In the best of times, football is a physically demanding game to play. But, when the heat is turned up, another element is added.
 
When Portland State hit the practice field at 10:15 a.m. on Monday the mercury had nearly hit 90 degrees already. By the time the Vikings walked off the field at noon it was in the mid-90s on the way to triple digits. This week's heat wave in the City of Roses has Head Coach Bruce Barnum and team Athletic Trainer Mikey Fanning monitoring the team's hydration levels.
 
And it becomes a math problem for 100 guys on the field.
 
"We make sure that every 10 to 20 minutes we are 7-10 getting ounces of water into these guys," said Fanning, now in his third season leading the football training staff. Gatorade is another resource at the ready outside the locker room, supplementing the sodium and sugar levels lost.
 
"Coach Barnum does a really good job of planning breaks throughout practice. We also have ice-cold submergent tubs out here on the sidelines if we ever need them, or someone has some sort of heat illness," said Fanning.
 
Barnum and Fanning met last week to create a plan for this week as they knew the forecast called for extreme heat. It also helps that the Vikings are off the field by midday.
 
"It starts early," said Barnum "(How much water) they drank yesterday and the day before is what matters today. We had a shorter practice – 90 minutes – and we will measure what tomorrow's practice will be (with another 100+ degree day forecast). We will make up the time at the end of the week when it cools down a little."
 
Fanning said the average player can lose 6-8 pounds during an average practice. But turn up the heat, and that can go up to 10-12 pounds for some.
 
"It has to do with weight," he said. "All players weigh in either before or after practice … if you lose "x" amount of weight during practice we want to replace all the weight lost with 1.5 liters to every kilogram lost. That's about 51 ounces of water for every one kilo (2.2 pounds) lost."
 
And you thought you were thirsty….
 
BARNUM'S VIDEO REVIEW: After looking at the film and doing some analysis from Saturday's 70-play scrimmage, Coach Barnum handed out some kudos to his Viking players.
 
"There are some surprises out here," he said. "(RS FR OL) Braylon Cornell is a guy who has made great strides. (RS FR S) Michael Hurst on defense has really shown up in handling our switch to different coverages."
 
"Up front I thought we had some guys with a chance to get to the quarterback – (SR DT) Dino (Kahaulelio), (FR DE) Elijah Eason – guys like that - I liked the pressure they brought."
 
"(SO LB) Parker McKenna and (RS FR LB) Peyton Wing are looking good. I wasn't sure what Wing was going to be, but he is doing a hell of a job so far."
 
"At running back, I had two littles (RS FR Quincy Craig and JR Christian Grubb) and two bigs (SR Andrew Van Buren and JR Jobi Malary). They were what I thought they could be. Jobi Malary, I think got faster in the off-season."
 
"Protection-wise, (SR OL) Shiloh (Ta'ase) and D'Lo (JR OL D'Angelo Titialii) are solid up front. (SR OL) Dallas Holliday on the edge has great feet and he is a student of the game. The freshman tight end, Kristian Ingman, looks good and is also showing up on special teams. That's a bonus for us."
 
OVERHEARD ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD LOUDSPEAKERS: Monday Song of the Day: "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," by U2 (live gospel version).
 
VIKING NEWS
Aug. 12: DEPTH IS ON BARNUM'S MIND AS VIKINGS COMPLETE SCRIMMAGE
Aug. 10: ENERGY IS THE EMPHASIS ON SPECIAL TEAMS
Aug. 8: FRESHMEN FACTORING IN ON DEFENSE DURING EARLY PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Aug. 5: STAYING HEALTHY, SHOULDER PADS AND LOOKING FOR SOME SPRINKLES
Aug. 3: DAY ONE MUSINGS
Aug. 2: SEASON PREVIEW
July 31: VIKING FOOTBALL TAILGATE AT OREGON
 
PRACTICE SCHEDULE 
Tues., Aug. 15, 10:15-12:30
Wed., Aug. 16, 10:15-12:30
Thurs., Aug. 17, 10:15-12:30
Fri., Aug. 18, 10:15-12:30
Sat., Aug. 19, 10:15-12:30, Scrimmage
Sun., Aug. 20, Off Day