Game 6

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-3, 1-1) at NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS (2-4, 2-1)

Saturday, October 14, 1 p.m., JL Walkup Skydome (10,500), Flagstaff, AZ
TELEVISION: None
LIVE STREAMING: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: www.ViksLive.com

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A CHANCE TO BOUNCE BACK, STAY IN TOUCH, WITH BIG SKY LEADERS

On the surface, an 0-3 road record for Portland State looks bad. But the story needs a little context. The Vikings' three losses have come to top-10 FBS Oregon (5-0) and Wyoming (5-1), as well as second-ranked FCS Montana State (4-1). So, Portland State has seen some of the nation's finest teams on the road.
     
On the surface, a 2-4 season record for Northern Arizona does not look very good either. Until you realize both of the Lumberjacks' victories have come over top-20 programs in Montana and last week on the road at Weber State. The lone Big Sky Conference loss came at defending Big Sky co-champ and current third-ranked Sacramento State, 31-30. In other words, the 'Jacks are a point away from being undefeated in the Big Sky against three nationally-ranked programs.
     
That means a pair of teams still battling the identity bug will square off this Saturday at JL Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, AZ. The Vikings (2-3, 1-1) and the Lumberjacks (2-4, 2-1) meet in a 1 p.m. PT game that airs in ESPN+.
     
Northern Arizona has made the most of its wins as the 'Jacks are tied for third in the Big Sky Conference - considered by many to be the nation's strongest league. The Vikings are tied for fifth, one-half game back of NAU and seeking a break-through road win that would leave them in no worse than fourth place if they can pull it off. Only two Big Sky teams are undefeated (Montana State and Idaho), meaning eight teams are within one game of the top of the Sky.
     
PSU comes back from a much-needed week off as the Vikings were able to rest and heal up the usual assortment of mid-season nicks and scrapes. They will need to come out fast against the 'Jacks on Saturday. NAU jumped to a 20-10 halftime lead on Weber State last week and were never seriously threatened. The win over Montana had a similar look with a 21-14 halftime lead, then 28-14 early in the third quarter. From there, Northern Arizona's defense shut out the Griz.
     
Portland State has looked dangerous in recent games, scoring 59 in a win over Cal Poly, and though they lost to Montana State, 38-22, the Vikings scored the most points against the stout Bobcat defense of any team this season.
     
The Vikings won the most recent matchup with NAU, 35-27, last season in Hillsboro. Viking quarterback Dante Chachere had 402 yards of total offense and accounted for all five PSU touchdowns in the win.
     
A matchup to watch that will impact this week's outcome is PSU's running game (222.2 yards per game, 2nd in the Big Sky) against a 'Jacks defense that is allowing only 108 yards on the ground (2nd in the Big Sky).
     
So, as PSU plays its first game in the Walkup Skydome since 2019, and just the second in 11 years, first looks are a bit deceiving for both teams. After three hours of battle the focus should be a bit more clear for one team.
 

STORYLINES

• TURNING THE TIDE: Portland State beat Northern Arizona, 35-27, last season at Hillsboro Stadium. Prior to that, the Lumberjacks had won four straight in the series and eight of the previous nine.
• LONGING FOR THE DOME: The Vikings will play in Walkup Skydome for the first time since 2019 and only the second time in the last 11 years... since meeting annually from 1996 to 2012, the Vikings and the 'Jacks have played only four times since 2013... PSU has lost in its last four appearances in the Dome. The last Viking win in Flagstaff was a 34-26 decision in 2006.
• TRIVIA TIME: The longest fumble return for a touchdown in PSU history came from Rashad Floyd at Northern Arizona in a 2000 game. Floyd rambled 87 yards for a score, and also had an interception return for a TD in that game. (The longest fumble return in PSU history is 95 yards by Joey King in 2005 against Northern Colorado, but he was tackled at the one-yard line)... in 2019, kicker Cody Williams booted five field goals against the Lumberjacks, tying a PSU record.

 

TEAM LEADERS

• PORTLAND STATE: JR QB Dante Chachere has completed 55 of 96 passes for 499 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions this season. He has also run for 277 yards on 45 carries, scoring five TDs... FR RB Quincy Craig leads the team in rushing with 56 carries for 307 yards and three scores. Craig also has 15 receptions for 172 yards and a touchdown. His 608 all-purpose yards rank second in the Big Sky Conference... JR RB Jobi Malary has 31 carries for 206 yards and five rushing TDs... SR WR Jermaine Braddock lead the Vikings with 17 receptions for 147 yards and two touchdowns... FR LB Michael Montgomery leads the team with 27 tackles. JR LB Jaymason Willingham has 23 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, a sack and an interception. SO LB Parker McKenna has 22 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and an interception... PSU is averaging 354.0 yards and 39.2 points per game... the Vikings have given up 359.2 yards and 34.2 points per game... SR P George Triplett has had a solid start to the season with a 44.8 yard punting average... JR K Gianni Smith has been strong on kickoffs with 22 touchbacks on 28 kicks. He is 2-3 on field goals and 22-22 on extra points... JR RB Christian Grubb has 281 combined return yards this season and two return touchdowns.
• NORTHERN ARIZONA: The Lumberjacks are averaging 386.2 yards and 24.3 points per game on offense... the 'Jacks allow 357.5 yards and 30.0 points per game... with 17 sacks on the season, NAU  ranks second in the Big Sky Conference... Eloi Kwete is the Big Sky's leader in sacks with 6.5... Alex McLaughlin is the team leader in tackles with 46. He has been in on two sacks, has two interceptions and five pass breakups... on offense, running back Devon Starling ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 99 carries for 463 yards and four touchdowns... receiver Coleman Owen is tied for second in receptions with 35 for 387 yards and two scores... quarterback Adam Damante led the 'Jacks to the win at Weber State last week. He is 96-131 passing for 862 yards and five touchdowns this season. He has thrown six interceptions... the Lumberjacks weaknesses this season have been turnover margin (-5) and the kicking game with a 37.0 punt average and only 2-8 converted field goals.

 

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• Portland State is averaging 354.0 yards and 39.2 points per game... although the Vikings were held to 22 points at Montana State, it was the most points allowed this season by the third-ranked Bobcats... PSU's 222.2 yards per game on the ground ranks second in the Big Sky... the Vikings have committed seven turnovers this season... PSU is converting third downs at a rate of 51.5%, ranking eighth in the nation... the Vikings scored 150 points in consecutive games (Sept. 16-23) including a stunning 115 points in the two first halves of those wins. PSU had 63 at halftime against North American, and 52 points at halftime against Cal Poly... the Vikings' 91-0 score over North American ranks as the third-highest scoring game in PSU history... the 150 points were the most in back-to-back games since Nov. 8-15, 1980 when a Mouse Davis/Neil Lomax-led program scored 153 points (105-0 over Delaware State and 48-17 over South Dakota State). The Vikings then proceeded to beat Weber State 75-0 in the final game of the season on Nov. 23, 1980.
• DANTE'S DATA: JR QB Dante Chachere has completed 55-96 passes for 499 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions this season. He played only one-half of the game against Oregon and North American and sat out the fourth quarter against Cal Poly... Chachere has also rushed 45 times for 277 yards and five scores to rank second on the team... Chachere has 2,467 career passing yards and 25 touchdowns passing... Chachere passed 1,000 career rushing yards at Montana State (9/30) and now has 1,026 career rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.
• ALL-AROUND GROUND AND POUND: PSU has a five-man attack on the ground behind team rushing leader FR RB Quincy Craig (56-307-3), JR QB Dante Chachere (45-277-5), JR RB Jobi Malary (31-206-5), SR RB Andrew Van Buren (20-121-2) and JR RB Christian Grubb (20-80-1). The Vikings average 222.2 rushing yards, which is the most since 2016... PSU had 340 first-half rushing yards against Cal Poly (9/23) on the way to a season-high 404 for the game (10th most in school history). Among the 404 rushing yards, PSU had five(!) runs of 50 yards or longer (Chachere, 51td and 50td;  Malary, 56td; Van Buren, 70; Craig, 53)... six different players have rushing touchdowns this year.
• Q RATING: RS FR RB Quincy Craig is quickly becoming the key offensive component for the Vikings. He has 608 all-purpose yards (121.6) this season to rank second in the Big Sky Conference... Craig leads the team in rushing with 56 carries for 307 yards and three touchdowns... he has 15 receptions for a team-high 172 yards and a touchdown... and he has 129 combined return yards... Craig is second in the Big Sky in punt returns (14.4).
• NATE THE GREAT: JR WR Nate Bennett has 105 career receptions in 27 career starts. He is approaching PSU's all-time top 20 for receptions.
• AND IN OTHER WIDE RECEIVER NEWS...: SR WR Jermaine Braddock leads the receiving group with 17 receptions for 147 yards and two touchdowns this season... Braddock passed 1,000 career receiving yards in the game at Montana State (9/30). He now has 1,016 total yards (869 at San Jose State, 147 at Portland State)... six different receivers have TD catches.
• I AM IRON MAN: SR OL Shiloh Ta'ase played in his 42nd career game at Montana State, while starting his 35th game. He leads the current Viking roster in both categories.
• NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: JR OL Billy Lutui has started at right guard the last three games for the Vikings. That came after starting the first two games at defensive tackle. Lutui, a transfer from Sacramento State, was deemed more valuable on the offensive side of the ball, and it took only three practices to get him into the starting lineup on offense... when the Vikings were short-handed on the line at Montana State, they went with true FR OL Isaac Perez as a starter at left guard. 

 

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• DEFENDING THE SHIP: The Viking defense has allowed 359.2 yards and 34.2 points per game this season... although the Vikings allowed 38 points to third-ranked Montana State, it was six points below the Bobcats' season average... PSU has forced six turnovers in five games... against Cal Poly (9/23), PSU allowed only 263 yards of offense - the fewest by a Big Sky opponent in the last 11 games. The Vikings also had 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, forced two turnovers and five three-and-outs... in the 91-0 win over North American, the Vikings pitched their first shutout since a 24-0 win over Idaho on Oct. 12, 2019. PSU had 15 tackles for loss and two interceptions. The Viking D held North American to -23 yards of total offense. That is a new PSU record. The previous mark was 24 total yards by Western Washington in 1981.
• BACK WHERE HE BELONGS: SO LB Parker McKenna is Portland State's career tackles leader among active players with 144. He led the team in tackles in 2021, then a knee injury limited him to four games and a redshirt season last year. This season he has 22 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, an interception and a pass breakup.
• MAN IN THE MIDDLE (LINEBACKER): JR LB Jaymason Willingham led a strong defensive effort for the Vikings against Cal Poly (9/23). He had 10 tackles in the game, including one for loss, and intercepted a first-quarter pass… Willingham has 23 tackles to rank second on the team, a team-high 5.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a pick this season.
• HIT MAN: FR LB Michael Montgomery got significant playing time in the second half against Oregon and he made the most of it. The true freshman from Seattle had 14 tackles - the most by a Viking since Romeo Gunt had 15 in the 2019 season-opener at Arkansas... Montgomery's 14 tackles were the most by any player in the Big Sky Conference on the opening weekend of games... though not a starter, Montgomery leads the Vikings with 27 tackles this season.
• LITTLE BIG MAN: At 5-6, 160 pounds, JR NICK Travis West is the smallest player on the Viking roster. But West is playing big, having started four games, and making 21 tackles this season.

 

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• FOOTNOTES: SR P George Triplett is averaging 44.8 yards per punt, a four-yard improvement over his average last season (40.6).... seven of his 20 punts have traveled over 50 yards.
• NO RETURN FOR YOU: Of JR K Gianni Smith's 28 kickoffs this season, 22 have been touchbacks... Smith is 22-22 on extra points and 2-3 on field goals with a pair of 45-yarders and his only miss from 57... Smith is 88-89 on extra points and 12-17 on field goals in his career.
• GRUBB HUB: JR RB Christian Grubb returned the opening kickoff against Cal Poly (9/23) 99 yards for a touchdown. It was the first KOR for a TD by a Viking in six seasons… against North American (9/16), Grubb had a 60-yard punt return. That was the first PR for a TD by a Viking in 18 seasons... Grubb ranks third in the Big Sky in kick return average at 27.6.
• RIGHT BACK 'ATCHA: PSU is averaging 19.3 yards on seven punt returns and 28.7 yards on 10 kickoff returns. The Vikings lead the Big Sky Conference in punt returns... they rank fifth in the nation in punt returns, fourth in kick returns and eighth in net punting (41.0).
• I AM IRON MAN, PART TWO: JR LS Ryan Alvidrez made his 28th consecutive start and has not missed a snap in his career.

 
YOUTH SHALL SERVE

• PSU has played 47 freshmen, including 24 redshirt freshmen and 23 true freshmen, this season. Twenty-four of those freshmen appeared in their first game against North American.
• The Vikings have had 94 different players participate in at least one game.
• The Vikings well-documented true freshman class has had an impact, particularly on defense where 15 true freshmen have played in at least one game, with two getting starts (OL Isaac Perez at Montana State, S Zach Wusstig at Wyoming). The true freshman group was rated the best National Letter of Intent class in the Big Sky Conference and third-best at the FCS level after the Feb. 1 signing date by 247Sports.com (18 freshmen, three JCs).
• PARTICIPATION AWARD: Portland State played 91 different players against North American, including numerous true freshmen. Although such records are not kept, it is likely the most Vikings ever to appear in a single game… nine different players scored touchdowns, 10 different players rushed the ball and 34 different players had tackles during the game.

 

VIKINGS ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS

• RUSHING: Dante Chachere, 178-1,026-14; Jobi Malary 114-691-9; Quincy Craig, 94-528-5
• PASSING: Dante Chachere, 204-346-11-2,467-25
• RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS: Dante Chachere, 14; Jobi Malary, 9; Quincy Craig, 5
• RECEPTIONS: Nate Bennett, 105; Darien Chase, 60
• RECEIVING YARDS: Nate Bennett, 1,192; Darien Chase, 637
• RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS: Nate Bennett, 4; Darien Chase, 4; Maclaine Griffin, 4
• ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Nate Bennett, 1,251; Dante Chachere, 1,026; Quincy Craig, 863; Jobi Malary, 750; Darien Chase, 661
• TACKLES: Parker McKenna, 144; Tyreese Shakir, 84; Jaymason Willingham, 76
• SACKS: Tyreese Shakir, 3; Kennedy Freeman, 3; Parker McKenna 2
• TACKLES FOR LOSS: Jaymason Willingham, 10.5; Parker McKenna, 8.5; Tyreese Shakir, 6.5; Kennedy Freeman, 5.5; Dino Kahaulelio, 5
• INTERCEPTIONS: Tyreese Shakir, 4; Michael Jackson, 2
• PASS BREAKUPS: Tyreese Shakir, 7; Isaiah Avery, 7; Michael Jackson, 5
• FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Tyreese Shakir, 3