If the Monday morning Portland State football scrimmage is any indication, Viking fans will want to attend this Saturday's Spring Game at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
The Vikings ran 70 live plays this morning and they were loaded with highlights. The defense, which was put under pressure with numerous short field situations, forced four turnovers. Meanwhile, the offense got going through the middle of the scrimmage and was highlighted by a handful of big runs.
 
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Eric Denham was featured in the offense. He caught four passes for 45 yards and rushed three times for 54 yards. His big play was a 37-yard sprint up the middle for a touchdown. Denham also caught a 13-yard scoring pass from junior quarterback Keegan Stancato.
 
"Eric will be a big addition in our offense, in the slot, in the backfield," said Viking Coach Bruce Barnum. "He will be fun to watch this season. He has stepped up in his role with the team."
 
Sophomore linebacker Michael Montgomery had six tackles, including one for a loss, and intercepted a pass at the goal line after it was tipped by junior defensive end Slade Shufelt.
 
Also making big plays on defense were junior Ronan Gay, with an interception, and fumble recoveries by sophomore Michael Hurst and junior Tre Taylor. Fumbles were forced by senior cornerback Tyrese Shakir and sophomore linebacker Jaxton Helmstetler.
 
Running back Delon Thompson, a redshirt freshman, had 10 carries for 59 yards. He had a big run of 26 yards to open one series. Later, JC transfer quarterback Rieger Sayre finished the series with a 24-yard run for a score. It was one of two rushing TDs for Sayre.
 
Senior slot receiver Semaj Bolin added four runs for 41 yards, including 27 on one play.
 
Four different quarterbacks divided time on the field during the scrimmage. Junior transfer William Haskell completed a 14-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Tanner Beaman on a sprint out. Haskell also showed the ability to scramble with a pair of runs for 19 yards.
 
"There were a lot of highlights on both sides, that's for sure," said Barnum. "Starting from the beginning, we were able to force turnovers and I liked that. I saw some speed there on defense and players are starting to separate themselves from the group. The athleticism of the defense allowed them to make those plays. It is something to build on and give them confidence as we move forward.
 
"I needed to see how they would react to being under pressure. The better our defense is, the more games we are going to win in our conference."
 
The Vikings will have a brief practice on Friday, then host the Viking Spring Game, presented by the US Army, at Hillsboro Stadium on Saturday at 11 a.m.