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. Shakir's 10 tackles give him 100 in his Portland State career.
• In last season's Dam Cup win at Eastern Washington (38-35), Jobi Malary rushed 19 times for 148 yards. Dante Chachere rushed 14 times for 141 yards and two scores.
• This marked the 33^rd season in a row that Portland State has faced Eastern Washington. The all-time series is dead even at 22-22-1.
• Portland State travels to UC Davis next week. The game is Saturday at 4 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+