PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (1-10, 1-6) at
NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS (3-8, 1-6)

Saturday, Nov. 22, Noon MT/11 a.m. PT, Nottingham Field (8,533), Greeley, CO
Television/Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: https://uncbears.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
 

HEAD COACHES

Portland State: Bruce Barnum (Eastern Washington, 1987) • PSU Record: 39-74/11th year • Big Sky Record: 29-50 • vs. Northern Colorado: 5-2 • Career Record: 39-74/11th year
Northern Colorado: Ed Lamb (BYU, 1996) • UNC Record: 4-30/3rd year • Big Sky Record: 21-34 • All-Time vs. PSU: 2-3 (0-2 at UNC, 2-1 at Southern Utah) • Career Record: 52-85/11th year
 

VIKINGS LOOK FOR A WINNING CONCLUSION TO 2025 SEASON

Portland State wraps up its 2025 football season this Saturday at Northern Colorado in a Big Sky Conference game. Kickoff at Nottingham Field is scheduled for noon MT/11 a.m. PT and the game can be seen on ESPN+.
     
The season has not gone as the Vikings have hoped it would, but they can finish on a positive note against the Bears. PSU (1-10, 1-6) has beaten Northern Colorado (3-8, 1-6) in five consecutive meetings, including a season-ending 45-13 win over the Bears last year at Hillsboro Stadium. A win would also ensure that the Vikings do not finish in the basement of the Big Sky standings.
     
PSU lost its last two home games to talented Sacramento State and Montana programs. Prior to that, the Vikings had a solid 40-35 road win at Cal Poly. They will draw on that memory and performance from their most recent road game. A key to success will be avoiding turnovers, Portland State's biggest drawback this season. The Vikings have 27 total turnovers this season, 17 in the last five games, and five last week to the Griz.
     
Northern Colorado, despite just three wins of their own, have been highly competitive this season. The Bears nearly knocked off Colorado State and took nationally-ranked South Dakota to overtime before losing. UNC had a resounding road win at Idaho, 49-33, but since then has lost five straight games. Notably, the Bears have struggled to score, averaging just 9.0 points in those five losses.
 

TEAM LEADERS

• PORTLAND STATE: Portland State is averaging 16.5 points and 314.3 yards of total offense per game... the Vikings average 109.6 yards rushing and 204.6 yards passing... PSU is allowing 460.0 yards per game, including 260.5 yards rushing, and 44.4 points... the Vikings have 27 turnovers and have forced 13 turnovers... SO QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele has started eight games and is 138-246 for 1,554 yards, 15 interceptions and four touchdowns this season... FR QB Tyrese Smith has played significant time at quarterback as well. He is 35-62 passing for 506 yards, two TDs and four interceptions. Smith ranks second on the team in rushing with 79 carries for 349 yards and six scores... SO RB Delon Thompson has 177 carries for 602 yards and seven TDs this season, including a season-high 184 yards against Cal Poly (11/1)... JR WR Zachary Dodson-Greene has 35 receptions for 289 yards and a touchdown. SR WR Terence Loville has 28 receptions for a team-high 469 yards and a score... SO S Isaiah Green leads the team with 94 tackles, has four tackles for loss, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. FR S Pierce Walker has 70 tackles, 3.5 for losses, six pass breakups and a fumble recovery... JR CB Carsten Mamaril has team highs of three interceptions and 10 pass breakups... JR LB Jaxton Helmstetler has 66 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a fumble return for touchdown... the Vikings have 17 total sacks with 6.5 from JR DE Spencer Elliott, who has also forced two fumbles and recovered one fumble... SR P Tony Johnson is averaging 40.2 yards per punt... SR K Mathias Uribe is 12-15 on field goals, including making his last 12 in a row.
• NORTHERN COLORADO: The Bears are averaging 19.9 points and 363.1 yards of offense per game... they have committed 20 turnovers and forced 15... UNC allows 29.8 points and 414.7 yards per game on defense... quarterback Eric Gibson has completed 221-340 passes for 2,439 yards, 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions... wide receiver Carver Cheeks has a Big Sky Conference-leading 67 receptions for 886 yards and six touchdowns... Brayden Munroe has 45 catches for 681 yards and three scores... Mathias Price leads the running game with 99 carries for 456 yards and two TDs... Cam Chapa leads the defense in tackles (82) and interceptions (4) with three tackles for loss, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery... Hudson Voggesser has made 72 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks... Jacob Willig has made 12-16 field goals with a long of 52 yards.

 

STORYLINES

• ON A ROLL: Portland State has won five straight games in the series with Northern Colorado and is 5-1 in Big Sky Conference games played in Greeley.
• CLOSE CALLS: Northern Colorado's five all-time wins in the series are by just a combined 20 points.
• SOS, WE'RE NUMBER TWO (NOW): For the second year in a row, Portland State had the most difficult schedule in the nation according to the Massey Ratings. That "dropped" to second-most difficult in the past two weeks prior to facing Montana. In 2024, PSU played five nationally-ranked FCS teams and two nationally-ranked FBS teams. Four of the FCS teams were in the Top 10... this season, PSU has played five nationally-ranked teams, including two in the top 10, and two FBS teams (one ranked).
• MOVIN' ON UP: There is no way around it; it hasn't been a good season for Portland State. But, a win this Saturday at Northern Colorado would guarantee to move them up in the final Big Sky Conference standings.
• RUN AND SHOOT: Former Viking quarterback Neil Lomax set Portland State records for pass completions (44) and attempts (77) in a 1979 21-20 loss to the Bears. Lomax passed for 499 yards in the game.

 

NUMBERS GAME

• LOVIN' T-LOVE: In the last six games, SR WR Terence Loville has been the Vikings top receiver. He has 24 receptions for 434 yards. He had five receptions for 106 yards and two rushes for eight yards against Sacramento State (11/8) and seven catches for 114 yards and a touchdown at Eastern Washington (10/4)... after struggling through injury challenges in the first half of the season, he now has 28 catches and a team-high 464 receiving yards, with 364 coming in the last five weeks. He averages 16.8 yards per catch.
• 12 IN A ROW: SR K Mathias Uribe is set to take three school records with him following his final game this Saturday. Uribe has made his last 12 straight field goals - a school record. He already holds the season record for field goal percentage, set last year (11-12, .917). And, at 23-27 in his career on field goals, his .852 career percentage is also a school record. Uribe's 23 career field goals rank ninth in school history.
• FIRST C-NOTE: FR QB Tyrese Smith logged the first 100-yard rushing game of his career against Montana with 11 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns. His day was highlighted by a 75-yard scoring run. Smith ranks second on the team in rushing with 78 carries for 349 yards and six touchdowns.

 

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• THE NUMBERS: Portland State is averaging 314.3 yards per game, 109.6 on the ground, 204.6 through the air... the Vikings have 27 total turnovers, including the most interceptions thrown (22) since 2009 (23)... PSU had season-highs of 339 passing yards at Eastern Washington (10/4), 242 rushing yards, 502 total yards and 40 points at Cal Poly (11/1).
• QUARTERBACK SAGA(POLUTELE): PSU had three different starters at quarterback in the first three games of the season and now four in all. SO QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele has started eight games. He had a season-high 302 passing yards and a touchdown at Eastern Washington (10/4)... for the season, he is completing 56% of his passes for 1,554 yards, four touchdowns and 15 interceptions... Sagapolutele faced his former team, Hawai'i, on Sept. 13, completing 23-35 passes for 189 yards... FR QB Tyrese Smith has played in all 11 games with a first-ever start against Montana. He is 35-62 passing for 506 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. He has 79 rushing plays for 349 yards and six TDs, including an 11-carry, 101-yard, two-TD rushing game against Montana (11/15).
• GET OFF DELON: As expected, SO RB Delon Thompson is the key back for the Vikings this season. Unfortunately, he was slowed by a broken right thumb that occurred in the first game of the season. He missed one game and saw limited action in two others... Thompson posted a career-best 26 carries for 184 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Cal Poly (11/1). He added three receptions for 54 yards and a score as well in that game... Thompson leads the team with 177 carries for 602 yards and seven touchdowns. He has caught 18 passes for 177 yards and a score... in his 23-game career, Thompson has 325 rushing plays for 1,317 yards and 15 touchdowns... Thompson has two career 100-yard games with a 22-carry, 117-yard effort last year at Montana (11/16)... at 602 yards this season, Thompson has a shot at passing last year's 678-yard total.
• PERSONNEL IS AN ISSUE: PSU has been hindered with seven receivers missing significant time this season (Tanner Beaman (out for season), Branden Alvarez (out for season), Terence Loville, Chance Miller, Eddy Schultz (out for the season), Brooks Ferguson (out for the season), Andre Miller (out for the season) and top back Delon Thompson also missing a game.
• LOVIN' T-LOVE: SR WR Terence Loville has finally gotten healthy the past six games and been PSU's top receiver over that span. Love had five receptions for 106 yards and two rushes for eight yards against Sacramento State (11/8). It was Loville's second 100-yard receiving game of the season after a 7-catch, 114-yard, 1 TD game at Eastern Washington (10/4)... after struggling through injury challenges in the first half of the season, he now has a team-high 469 receiving yards, with 434 coming in the last six weeks. He averages 16.8 yards per catch.
• CATCHING UP: Other players stepping up in the receiving group include: JR WR Zachary Dodson-Greene who has a team-best 35 receptions for 289 yards and a score. He grabbed 10 passes for 83 yards at Eastern Washington (10/4). It was the first 10-catch game by a Viking in four seasons... Dodson-Greene also caught nine passes for 78 yards at Hawai'i (9/13)... SO TE Kristian Ingman has taken over capably in the absence of Tanner Beaman, catching 23 passes for 342 yards (14.9 pc). He moonlights as the team's occasional long snapper with two tackles and a fumble recovery - the second of his career... in all, 15 players have receptions for the Vikings this season.
• WRECKING CRU: FR WR/KR/QB Cru Newman is doing it all for the Vikings. He has 34 kick returns for 631 yards, three punt returns for 18 yards, 23 receptions for 256 yards, eight rushes for 53 yards and is 1-2 passing for five yards. Newman has a team-leading 958 all-purpose yards to ranks 11th in the Big Sky Conference.

 

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• THE NUMBERS: Portland State has allowed 460.0 yards per game, including 260.5 on the ground (which ranks last in the Big Sky) and 199.5 through the air (which ranks second in the Big Sky)... the Viking defense played its best game against FBS Hawai'i (9/13), holding the Rainbow Warriors to 357 yards, including 107 on the ground, and 23 points - fewest in all categories this season... the Vikings have forced and recovered nine fumbles, have four interceptions, 17 sacks and 33 pass breakups.
• GREEN DAY: SO S Isaiah Green made a career-high 15 stops against BYU (8/30) and leads the team with 94 tackles this season. He ranks third in the Big Sky Conference with 8.7 tackles per game... Green is PSU's top returning tackler after making 50 as a redshirt freshman in 2024.
• ACTION JAXTON: JR LB Jaxton Helmstetler made a career-high nine tackles in consecutive weeks against BYU (8/30) and North Dakota (9/6) and against Sacramento State (11/8). He has 66 for the season as well as 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks... at North Dakota, he posted nine stops, two tackles for loss, a sack, a quarterback hurry, and returned a fumble 70 yards for a touchdown. It was PSU's first FR TD in four years.
• SPENCER FOR HIRE: JR DE Spencer Elliott has emerged as the Vikings' top pass rusher. He made two sacks at Eastern Washington (10/4) and now has 6.5 on the season, ranking fourth in the Big Sky. That is the most sacks by a Viking in three seasons. He also ranks fourth in tackles for loss (11)... Elliott has 38 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries.
• LITTLE BIG MAN: At just 5-9 and 180 pounds, JR CB Carsten Mamaril is becoming the Vikings' top pass defender. He has team-highs of three interceptions and 10 pass breakups this season. Mamaril ranks sixth in interceptions in the Big Sky and second in passes defended (13). He is 11th in the nation in passes defended... Mamaril was named National Defensive Player of the Week after the win at Cal Poly (11/1) when he had two interceptions and three pass breakups.
• NO FLY ZONE: The Vikings held Eastern Washington (10/4) to an opponent season-low 128 passing yards. Weber State (10/18) totaled only 150 yards passing... Portland State allowed 250 passing yards to Hawai'i's Run-and-Shoot attack (9/13). That wasn't a bad total and it took the Rainbow Warriors 45 attempts to get it.

 

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• FANCY FOOTWORK: SR K Mathias Uribe is 12-15 on field goals this season, including making his last 12 in a row over the last seven games. That is a school record... two of his three misses have been from 50+ yards this season... Uribe was 11-12 on field goals last season and his .917 field goal percentage was a PSU record... now at 23-27 in his career (.852), Uribe is on pace for a career percentage record as well... he ranks ninth all-time in field goals made at PSU.
• PLACEMENT POLICY: JR P Tony Johnson is averaging 40.2 yards per punt with 53 tries this season... 19 have been placed inside the 20-yard line, 11 fair caught with only three touchbacks. Johnson unleashed a career-long 75-yard punt at Eastern Washington (10/4).
• YARD BOYS: RS FRs Cru Newman and Andre Miller are both from Portland and have their own yard care business in the summer to make a little extra cash; C and D Landscaping. Now they are teaming up as kick return partners for the Vikings. Newman has 631 return yards, while Miller has 75 return yards. They also both play slot receiver for the Vikings and have combined for 30 receptions for 368 yards.
•  JORDAN RULES: RS FR Jordan Herron was inserted as a punt returner and running back against Northern Arizona (9/27). That was a good move as Herron delivered an electric 57-yard punt return for touchdown - the first by a Viking in two seasons.  

 

MORE FUN FACTS AND MEANINGLESS TRIVIA

• TOUGH SCHEDULE: Eight of Portland State's 11 home opponents in 2024 and 2025 were nationally ranked, including five in the top 10: UC Davis (9th), Montana State (3rd), Idaho (9th), Tarleton State (10th), Montana (2nd)... so far, five opponents this season have been nationally-ranked; Tarleton State (10th), BYU (20th FBS), North Dakota (20th), Northern Arizona (15th), Montana (2nd)... PSU had the most difficult strength of schedule in the nation in 2024 and 2025 according to the Massey Ratings.
• PROVIDENCE PARK PRIMER - OR, EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN: Portland State faced Montana at Providence Park on Nov. 15. The last time PSU played at Providence Park was Oct. 13, 2018, a 35-14 win over Northern Colorado. The Vikings last played a full season at Providence Park in 2016... Portland State called Providence Park its home from 1967 through the 2018 season with the exception of the 2000 and 2010 seasons due to renovation projects. During that time it was formerly named Multnomah Stadium, Civic Stadium, PGE Park and JELD-WEN Field... PSU first played football in old Multnomah Stadium in 1949, but did not return until a game on November 25, 1965 against the University of Montana. PSU (then PSC) played Lewis and Clark and Idaho State at the Stadium in 1966, then began playing all of its home games there in 1967. The exception was a game against Weber State that year which was played at Wilson High School... Portland State used Hillsboro Stadium as its home field in 2000 and 2010, due to the renovations, then four games in 2018. The Vikings became a full-time tenant at Hillsboro for the 2019 season to present... the Viking program has a long history at Providence Park: Mouse Davis, June Jones and Neil Lomax made the Run-and-Shoot and Portland State football famous there during the 1970s; PSU hosted 15 NCAA Division II playoff games at Civic Stadium between 1987 and 1995. During those seasons under Coach Pokey Allen and Coach Tim Walsh, PSU ranked among the leaders in Division II attendance and set the playoff attendance record of 21,079 against Texas A&I; the first 23 season of PSU's Big Sky era took place there; and PSU hosted an FCS playoff game against Northern Iowa at the stadium in 2015 under Bruce Barnum following its best Division I season ever (9-2).
• BYE-BYE: Due to the Week 0 game with Tarleton State, Portland State has two byes this season: Sept. 20 and Oct. 11.
• SUMMER FOOTBALL: There were a number of milestones in the home opener against Tarleton State: 1) The temperature at kickoff was 96 and crossed 100 degrees by late in the third quarter, making it the hottest home game on record in Portland State history; 2) The August 23 date was the earliest start in school history; 3) It was Portland State's first opener at home since the 2016 season; 4) The Vikings were playing 10th-ranked Tarleton State for the first time in school history; 5) The last time a Portland State team was shut out by an FCS program was a 14-0 loss at Montana State on Oct. 7, 2006.
• FREQUENT FLYER MILES: On the Vikings' run of three straight road games, Aug. 30-Sept. 13, they cross one time zone and back, two time zones and back, then three time zones and back, playing at BYU, North Dakota and Hawai'i successively. It will be a total of 8,906 air miles (RTs of 1,332; 2,424; and 5,206). The transition from North Dakota to Hawai'i in consecutive games is five time zones... PSU will have played in four different time zones in the first four games of the season.
• CROWDED: The announced attendance of 64,494 at BYU was the largest crowd for a Portland State game in history. The previous largest was 61,082 for a game at Cal in 2006... PSU's largest all-time home crowd is 26,102 in a game against Oregon State in 1983.
• CROWDED, PART TWO: Portland State drew 9,583 fans to its Nov. 15 home game against Montana at Providence Park. That was the largest crowd for a PSU home game since Oct. 15, 2015 (when PSU was still using Providence Park as a home field) in a game against Montana when there were 11,045 fans in attendance... for reference, PSU's current home field, Hillsboro Stadium, holds only 7,600.
• YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN: SO QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele didn't have to wait long to play his former team. A transfer from Hawai'i to Portland State in the off-season, JKS started against the Rainbow Warriors, completing 23-35 passes for 189 yards and one interception... FR LB Jerome Roberts faced his former team, Sacramento State (11/8), and made a team-high 11 tackles, including one for a loss.
• I REMEMBER YOU: Despite being long-time Big Sky Conference opponents, PSU and Northern Arizona have only played six times in the last 13 seasons.
• QUARTERBACKS EVERYWHERE: Portland State has FR QB Cru Newman playing kick returner and slot receiver. FR QB Tyrese Smith has played at quarterback and running back. JR TE Brooks Ferguson is a former quarterback converted to tight end. SR QB CJ Jordan has also seen time at wide receiver.
• ONE MAN WRECKING CRU: RS FR WR/QB/KR Cru Newman did it all against Weber State (10/18). He returned five kicks for 91 yards, completed one pass attempt for five yards, rushed twice for 12 yards and caught three passes for 50 yards. He had 153 all-purpose yards and did I mention he also made a tackle?
• LITTLE BIG MAN: At 5-9, 180 pounds, JR CB Carsten Mamaril is one of the smallest players on the field. But he certainly played big in the Vikings 40-35 win at Cal Poly. Mamaril made two interceptions, broke up three passes and had two tackles. He was named Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.