PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-7, 2-4)
at #10 MONTANA GRIZZLIES (7-3, 4-2)

Saturday, Nov. 16, 1 p.m. MT/Noon PT, Washington-Grizzly Stadium (25,217), Missoula, MT
Television: ESPN+ • Play-by-play: Jay Kohn • Analyst: Marty Mornhinweg • Sidelines: Kyle Hansen
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com
 

HEAD COACHES

Portland State: Bruce Barnum (Eastern Washington, 1987) • PSU Record: 37-63/10th year • Big Sky Record: 27-42 • vs. Montana: 2-5
Montana: Bobby Hauck (Montana, 1988) • UM Record: 135-39/12th year • Big Sky Record: 78-21 • vs. Portland State: 9-2
 

VIKINGS MEET GRIZ IN FINAL ROAD GAME OF THE SEASON

Portland State continues its march through the nation's most-challenging schedule this Saturday when the Vikings meet the Montana Grizzlies in Missoula. It will be the seventh and final road game of the season, the sixth against a nationally-ranked team, and the fourth straight against a 2023 FCS Playoff team. Sounds challenging, doesn't it? The Vikings and the Griz will kick off at 1 p.m. MT/Noon PT in a game on ESPN+.
           
PSU (2-7, 2-4) doesn't have the record to show for it, but has played solid football the past five weeks. Road wins over Idaho State and Sacramento State are in there, as well as taking top-10 teams UC Davis and Idaho to the end before losing close games. However, the Vikings still look for a signature win to a very difficult season. Montana would provide that, but it will be a very tall mountain to climb. PSU is 1-10 all-time in Big Sky games in Missoula and have lost their last four meetings overall to the Griz.
           
10th-ranked Montana (7-3, 4-2) comes off a rare home loss to fourth-ranked UC Davis, 30-14. The Griz are 4-2 at home this season.
           
Portland State will wrap up its 2024 season at home on Nov. 23 against Northern Colorado. The Bears will be the first home opponent for the Vikings that are NOT ranked in the top 10 in the nation.
 

STORYLINES

• SOS: Portland State has the most difficult strength of schedule of any FCS team in the nation according to the Massey Ratings. Montana will be the fifth nationally-ranked team among seven Big Sky Conference opponents this season, and fourth straight opponent that was a playoff team in 2023.
• FATHERS AND SONS - THE OLD SWITCHEROO: Portland State Head Coach Bruce Barnum's son, Cooper, is a linebacker for the Grizzlies. Montana Head Coach Bobby Hauck's son, Robby, is the Special Teams Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach for the Vikings.
• JUST ONE, BUT IT WAS A GOOD ONE: Portland State has won only one game in Missoula in Big Sky Conference play in 11 tries. That came in 2018 when the Vikings knocked off 14th-ranked Montana, 22-20, on a 52-yard field goal by Cody Williams in the closing seconds.
• FAMILIAR FOES: Portland State and Montana will be meeting for the 48th time in history. That matches the PSU/Idaho State series of 48 games. Those two schools are Portland State's most played opponents in its 78 seasons of football.

 

NUMBERS GAME

• ON THE MARK: Other than having two kicks blocked at #12 FBS Boise State (9/21), JR K Mathias Uribe is a perfect 9-9 on field goals this season. Uribe was 3-3 against Idaho, including a season-long 48-yarder that pulled the Vikings with 31-30 in the fourth quarter.
• MILESTONE WATCH: SR QB Dante Chachere passed three career milestones against Idaho: 5,000 passing yards (5,173), 2,000 rushing yards (2,015 in his career) and 7,000 total yards of offense (7,188 - fifth all-time at PSU)... with 2,015 rushing yards, Chachere has passed Connor Kavanaugh (1,956) for most rushing yards ever by a Viking QB and is the 12th Viking in history to rush for 2,000 yards in a career.
• 1K: SO RB Quincy Craig passed 1,000 career rushing yards in his 19th career game (1,006) vs. Idaho.

 

TEAM LEADERS

• PORTLAND STATE: SR QB Dante Chachere is 124-210 passing for 1,632 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions this season. He also leads the team in rushing with 637 yards (761 positive yards) and 12 scores.... FR RB Delon Thompson is second in rushing with 111 carries for 534 yards and five TDs. SO RB Quincy Craig has 84 carries for 375 yards and two TDs. Craig has a team-high 703 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns this season... JR WR Branden Alvarez leads the team with 34 receptions, 453 yards and five TDs... FR WR Eric Denham has 24 catches for 431 yards and three touchdowns... SO LB Peyton Wing leads the Vikings with 79 tackles and seven tackles for loss this season. SO LB Michael Montgomery has 72 tackles, three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and four pass breakups... JR K Mathias Uribe is 9-10 on field goals this season... PSU's balanced attack is averaging 184.9 yards rushing, 194.4 yards receiving and 379.3 yards per game... the Vikings are allowing 239.9 rushing yards, 310.3 passing yards and 550.2 total yards per game... PSU has a -2 turnover ratio.
• MONTANA: Montana averages 36.9 points and 439.0 yards of offense per game. The Griz have a balanced attack as well with 208.9 yards rushing and 230.1 yards passing per game... Montana allows 24.9 points and 351.7 yards per game... a pair of quarterbacks have seen significant action for the Griz. Logan Fife is 129-193 for 1,479 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. Keali'i Ah Yat is 85-143 for 822 yards, five touchdowns and three picks... Keelan White is the top receiver with 45 catches for 494 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Bergen has 37 receptions for 472 yards and three scores. Bergen is also a talented return man with a 16.8 average on punts (and one TD) and a 21.4 average on kicks... the running game is also a dual effort with Eli Gillman (113-787-12) and Nick Ostmo (111-684-3) leading the way... linebacker Ryan Tirrell is the top defender with 75 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and four pass breakups... defensive end Hayden Harris has team-leading 14 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and has forced three fumbles.

 

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• THE NUMBERS: Portland State is averaging 379.3 yards of offense per game, 184.9 on the ground and 194.4 through the air... the Vikings average 28.9 points per game and have eight turnovers... PSU had its best offensive output of the season against Sacramento State with 544 yards, including 299 rushing, and 58 points... PSU's top passing game was a 306-yard effort at Chattanooga, and top rushing game was 300 yards at Idaho State.
• DANTE'S DATA: SR QB Dante Chachere has passed for 1,632 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 637 yards and 12 touchdowns... Chachere completed 19-30 passes for a career-high 306 yards at Chattanooga (9/29) with one touchdown and two interceptions... he rushed for a career-high 202 yards and three touchdowns in the win at Idaho State (10/12)... Chachere pulled off a PSU first when he passed for 200 yards (216 with three TDs) and rushed for 200 yards (202 with three TDs) in the same game. In the game, Chachere had runs of 62, 48 and 53 yards, and a pass completion of 50 yards. Chachere was named National and Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week... he was nine yards shy of the PSU QB rushing record of 211 yards by Connor Kavanaugh... Chachere then came close to matching that at Sacramento State (11/2) with 245 yards and one touchdown passing, 165 yards and a career-high four touchdowns rushing for a total of 410 yards and 5 TDs. Once again he was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week... with three TD passes against ISU, Chachere has seven games of three or more in his career... Chachere has 78 career touchdowns (47 passing, 31 rushing) which is third all-time at Portland State behind Neil Lomax, 1977-80 (13 rushing, 106 passing, 119 total); and Davis Alexander, 2017-21 (25 rushing, 63 passing, 88 total)... Chachere passed three career milestones against Idaho (11/9): 5,000 passing yards (5,173), 2,000 rushing yards (2,015 in his career) and 7,000 total yards of offense (7,188 - eighth all-time at PSU)... with 2,015 rushing yards, Chachere has passed Connor Kavanaugh (1,956) for most rushing yards ever by a Viking QB and is the 12th Viking in history to rush for 2,000 yards in a career.
• Q RATING: SO RB Quincy Craig has battled back from a knee injury suffered in game six of 2023 to once again become the Vikings' key offense weapon. Craig has a team-high 703 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns this season. He is third on the team in rushing (84-375-2) and second in receptions and receiving touchdowns (31-253-5). Craig has 73 kickoff return yards and a 28-yard pass completion for good measure... with a 10-carry, 103-yard rushing game at Chattanooga (9/28), Craig now has four 100-yard games in his career... Craig passed 1,000 career rushing yards in his 19th career game (Idaho, 11/9).
• YOUTH SHALL SERVE: In addition to Craig's production, Portland State's other youthful skill players are shining as well... RS FR Delon Thompson has 534 rushing yards and five touchdowns to rank second on the team. He led the Vikings with 15 carries for 96 yards at Washington State (8/31) and 12 carries for 68 yards against UC Davis (10/5), adding 84 yards and two scores at Sacramento State (11/2). Thompson also led in rushing with 15 for 71 yards and a score against Idaho (11/9)... RS FR Eric Denham has 24 receptions for 431 yards and three touchdowns. He had career-highs of five receptions, 127 yards and two touchdowns in the win at Idaho State (10/12)... SO WR Jaylen Lynch has 14 receptions and 220 yards... even JR WR Branden Alvarez - while an upperclassman - has team leading numbers of 34 catches, 453 yards and five touchdowns. He went for a career-high 105 yards on five catches at Sacramento State (11/2).. SO TE Tanner Beaman has 17 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown.
• MORE YOUTH, UP FRONT: Last season, SO OL Isaac Perez earned a spot in the starting lineup as a true freshman. This year, true FR OLs Pule Leatigaga and Shaun Torgeson broke through up front earning starts at guard.

 

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• THE NUMBERS: Portland State is allowing 239.9 rushing yards, 310.3 passing yards and 44.4 points per game... the Vikings have 35 tackles for loss, six sacks, and six forced turnovers... against UC Davis (10/5), the Viking defense made seven tackles for loss, two sacks, three pass breakups and forced two turnovers while allowing the fewest points (27) of the season... in the decisive second half against Idaho State (10/12), PSU's defense stopped the Bengals on six of seven series, including three three-and-outs, and two fourth-down stops.
• WING STOP: SO LB Peyton Wing leads the Vikings with 79 tackles and seven tackles for loss this season. He also has a sack... Wing had a career-high 13 stops at Weber State (9/7) and led the team in tackles with nine at Boise State (9/21) and 10 at Chattanooga (9/28). He came back to match his career high with 13 tackles and a sack against Idaho (11/9)... Wing is tied for second in the Big Sky in tackles per game (8.8).
• SWEET 16: SO LB Michael Montgomery had a career-high 16 tackles at Weber State (9/7), which was the most by a Viking in six seasons. Montgomery, named a Freshman All-American by two media outlets last year, is second on the Vikings in tackles with 72. He also has three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and four pass breakups... he had 10 tackles against UC Davis (10/5) to tie for the team lead... Montgomery is tied for six in the Big Sky in tackles per game (8.0).
• CAREER LEADER: SR CB Tyreese Shakir picked up his sixth career interception in the win at Sacramento State (11/2). He is the Vikings leader in several categories among active players... he has 169 career tackles, 13 pass breakups, six interceptions and three fumble recoveries - all of which ranks first among active players. His 11.5 tackles for loss ranks second and three sacks ranks third... Shakir had a team-high 10 tackles and three tackles for loss against UC Davis (10/5).
• YOUTH SHALL SERVE, PART 2: Among Portland State's top nine tacklers, seven are freshmen and sophomores.

 

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• FOOTWORK: JR K Mathias Uribe is 9-10 on field goal attempts this season (43, 42, 35, 40, 23, 30, 44, 27, 48)... 22 of his 49 kickoffs have been touchbacks... SO K Fedya Henrichs-Tarasenkov handled all three second-half kickoffs at Idaho State (10/12) and all three were touchbacks.
• DON'T EVEN TRY: JR P Tony Johnson is averaging 40.5 yards per punt. He bombed a season-best 69-yarder at Weber State (9/7). Most important, Johnson's punts are not being returned with any effectiveness. In 21 returns this season, opponents have netted only 72 yards. Boise State (9/21) had four attempts for -4 yards.
• IT'S A SNAP: FR TE Kristian Ingman has started eight games at long snapper, while FR LS Brock Fleming started in game three. Ingman has five tackles and a fumble recovery on punt coverage.
• GRUBB HUB: SR RB Christian Grubb had a season-best 71-yard kickoff return at Sacramento State (11/2). He is averaging 21.9 yards on 21 returns this season.
• YOUTH SHALL SERVE, PART 3: FR RB Jordan Herron surprised everyone when he picked up a UC Davis (10/5) punt on the bounce and raced 40 yards up field before being tackled in his first career play as a Viking. Not a bad start as the true freshman was given the punt returner role against the Aggies.

 

MEANINGLESS TRIVIA

• SR OL Billy Lutui began his Portland State career in 2023 as a defensive tackle. After starting the first two games there he was moved to the offensive line. Lutui started immediately and has ever since.
• For the fourth straight meeting with the Vikings, Weber State was nationally ranked (9/7). WSU has won three of those four games.
• The Sept. 14 game with South Dakota was canceled due to a whooping cough outbreak on the Vikings team. The game has not been rescheduled.
• As a result of the Sept. 14 cancellation, PSU played four straight road games for the first time since 1989... PSU's Oct. 5 home opener is the last home opening start since 1971.
• Prior to playing Chattanooga, Portland State had never played a member of the Southern Conference. And it is only the second time in history that PSU has played a game in the Eastern Time Zone (Delaware, 2000).
• Portland State traveled 7,994 miles before making the 14-mile jaunt to Hillsboro Stadium for its home opener.
• Portland State has now played Idaho State 48 times in its history – the most of any opponent all-time… PSU leads the Big Sky Conference series with the Bengals, 14-13... PSU has faced Montana 47 times prior to a Nov. 16 matchup in Missoula.
• SR CB Travis West started his career as a cornerback at Portland State. This year, as a senior, he was moved to wide receiver. In six games he caught three passes and ran with the ball once for a total of 57 yards. Against Montana State, West moved back to cornerback and started the game, making two tackles... SR RB Jalynnee McGee also moved to the defensive side of the ball, seeing action at safety against Sacramento State.
• The Vikings have a winning record at Sacramento State, going 11-9 all-time and 7-6 in Big Sky Conference games... PSU is 24-14 all-time against Sacramento State, 14-9 in Big Sky Conference games.
• Head Coach Bruce Barnum coached his 100th career game against Idaho (2015-24), which ranks behind only Tim Walsh (158) among all PSU Head Coaches. Barnum has been on the Vikings coaching staff for 157 games total (2010-24).