PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (0-1) at WYOMING COWBOYS (1-0)

Saturday, Sept. 9, 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT, War Memorial Stadium (29,181), Laramie, WY
TELEVISION: None
LIVE STREAMING: Mountain West Network - themw.com/news/2023/08/08/portland-state-at-wyoming/
LIVE STATS: www.ViksLive.com
Complete notes and stats in pdf

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PORTLAND STATE REGROUPS FOR ANOTHER TOUGH FBS OPPONENT

The 2023 season got off to a rocky start for the Portland State Vikings as they lost at 15th-ranked Oregon last Saturday. The Vikings must now regroup and prepare for another talented FBS-level program in the Wyoming Cowboys.
     
Oregon beat the Vikings, 81-7, in a game in which PSU allowed the most points in school history. The Ducks may have had as good an offense as a Viking team has ever seen, and the result was not a pretty one. Head Coach Bruce Barnum subbed early and often as the game got out of hand, giving 22 freshmen, including seven true freshmen, significant playing time.
     
Now, Portland State will be challenged by a Wyoming team that is coming off a thrilling 35-33 double-overtime win against 24th-ranked Texas Tech. The Cowboys were behind 17-0 early, but rallied in the second and third quarters to tie the game and get it to overtime in front of the home crowd. The win was a big one for the Mountain West Conference program and gives it momentum going into the game with the Vikings.
     
PSU and Wyoming will be meeting on the football field for the first time in history. This will be the sixth time the Vikings have faced a Mountain West Conference foe in the past eight seasons. The Vikings are 0-5 in the previous five, but took San Jose State to the end last season in a 21-17 loss.
     
This will be the second straight road game against an FBS team as Portland State opens the season with four of six on the road overall. The Vikings have a home opener on Sept. 16 against North American, then their Big Sky Conference opener at home on Sept. 23 against Cal Poly.
     
Wyoming, coming off a 7-6 season last year, has five of its first six games at home. Mixed in is a road game at Texas next week.
     
This week's game will be available via live stream on the Mountain West Network (themw.com/news/2023/08/08/portland-state-at-wyoming/). Live stats are at www.ViksLive.com.
 

TEAM LEADERS

• PORTLAND STATE: JR QB Dante Chachere played just over two quarters at Oregon. He was 5-14 passing for 35 yards with a nine-yard touchdown pass to FR WR Chance Miller. Chachere also led the Vikings with 53 yards rushing on six carries... FR RB Quincy Craig rushed eight times for 42 yards as the Vikings managed 148 rushing yards overall (4.0 ypc)... SO WR Jaden Casey had three receptions for 17 yards to lead the Vikings... FR LB Michael Montgomery had a team-high 14 tackles with all of them coming in the second half. JR S Travis West added nine tackles... PSU totaled 200 yards against Oregon while allowing 729 yards.
• WYOMING: Quarterback Andrew Peasley led the Cowboys in passing (149 yards, 2 TDs) and rushing (68 yards, 1 TD) in the win over Texas Tech... wide receiver John Michael Gyllenborg had five receptions for 37 yards and one touchdown - an 11-yarder in the second overtime... Shae Suiaunoa had a team-high 12 tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup... the Cowboys had 320 yards of total offense, including 171 rushing yards, and allowed 431 yards, including 338 passing yards, to Texas Tech.

 

STORYLINES

• The Vikings are 4-45 all-time against FBS-level competition. Two of the wins have come over current members of the Mountain West Conference (Hawai'i in 2000, New Mexico in 2006). Other wins are Washington State and North Texas (both 2015).
• In recent years under Coach Bruce Barnum, the Vikings have faced MWC members San Jose State (2016, L, 66-35), Nevada (2018, L, 72-19), Boise State (2019, L, 45-10), Hawai'i (2021, L, 49-35) and San Jose State again (2022, L, 21-17).
• Last season, Wyoming defeated Big Sky Conference member Northern Colorado, 33-10. In 2021, Wyoming defeated Montana State of the Big Sky, 19-16.
• This is the ninth year in a row that PSU has played two FBS opponents.
• University of Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman was formerly the Portland State Director of Athletics (2000-05).

 

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• Portland State managed only 200 yards against the 15th-ranked Ducks, but had a good ground game with 148 yards on 37 carries (4.0)... JR QB Dante Chachere led the team with six carries for 53 yards... RS FR Quincy Craig had eight carries for 42 yards.
• DANTE'S DATA: There were no gaudy numbers for JR QB Dante Chachere, who was making his 12th consecutive start. He totaled just 88 yards of offense, but 46 of those came on the Vikings' 75-yard scoring drive in the first quarter. His nine-yard touchdown pass to SO WR Chance Miller was the 20th of his career... Chachere also went over 2,000 career passing yards (2,003) in the game.
• TAKE A CHANCE ON ME: SO WR Chance Miller played in two games in his freshman season, but he has been moving up the depth chart during preseason practice. His reward? A first career reception for a touchdown against the Ducks.
• NATE THE GREAT: JR WR Nate Bennett had two catches against Oregon and now has 99 career receptions in 23 career starts.
• I AM IRON MAN: SR OL Shiloh Ta'ase played in his 38th career game, while starting his 31st game. He leads the current Viking roster in both categories.
• SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK: PSU scored only seven points, but the offense did not allow a sack and did not commit a turnover (PSU's lone TO came on special teams).

 

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• The Viking defense, predictably, had a tough go against a dynamic Oregon offense and Heisman Trophy candidate Bo Nix. The 729 yards and 81 points allowed were the most in school history.
• PLAYING BIG: Portland State's smallest player (in stature), 5-6, 160-pound JR S Travis West, got the start at nickelback for the Vikings. He made nine tackles in the game.
• 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.

 

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• FOOTNOTES: SR P George Triplett had nine punts for a 42.3 yard average... JR K Gianni Smith made his lone extra point and is 67-68 in his career... JR LS Ryan Alvidrez made his 23 consecutive start and has not missed a snap in his career.

 

YOUTH SHALL SERVE

Portland State played 15 redshirt freshmen and seven true freshmen at Oregon in the season opener. That is 22 freshmen among the 61 players who competed. The Vikings well-documented true freshman class had an impact. That 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. Seven of the 18 freshmen in that class saw action. In that group, LB Michael Montgomery made a team-high 14 tackles – all in the second half. S Zach Wusstig was in on six tackles, including one for loss and had a pass breakup. DEs Elijah Eason and Spencer Elliott each had a tackle, while DE Jayden House, OL Isaac Perez and S Jaden DaCosta also played.
 

FIRST TIMERS

Players who competed in their first-ever game for the Vikings were: FR S Zach Wusstig, SR WR Jermaine Braddock, FR DB Jaden DaCosta, JR RB Christian Grubb, FR LB Michael Montgomery, SO DB Angus Vlasaty, FR LB Jaxton Helmstetler, FR DE Elijah Mareko, FR DE Jayden House, SR OL Dallas Holliday, FR LB Peyton Wing, FR DE Elijah Eason, JR DT Billy Lutui, JR OL Christian Delacruz, FR OL Isaac Perez, FR DE Spencer Elliott, JR DT Jordan Tagaloa, JR DT J'Querian Ladson.
 

VIKINGS ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS

• RUSHING: Dante Chachere, 139-802-9; Jobi Malary 89-503-4; Jalynnee McGee, 102-479-2
• PASSING: Dante Chachere, 154-264-8-2,003-20
• RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS: Dante Chachere, 9; Jobi Malary, 4; Jalynnee McGee, 2; Quincy Craig, 2
• RECEPTIONS: Nate Bennett, 99; Darien Chase, 56
• RECEIVING YARDS: Nate Bennett, 1,133; Darien Chase, 595
• RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS: Nate Bennett, 4; Darien Chase, 4; Maclaine Griffin, 3
• ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Nate Bennett, 1,192; Darien Chase, 619; Jalynnee McGee, 572; Jobi Malary, 562
• TACKLES: Parker McKenna, 129; Tyreese Shakir, 73
• SACKS: Tyreese Shakir, 3; Kennedy Freeman, 2; Parker McKenna 2
• TACKLES FOR LOSS: Parker McKenna, 6; Jaymason Willingham, 5; Tyreese Shakir, 4
• INTERCEPTIONS: Tyreese Shakir, 4; Michael Jackson, 2
• PASS BREAKUPS: Tyreese Shakir, 7; Isaiah Avery, 4
• FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Tyreese Shakir, 3

 

MILESTONES TO WATCH

• JR QB Dante Chachere needs 198 rushing yards for 1,000 in his career.
• JR WR Nate Bennett needs one reception for 100 in his career.
• JR S Tyreese Shakir needs 27 tackles for 100 in his career.
• SR WR Jermaine Braddock needs 29 receptions for 100 in his career and 123 yards for 1,000 in his career (70-869-6 at San Jose State)

 

VETERANS

• CAREER GAMES PLAYED: Shiloh Ta'ase, OL, 38; Isaiah Henry, LB, 34; Nate Bennett, WR, 24; Ryan Alvidrez, LS, 24; D'Angalo Titiali'i, OL, 23; Richard Estrella, OL, 23; Kennedy Freeman, DE, 23; Dante Chachere, QB, 22; Tyreese Shakir, S, 22
• CAREER STARTS: Shiloh Ta'ase, OL, 31; Ryan Alvidrez, LS, 24; Nate Bennett, WR, 23; Richard Estrella, OL, 21; Gianni Smith, K, 20; D'Angalo Titialii, OL, 19
• CONSECUTIVE STARTS: Ryan Alvidrez, LS, 24; Nate Bennett, WR, 23; Shiloh Ta'ase, OL, 21; Gianni Smith, L, 20; D'Angalo Titialii, OL, 19