Hillsboro, OR – Portland State went toe-to-toe with Idaho, the nation's 9^th-ranked team, for 55 minutes. But the Vandals were able to put the clinching touchdown on the board late to pull out a 39-30 Big Sky Conference win at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
The game was tied or a one-score margin the entire game until Art Williams was able to rush in a score from three yards with 1:56 remaining on the clock. A two-point conversion iced the game for the Vandals.
 
Ultimately, the game was won up front by Idaho. The Vandals rushed for 257 yards and totaled 462 yards on the day. The Vikings, normally a strong rushing team, were held to 134 on 44 carries, partially due to five quarterback sacks. PSU had just 314 yards of total offense.
 
"They took some things away from us up front," said Vikings Coach Bruce Barnum. "They ran the ball better than us and in a tight game that was the difference. Up front, they made more plays than we did.
 
"I saw some good things. It's a little frustrating, because I have freshmen and sophomores making a lot of plays. I've got a team coming back (next year). So, it shows me when we compete with a team this good, this close, we don't have far to go."
 
Idaho improved to 7-3, 4-2 in the Big Sky Conference. The loss dropped the Vikings to 2-7, 2-4 in the Big Sky.
 
Portland State's defense got a first-series' stop highlighted by a sack from Peyton Wing. However, on the ensuing punt, the ball was muffed and recovered by the Vandals at PSU's 24-yard line. From there, the Vandals were able to score within four plays. Williams rushed in from seven yards out for 7-0 Idaho lead.
 
The teams traded touchdowns in a rapidly played first half. PSU had drives of 70 and 79 yards. Delon Thompson scored on a one-yard run on the first series, then Dante Chachere tossed a 20-yard scoring pass to Quincy Craig. In between was another Idaho scoring pass. That had the game tied at 14-14 midway through the second quarter.
 
With 6:52 left in the half, Idaho rolled the dice on a 4^th-and-three play from its own 47. PSU was ready as Michael Montgomery and Spencer Elliott sacked quarterback Jack Wagner.
 
PSU took over at the Idaho 44. Two runs by Delon Thompson gained 18 yards, then Chachere threw a play-action slant to Branden Alvarez for a 22-yard touchdown. The Vikings had their first lead at 21-14 with 5:40 to go in the half.
 
Idaho came back to score twice before intermission, each on a running play by Deshaun Buchanan of 22 and 13 yards. The Vandals had a halftime lead of 28-21.
 
PSU took its own gamble on the first possession of the third quarter. On 4^th-and-two at the Viking 47, Chachere scrambled for two yards to keep the drive alive. The Vikings were able to convert a 44-yard field goal by Mathias Uribe to close the gap to 28-24.
 
Idaho added a field goal, then Uribe made another with 14:11 to play and it was 31-27 Vandals.
 
Idaho drove to the PSU 26 on the next series. On 4^th-and-1 the Vandals tried a trick play with a tight end sneaking under center. However, they were flagged for a false start and had to attempt a 43-yard field goal. Cameron Pope's try went wide right though, and the Vikings took over with 8:29 to play.
 
PSU couldn't make anything happen on the next series and had to punt it away. That's when the Vikings got their own break. The punt hit Idaho's Jakhari Larmond as he was running back to block. The Viking snapper, Kristian Ingman recovered the ball and PSU was back in business. However, once again, they failed to get a first down. Uribe booted his third field goal of the game, from 48 yards, and narrowed the Idaho lead to 31-30.
 
The Vandals took over with 5:11 remaining in the game. Methodically, they moved downfield in eight plays, getting the final score from Williams.
 
Buchanan led the Idaho running game with 22 carries for 212 yards and two scores.
 
For Portland State, Thompson rushed 15 times for 71 yards and one score. Chachere completed 15-21 passes for 180 and two scores, but gained only 25 yards on the ground due to five Idaho sacks.
 
Wing led the defense with 13 tackles and a sack. Ezriel Vasquez made nine stops.
 

GAME NOTES

• Idaho was the third straight top-10 opponent the Vikings have faced at home.
• SR QB Dante Chachere passed three milestones: 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 12^th Viking in history to rush for 2,000 yards in a career.
• The game marked the 100^th in Bruce Barnum's head coaching career. It was his 157^th game at PSU overall.
• Portland State travels to face seventh-ranked Montana next Saturday in Missoula. The game kicks off at noon PT and can be seen on ESPN+.