Hillsboro, OR – It's always good to go out on a winning a note… to play to your strengths… to reward your seniors… and the Vikings did all of that in a convincing 45-13 season-ending win over Northern Colorado at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
PSU did what it does best - run the football – to the tune of a season-high 358 yards and totaled 508 yards of offense. The defense allowed the fewest points of the year.
 
"That's what we are built for, to run the football," said Vikings Coach Bruce Barnum, as eight different players carried the football, including sophomore Quincy Craig, who had a career-high 137 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Along the way, a lot of seniors got the chance to shine while playing in their final game. Running back Christian Grubb and tight end Elias Spence scored touchdowns. Running back Jalynnee McGee rushed six times for 40 yards. Nickelback Tyreese Shakir forced a fumble that led to an eventual touchdown. And of course, quarterback Dante Chachere had 230 yards of total offense on just 21 plays.
 
The list goes on… but it all added up to a win as the Vikings ended their season at 3-8 overall, 3-5 in the Big Sky Conference. It was also nice that the Vikings didn't have to play a top-10 program – something they seemed to face almost weekly this season.
 
"That was a nice change up," said Barnum. "It's a great way to lead into the off-season and get the Vikings ranked (next year). That's the goal. The schedule we played showed this team where they have to be next year to get to the playoffs.
 
"I have a good football team. They are young. We only lose 14 seniors, so we have a lot to bring back and we need to keep them here."
 
In the first quarter, Portland State took advantage of a poor first punt from Northern Colorado and took over at the Bears' 32-yard line. The Vikings moved the ball only 17 yards but that was enough for a 33-yard field goal from Mathias Uribe. It was the lone score of the period as PSU led 3-0 and was driving heading into the second quarter.
 
That drive was completed on a one-yard run by Craig, putting the Vikings ahead 10-0.
 
At that point, the Bears running game began churning. They mounted a 75-yard drive. Seventy-seven rushing yards came on the ground as UNC had an unsportsmanlike penalty. David Afari scored on an eight-yard run narrowing the margin to 10-7 with 4:23 left in the half.
 
The Vikings wanted points before halftime and drove all the way to the UNC one, but fumbled the ball away. It nullified a brilliant running performance by Craig, who had five carries for 65 yards in the series. He was at a career-high 115 yards rushing by halftime.
 
The good news was the Bears fumbled the ball back to the Vikings four plays later at their own 32. PSU took over with 48 seconds left in the half. Chachere broke away on a 29-yard run. He was followed by a three-yard scoring run from Delon Thompson. PSU led 17-7 at halftime.
 
The second half started well behind a pair of senior running backs. McGee rushed twice for 23 yards, then a moment later Grubb rushed for an 18-yard touchdown. Suddenly, the Vikings had a three-score lead at 24-7.
 
Craig added a second rushing touchdown later in the third quarter. Then, Barnum gave one of his seniors a chance for final-game glory. Spence came out of the backfield for a four-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter. At that point, the Vikings were up 38-7 and cruised to victory with running back Jacques Badolato-Birdsell adding a late score.
 
PSU out-gained the Bears 508 to 401. The Vikings faced only five third-down plays the entire game, converting three. Craig finished with 150 total yards. Chachere had 80 yards rushing and 150 passing.
 
On defense, Davin Beason made a career-high 12 tackles, including one for loss, to lead the Vikings. Michael Hurst had two pass breakups and a fumble recovery.
 

GAME NOTES

• Quincy Craig had the sixth 100-yard rushing game of his career. His previous career high was 107 yards, accomplished twice.
• The Vikings have beaten Northern Colorado five straight times – the longest win streak over any Big Sky school.
• Kicker Mathias Uribe ended the season 11-12 on field goals made.
• UNC finishes the season 1-11, 1-7 in the Big Sky games.