PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS at #24 WEBER STATE WILDCATS

Saturday, September 7, 6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT, Stewart Stadium (13,441), Ogden, UT
Television/LiveStream: ESPN+ • Play-by-play: Dave Fox • Analyst: Riley Jensen
Live Stats: www.weberstatesports.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
 

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (0-1)

Head Coach: Bruce Barnum (Eastern Washington, 1987)
PSU Record: 35-57/10th year • Big Sky Record: 25-38 • vs. Weber State: 1-3
Career Record: 35-57/10th year
 

WEBER STATE WILDCATS (0-1)

Head Coach: Mickey Mental (Baldwin-Wallace, 2008)
WSU Record: 6-6/2nd year • Big Sky Record: 4-4 • vs. Portland State: 0-0
Career Record: 22-8/4th year
 

ALL-TIME SERIES

WSU leads the all-time series 23-15 • WSU leads 10-9 in Portland • WSU leads 13-6 in Ogden
WSU leads the Big Sky series 13-9 • WSU leads 7-4 in Portland • WSU leads 6-5 in Ogden
 

STORYLINES

• BIG SKY CONFERENCE OPENERS: Portland State is 12-15 in Big Sky Conference openers, including 9-9 at home and 3-6 on the road... the Sept. 7 Big Sky opener is the earliest conference start date in PSU history.
• RECENT HISTORY: This will be only the sixth meeting in the last 11 seasons between the teams... it is the fourth to take place in Ogden. PSU has won two of the last three at Stewart Stadium (2014, 2021)... the Wildcats won the most recent game, 42-7, in 2022 in Portland... the last three times the teams have met, Weber State was nationally-ranked (14th in 2017, 24th in 2021, 6th in 2022).
• RECENT SUCCESS: Weber State was Big Sky Champ or co-champ in the 2017, 2018, 2019 and spring 2021 seasons.

 

NUMBERS GAME

• HERE'S THE SCORE: The 2007 meeting between the teams in Portland is the highest-scoring Division I regulation football game in history with Weber State winning, 73-68. Amazingly, that was NOT the most points by either team in the series. Weber State earned a 74-6 win in 1965. A Mouse Davis-coached Portland State team won 75-0 in 1980. A 65-43 win by the Vikings in 2001 in Portland was the highest-scoring game in PSU history by two teams, combined, until the 2007 contest.
• TOUCHDOWN MAKER: SR QB Dante Chachere has 57 career touchdowns, 36 passing and 21 rushing.
• ALL-PURPOSE PLAYER: SO RB Quincy Craig rushed 10 times for 54 yards, caught four passes for 24 yards and  completed one pass for 28 yards against Washington State.

 

VIKINGS MAKE EARLY START TO BIG SKY SEASON AT WEBER STATE

One thing is certain about Saturday's Big Sky Conference opener between Portland State and Weber State; the winner will hold on to first place in the league for at least three weeks. That benefit comes from a scheduling quirk that has the Vikings and Wildcats playing a league game three weeks before anyone else. And, while its basically just a novelty, it does give the winner a confident start to 2024 and perhaps the impetus for a great conference season.
           
The Vikings and Wildcats will meet at Stewart Stadium in Ogden, UT Saturday at 6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT. The game will be televised on ESPN+.
           
For Portland State, Weber State is the first of eight FCS teams it will face this season that was nationally-ranked in the preseason polls. The Wildcats are currently 24th in the Stats Perform Top 25.
           
Both teams come off road losses in the state of Washington to FBS-level programs, though in decidedly different fashion. The Vikings lost a score-fest at Washington State, 70-30. PSU allowed over 600 yards of offense to the Cougars, but also totaled 449 yards of its own. The Wildcats were beaten at Washington, 35-3. Weber State was able to contain the Huskies a little more defensively, but was held to just 253 yards of offense and no touchdowns.
           
In reality, neither score will mean much to either team by the end of the season. The measure of the teams, and the potential for post-season, will come with Big Sky Conference results.
           
Weber State holds a 13-9 edge over Portland State in Big Sky games, but the Vikings have had some success in Ogden with five wins in 11 starts. The most recent was a 30-18 victory in 2021 over then 24th-ranked WSU. That said, the Wildcats have won three of the last four meetings overall, including a 42-7 victory in Portland in 2022 while ranked sixth in the nation.
           
Neither team can be too certain what they are working with yet after "playing up" in week one of the season. But both will have a good idea by late Saturday night and the chance to sit on top of the Big Sky for at least a little while.
 

TEAM LEADERS

• PORTLAND STATE: SR QB Dante Chachere completed 14-25 passes for 175 yards, one touchdown and one interception at Washington. He also rushed for TDs of five and four yards... FR RB Delon Thompson was the rushing leader with 15 carries for 96 yards... SO RB Quincy Craig had 10 carries for 54 yards, four receptions for 24 yards and completed one pass for 28 yards... SO TE Tanner Beaman had three catches for 42 yards and FR WR Eric Denham caught three balls for 35 yards and a TD... SR CB Tyreese Shakir had a team-high seven tackles... SO LB Peyton Wing made five stops with one tackle for loss... the Vikings totaled 449 yards and allowed 637 yards to Washington State.
• WEBER STATE: Richie Munoz was 11-32 passing for 98 yards at Washington... running back Damon Bankston had 16 carries for 105 yards... Jaden Thrower caught three passes for 25 yards... on defense, four players had five tackles against the Huskies, including Kemari Munier-Bailey, who had two tackles for loss and a sack... the Wildcats rushed for 155 yards and passed for 98 yards against Washington... they allowed 482 yards of total offense.

 

QUICK SNAPS

 

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• THE NUMBERS: Portland State had a balanced attack at Washington State with 215 rushing yards and 234 passing yards for a 449-yard total. The Vikings scored 30 points – the most against an FBS opponent in the last six games.
• DANTE'S DATA: SR QB Dante Chachere had an up-and-down down against the FBS Washington State Cougars. He completed 14-25 passes for 175 yards, but had one costly interception and also left the game for a period of time with a minor injury. But in the end, Chachere did what he does best – score touchdowns. Chachere had rushing touchdowns of five and four yards, and completed a 40-yard TD pass to FR WR Eric Denham. The three total touchdowns gave Chachere 57 on his career (36 passing, 21 rushing).
• KEEP OFF DELON: RS FR Delon Thompson served notice that he will be a key offensive weapon for the Vikings. Thompson had a 53-yard run against the Cougars and led the Vikings with 15 carries for 96 yards.
• GROUND GAME: The Viking running game appears as though it will be multi-faceted once again this season. FR RB Delon Thompson (96 yards), SO RB Quincy Craig (54), SR QB Dante Chachere (29) were the catalysts for a 215-yard effort on the ground. Last season, PSU averaged 224.0 yards per game rushing.
• PASS IT AROUND: Ten different Vikings caught passes against Washington State. PSU started an entirely new wide receiver unit in JRs Branden Alvarez and Terence Loville and SO Jaylen Lynch. Alvarez and FR WR Eric Denham each caught touchdown passes... SR WR Travis West made his debut on the offensive side of the ball after three years on defense. West made two receptions for 41 yards.

 

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• THE NUMBERS: Portland State had a rough outing defensively against Washington State, allowing 70 points and 637 yards… the Cougars passed for 413 yards and rushed for 224.
• SENIOR LEADER: SR CB Tyreese Shakir led the Vikings with seven tackles. He leads a fairly youthful Viking defense with 129 tackles in his career.

 

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• FOOTWORK: It is a new blue line for the Vikings in 2024... JR K Mathias Uribe made his debut by kicking a 44-yard field goal for the Vikings... JR P Tony Johnson averaged 35.0 yards on six punts... FR TE Kristian Ingman handled the role of long snapper for the first time in his career.

 

NEW FACES ON THE PARK BLOCKS

• NEWCOMERS: 11 players started for the first time ever as Vikings: SO C Jake Cooper, JR RT Jakob Belton, JR WR Branden Alvarez, JR WR Terence Loville, SO WR Jaylen Lynch, JR DE Jayden Brannan, JR DT Sosefo "Joe" Moeaki, SO LB Peyton Wing, SR CB Jamal McMurrin, JR P Tony Johnson and JR K Mathias Uribe.
• I REMEMBER MY FIRST TIME: 14 players competed for the first time as Vikings, including JR QB Will Haskell, JR WR Branden Alvarez, JR WR Terence Loville, JR RB Jacques Badolato-Birdsell, JR WR Eddy Schultz, SR OL Gavin Miller, JR OL Jakob Belton, FR TE Kristian Ingman, SO DE Cyrus Moss, SR CB Jamal McMurrin, FR LB Brandon Bryant, JR DT Sosefo Moeaki, JR P Tony Johnson and JR K Mathias Uribe.