Portland State wrapped up the grinder of preseason camp with a 69-play scrimmage on Saturday, and now the Vikings look ahead to a season-opener in two weeks at Oregon.
 
The running game looked good early in the scrimmage as it led to a pair of scoring drives on the first two series. The Viking offense twice drove 75 yards downfield behind different quarterbacks.
 
Incumbent signal-caller Dante Chachere had an effective opening drive, leading the team to a score in eight plays. He completed three of four passes for 57 yards and rushed twice for 15 yards. His 30-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Craig completed the drive.
 
Chachere's two series were impressive. In the second, he only needed four plays to get a score and did so with a weapon other than his arm – his feet. After completing back-to-back passes, Chachere took a run-pass-option play and scampered 52 yards untouched for a score.
 
That was the end of the day for Chachere as he went 5-6 passing for 78 yards and a score, and rushed three times for 67 yards and a score. In 12 snaps, Chachere amassed 145 yards total offense.
 
"Dante's added weight has not slowed him down and his grasp of the offense has him reacting more and better than he did last year." said Head Coach Bruce Barnum. "We have seen him mature through last season and into camp this season."
 
Behind Chachere, the battle for number two quarterback goes on. True freshman Gabe Downing has been a bit of a surprise in his poise and maturity and took the second series of the scrimmage. He led the team on a 13-play drive - including 10 running plays - to a score. Downing completed a five-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Elias Spencer. Downing was 2-3 passing for 18 yards, and rushed four times for 16 yards in the series. The star of that sequence though, was running back Christian Grubb. The junior transfer from UCLA had four carries for 40 yards, including a 25-yard burst.
 
Barnum liked what he saw from Grubb and the running backs in general. "That (position) came together better than I thought by adding Grubb. We made sure that position had the depth we needed, and to see him run like this will be fun. He runs bigger than his stature."
 
After some initial success by the offense, the defense stepped up with some big plays. The situational scrimmage had the Vikings running series full-field, short field, coming out from their own one-yard line, first-and-goal, and overtime.
 
In one coming-out-from-the-one series, the offense had a miscommunication in the backfield. That allowed sophomore defensive end Slade Shufelt to chase down quarterback Logan Gonzalez for a safety. Later, sacks by defensive linemen Dino Kahaulelio and Elijah Eason helped thwart of pair of offensive series.
 
The biggest play of the day for the defense was a pass breakup by sophomore cornerback Ezriel Vasquez. He popped the ball into the air and freshman linebacker Michael Montgomery made a diving interception.
 
That pick by a true freshman emphasized what Barnum and his staff recruited to in the off-season: speed.
 
"What I see from the young guys is they are improving quicker than anybody. There are so many pieces to it. First you put it on the board, then you walk it, then you put it into practice. So there are a lot of things there. The one thing that has changed from them probably more than anything is the speed. Everyone is as fast or faster than they are. Maybe they were two feet away from a play last week, then this week they reacted a little better and made that play. They are definitely better than the last scrimmage. That's what I am happy about," said Barnum.
 
"What stands out for us? I think we will be the fastest team in the conference. We have the ability to make up for some mistakes, especially when we get closer to the endzone. You can't coach speed. We can coach all the other stuff, but you can't make them faster."
 
Next week, the Vikings will begin their process of getting ready for game one. That includes firming up the depth chart and creating a scout team to work against.
 
"I like how both sides of the ball are playing and their attitude out there," said Barnum. "Now we will break up and some guys will have a new role. Some guys will be on scout team and they will be integral to getting us ready," said Barnum.
 
SCRIMMAGE NOTES: Downing ended up 9-12 passing for 86 yards and a couple of touchdowns, including a third in an overtime scenario… redshirt freshman defensive tackle Michael MacNeill chased down a bad snap and recovered the fumble midway through the scrimmage… on a scramble out of the pocket, freshman quarterback Jazel Riley threw a deep ball to freshman wide receiver Eric Denham. Denham out-jumped the defense for the ball, broke a tackle and scored on a 62-yard play. Riley also rushed for a touchdown on a first-and-goal series… first-string defensive tackles Dino Kahaulelio and Billy Lutui combined for 11 tackles up front… junior linebacker Jaymason Willingham had four tackles and a pass breakup.

OVERHEARD ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD LOUDSPEAKERS: Saturday Song of the Day: "That's Amore," by Dean Martin.
 
VIKING NEWS
Aug. 16: VIKING FOOTBALL LUNCHEONS
Aug. 14: HYDRATION WATCH: VIKINGS BEAT THE HEAT
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
 
Fall Camp Practice Schedule
Tues., Aug. 22, 10:15-12:15
Wed., Aug. 23, 10:15-12:15
Thurs., Aug. 24, 10:15-12:15
Fri., Aug. 25, 10:15-12:15
Sat., Aug. 26, 10:15-12:15
Sun., Aug. 27, Off Day
 
Mon., Aug. 28, 10:15-12:15
Tues., Aug. 29, 10:15-12:15
Wed., Aug. 30, 10:15-12:15
Thurs., Aug. 31, 10:15-12:15
Fri., Sept. 1, TBA
Sat., Sept. 2, Game at Oregon, Noon