Game 1

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS at WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS

Saturday, August 31, Noon, Gesa Field (32,952), Pullman, WA
Television: The CW • Play-by-play: Ted Robinson • Analyst: Ryan Leaf • Sidelines: Nigel Burton
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com
All-Time Series: Washington State leads 3-1
 
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS
Head Coach: Bruce Barnum (Eastern Washington, 1987)
PSU Record: 35-56/10th year • Big Sky Record: 25-38 • vs. Washington State: 1-2
Career Record: 35-56/10th year
 
WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS
Head Coach: Jake Dickert (Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 2007)
WSU Record: 15-16/4th year • vs. PSU: 0-0 • Career Record: 15-16/4th year
 

STORYLINES

• STUCK ON FIVE: Portland State was 5-6 last season, 4-4 in the Big Sky Conference... Washington State was 5-7 last season, 2-7 in the Pac-12 Conference. The Cougars beat Northern Colorado of the Big Sky, 64-21, in a non-conference game.
• A BIG DAY IN VIKINGS HISTORY: The Vikings pulled off a huge upset over Washington State in 2015 on their way to a FCS playoff season. Portland State won 24-17 in a first-ever win over a Pac-12 program.
• PLAYING UP: The Vikings are 4-46 all-time against FBS-level competition with wins over Hawai'i (2000), New Mexico (2006), Washington State (2015) and North Texas (2015)... this marks the 10th consecutive season that Portland State has played two FBS opponents. PSU has done so a total of 14 times, including three in 2006.
• OLD FRIENDS: Though she has been at Washington State since 2001 and recently was named Athletics Director, Anne McCoy spent five years in athletics administration at Portland State (1996-2001).
• OLD FRIENDS, PART TWO: Former Vikings linebacker Parker McKenna transferred to Washington State after the 2023 season. McKenna led the Vikings with 75 tackles and nine tackles for loss last season. He played in 27 career games for Portland State, making 26 starts with 197 career tackles, 15 tackles for loss and two sacks as a Viking... McKenna had 10 tackles for the Vikings in a game against Washington State in 2021.

 

NUMBERS GAME

• SIGNAL CALLER: SR QB Dante Chachere has started 22 straight games behind center over the past two seasons... he has 4,767 yards of total offense (3,529 passing/1,238 rushing) with 52 total touchdowns (35 passing/17 rushing).
• ALL-PURPOSE PLAYER: Prior to being injured in game six of last season, SO RB Quincy Craig was leading the Big Sky Conference in all-purpose yardage (124.0 per game) and had six touchdowns (3 rushing/3 receiving).

 

PORTLAND STATE OPENS 2024 AT WASHINGTON STATE

The most potent schedule in Portland State history opens with a trip to Washington State this Saturday. The Vikings take on the Cougars of the Pac-12 for the fifth time in school history, and the second time in just four seasons.
           
PSU comes off a 5-6 season in 2023 when it was 4-4 in the Big Sky Conference. The Cougars were 5-7 overall, 2-7 in the Pac-12 Conference.
           
The Vikings return 41 letterwinners and 14 starters from 2023. Head Coach Bruce Barnum, now in his 10th season, has his largest roster ever with 114 players coming to camp on the first of August. Twenty-three redshirts saw some game action last year so there are over 60 players with game experience.
           
The Vikings will be led by third-year starting quarterback Dante Chachere who had nearly 5,000 yards of total offense and 52 total touchdowns over the past two seasons. He will be bolstered by the running back talents of sophomore Quincy Craig and senior Christian Grubb, among others, and a veteran offensive line that returns three starters and eight letterwinners.
           
On defense, the Vikings have a young and athletic group that is maturing, including 10 sophomores with significant experience. Sophomore linebacker Michael Montgomery was a freshman All-American, senior cornerback Tyreese Shakir is the most experienced, while defensive end starters Slade Shufelt and Kennedy Freeman return and are joined by four Division I transfers.
           
PSU will attempt to strike gold in Pullman much like it did in 2015, the only other time it opened the season against Washington State. The Vikings upset the Cougars, 24-17, on the way to a 9-2 regular season, the FCS Playoffs, and a top-10 ranking. WSU went 9-4 that year, 6-3 in the Pac-12, and was Sun Bowl Champion.
           
The schedule in 2024 is formidable. The game with Washington State opens a stretch of four out of five on the road. PSU plays two FBS programs (also Boise State), eight nationally-ranked FCS teams (with six ranked in the top nine), including six playoff teams from 2023.
           

TEAM LEADERS

• PORTLAND STATE: SR QB Dante Chachere has totaled over 4,700 yards of total offense and 52 touchdowns (35 passing/17 rushing) in two seasons as the starting quarterback... SO RB Quincy Craig was on pace for a big year in 2023 before a knee ended his season in the sixth game. Craig had 744 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns at that point... the Viking receiving group has had a big makeover as Craig leads the team with 21 career receptions. Look for RS FR Eric Denham, JR TRs Branden Alvarez and Terence Loville to become key targets... on defense, SO LB Michael Montgomery is the top returning tackler (69 in 2023). SR CB Tyreese Shakir (122 tackles, 5 INT, 3 FR in his career), SO S Michael Hurst (51 tackles, 5 PBU in 2023) should anchor the back end. SR CB Jamal McMurrin is a key addition. A deep, but young defensive line is led by SR DEs Slade Shufelt and Kennedy Freeman, and should see the emergence of some key sophomores... PSU has a new special teams unit with JR P Tony Johnson, JR K Mathias Uribe and FR LS Brock Fleming... PSU averaged 33.8 points and 385.8 yards per game in 2023. The Vikings allowed 32.6 points and 400.5 yards.
• WASHINGTON STATE: Washington State has seen a big turnover on its roster and will go with a new quarterback in 2024... the top returning offensive player would be WR Kyle Williams, who had 61 receptions for 842 yards and six touchdowns last season. WSU passed for 336.5 yards per game... on defense, leading tackler Kyle Thornton, a linebacker, had 87 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss last season... Washington State averaged 31.7 points and 421.8 yards per game in 2023. The Cougars allowed 28.1 points and 389.4 yards per game.

 

MOST CHALLENGING SCHEDULE IN PROGRAM HISTORY AWAITS

Plain and simple, the 2024 Portland State Football schedule may be the most challenging in program history. And, it may be the most challenging in the nation at the FCS level.
           
The Viking program's 12-game slate is loaded; loaded with teams that had winning records in 2023, loaded with teams with playoff appearances, and loaded with FBS opponents. In fact, seven of the Vikings' nine FCS opponents in 2024 finished 2023 nationally-ranked, including six in the top 14, and national finalist Montana.
           
PSU will play five home games and seven road games in 2024 – all against Division I programs. PSU hosts South Dakota (Sept. 14), UC Davis (Oct. 5), Montana State (Oct. 19), Idaho (Nov. 9) and Northern Colorado (Nov. 23) in contests at Hillsboro Stadium.
           
The Vikings go on the road to play at Washington State (Aug. 31), Weber State (Sept. 7), Boise State (Sept. 21), Chattanooga (Sept. 28), Idaho State (Oct. 12), Sacramento State (Nov. 2) and Montana (Nov. 16).
           
Notable are games against Washington State (Aug. 31), which is playing a hybrid Mountain West Conference schedule, and Boise State (Sept. 21), a member of the Mountain West. It will be a second meeting with each of those FBS schools in the past five seasons.
           
PSU also picks up a pair of brand new opponents in South Dakota and Chattanooga. A member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, South Dakota was 10-3 in 2023, reaching the NCAA FCS Quarterfinals. Chattanooga, from the Southern Conference, was 8-5 overall reaching the round of 16 in the FCS Playoffs.
           
The Vikings will play all four Big Sky Conference playoff teams in succession - Montana State, Sacramento State, Idaho and Montana – between Oct. 19 and No. 16. That gives PSU six (!) 2023 FCS playoff teams on its 2024 schedule who had a combined 7-6 record in the post-season.
           
Nine of the 12 opponents had winning records in 2023 with a combined record of 85-64.