PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (0-3) at
HAWAI'I RAINBOW WARRIORS (2-1)

Saturday, Sept. 13, 6 p.m. HT/9 p.m. PT, Clarence T.C. Ching Complex (15,194), Honolulu, HI
Television: Mountain West Network • https://themw.com/watch/?school=60
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.livestats.us
 

HEAD COACHES

Portland State: Bruce Barnum (Eastern Washington, 1987) • PSU Record: 38-67/11th year • Big Sky Record: 28-44 • vs. UH: 0-1
Hawai'i: Timmy Chang (Hawai'i, 2009) • UH Record: 15-26/4th year • vs. Portland State: 0-0
 

ISLAND TRIP WRAPS UP VIKINGS' TOUGH NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

The Portland State Vikings will complete a brutal non-conference slate this Saturday when it travels to the Hawaiian Islands to take on the Rainbow Warriors of the Mountain West Conference. The Vikings (0-3) are still looking for their first win while Hawai'i (2-1) has gotten off to a solid start. The game, from the University of Hawai'i campus' Clarence T.C. Ching Complex, will kick off Saturday at 6 p.m. Hawai'i time, 9 p.m. Pacific Time. It can be seen on the Mountain West Network.
     
PSU has struggled out of the blocks, facing top-10 Tarleton State, nationally-ranked BYU of the Big 12, and 20th-ranked North Dakota. The Vikings were improved against UND on Saturday but again hamstrung by turnovers in a 50-20 loss.
     
At least Hawai'i isn't nationally-ranked... but the Rainbow Warriors have wins over Stanford and Sam Houston State, with a loss at Arizona to open the season. Hawai'i leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1972, 5-1. Included was a 49-35 victory in 2021 at Ching Complex in front of no fans during COVID-era play. This is the third meeting between the schools during PSU's Big Sky Conference era. They have split the first two games as Portland State won in 2000, 45-20.
     
Of intrigue in this year's version of the series is Viking SO QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele. A former Hawai'i quarterback, Sagapolutele was in the Warriors program in 2023 and 2024. He played briefly as a redshirt freshman last year before transferring to Portland State. The Ewa Beach native earned his first start as a Viking last Saturday at North Dakota.
     
Interestingly, both teams have struggled with turnovers thus far on the season. Each has eight through three games. PSU has forced three turnovers while Hawai'i has forced two. The Vikings have have had difficulty stopping the run this year, but Hawai'i is traditionally a pass-heavy program. The Warriors defense is allowing only 289 yards per game.
     
Portland State's game with Hawai'i is the last of three in a row on the road. And it has been A LOT of travel. It will be a total of 8,906 air miles over three weeks after playing at BYU, North Dakota and Hawai'i. The Vikings will play in their fourth different time zone in five games, and five time zones apart from last week's game (Central Time to Hawai'i Time).
     
PSU has a bye on Sept. 20 before returning home to start Big Sky Conference play and face 18th-ranked Northern Arizona on Sept. 27.
 

STORYLINES

• MONEY GAMES: This is the second of two FBS opponents for the Vikings in 2025. PSU is 4-49 all-time when playing "up"against FBS programs... Wins have come over Hawai'i (2000), New Mexico (2006), Washington State (2015) and North Texas (2015)... This marks the 11th consecutive season that Portland State has played two FBS opponents. PSU has done so a total of 15 times, including three in 2006.
• SMALLEST CROWD IN FOOTBALL HISTORY: The 2021 game between the teams was played in front of no fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• AH, MEMORIES: Portland State's 45-20 win at Hawai'i in 2000 marked the program's first against a Football Bowl Subdivision program (in 16 tries)... Hawai'i Head Coach Timmy Chang played for Portland State Football legend June Jones at Hawai'i from 2000-04. While Chang ended up as the starting quarterback at Hawai'i, he did not play in the Viking win.
• CAN YOU GO HOME AGAIN?: We are going to find out this Saturday in Honolulu. Quarterback John-Keawe Sagapolutele, from nearby Ewa Beach, will be playing against his former team. Sagapolutele saw brief action in five games last year at Hawai'i. He transferred to PSU in the off-season and has played in two games for the Vikings, earning the start against North Dakota last Saturday. Sagapolutele was 11-17 in the game for 146 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions... PSU defensive backs Lono Solomon and Jonah Henry are also Hawai'i natives. They have yet to play this season.
• ORDINARY AVERAGE GUY: With great respect to the talent of our opponent, Hawai'i, and in homage to my favorite guitarist, Joe Walsh, the Vikings will face an unranked opponent for the first time this season in game four. Just your ordinary, average team... albeit with a 2-1 record at the FBS level... Seven of Portland State's 12 opponents this season are currently nationally ranked.

 

TEAM LEADERS

• PORTLAND STATE: Portland State is averaging 6.7 points and 185.3 yards of total offense per game... PSU is allowing 501.7 yards per game, including 354 yards rushing... the Vikings have eight turnovers and have forced three turnovers... four quarterbacks have seen significant action through three games. SO QB Gabe Downing and SR QB CJ Jordan have starts, while John-Keawe Sagapolutele started against North Dakota. He is 17-31 passing for 203 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions in two games... SO RB Delon Thompson has 30 carries for 74 yards and a score, but has played in only two games. FR QB Tyrese Smith has 19 carries for 76 yards to lead the team... SR WR Branden Alvarez has caught eight passes for 82 yards. JR WR Jaylen Lynch has five catches for 60 yards and a touchdown... SO S Isaiah Green leads the team with 31 tackles. JR LB Jaxton Helmstetler has 23 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble return for touchdown... the Vikings made four sacks at North Dakota... SR P Tony Johnson is averaging 41.7 yards per punt... the Vikings are 0-3 on field goals.
• HAWAI'I: Hawai'i averages 333.7 yards and 22.0 points per game... the Rainbow Warriors allow 26.7 points and 289.3 yards per game... Hawai'i has committed eight turnovers and forced only two... Micah Alejado (45-70-1-367-2TD) and Luke Weaver (35-60-3-360-3TD) have split time at quarterback. Weaver started in the win over Sam Houston State last Saturday... Landon Sims is the top rusher with 30 carries for 113 yards and has caught 14 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown... Pofele Ashlock is the leading receiver with 22 receptions for 218 yards and three scores... on defense, Peter Manuma leads the team with 21 tackles, a sack and two pass breakups... Hawai'i has seven sacks, including three from Jackie Johnson III... kicker Kansei Matsuzawa is 8-8 on field goals, including a game-winner in the opener against Stanford.

 

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• THE NUMBERS: Portland State is averaging 185.3 yards per game, 61.7 on the ground, 123.7 through the air... the Vikings have eight total turnovers... the Vikings put up a season-best 20 points at North Dakota. They are 9-36 on third down, 0-4 on fourth down and have missed three field goals.
• THREE GAMES, THREE STARTING QUARTERBACKS: PSU had a new opening day starter (SO QB Gabe Downing) at quarterback for the first time in four years and only the second time since the 2018 season. SR QB CJ Jordan started game two for the Vikings and SO QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele started at North Dakota... four different Viking quarterbacks have played, but only FR QB Tyrese Smith has played in all three games. Sagapolutele is 17-31 passing for 203 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. Downing is 10-17 passes for 91 yards and two interceptions. Jordan is 8-14 for 58 yards. Smith has a team-best 19 rushing plays for 76 yards.
• GET OFF DELON: As expected, SO RB Delon Thompson got the bulk of the rushing for the Vikings against Tarleton State. He had 17 carries for 55 yards. He also caught two passes for 20 yards. Thompson was missed in game two due to injury and was relatively ineffective at North Dakota with 13 carries for 19 yards and a touchdown... in his 15-game career, Thompson has 178 rushing plays for 789 yards and nine touchdowns... last season, Thompson posted a career-high 117 yards on 22 carries with one score at Montana (11/16).
• SENIOR LEADER: SR WR Branden Alvarez led the Vikings in all three receiving categories last season. This season he has eight catches for 82 yards but has missed most of the last two games... in 12 career games, he has 44 receptions, 562 yards and five touchdowns.
• PERSONNEL IS AN ISSUE: PSU has been hindered with four of its top five receivers missing games already this season (Tanner Beaman, Branden Alvarez, Terence Loville, Chance Miller) and top back Delon Thompson also missing a game.
• SWISS ARMY KNIFE: FR QB Cru Newman may yet play at quarterback this season. In the meantime, he will do other things. Newman has 11 kick returns for 189 yards and four receptions for 10 yards.

 

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• THE NUMBERS: Portland State has allowed 501.7 yards per game, including 348.0 on the ground and 153.7 through the air... the Vikings have forced and recovered three fumbles.
• GREEN DAY: SO S Isaiah Green is PSU's top returning tackler with 50 as a redshirt freshman in 2024. He made a career-high 15 stops against BYU and leads the team with 31 tackles this season. He ranks sixth in the Big Sky Conference with 10.3 tackles per game.
• ACTION JAXTON: JR LB Jaxton Helmstetler has made a career-high nine tackles in consecutive weeks and has 23 for the season. 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.
• SACK HAPPY: Helmstetler's TD would not have been possible without the strip sack by SR DE Jayden Brannan. It was one of four sacks made by the Vikings against North Dakota. That is the most sacks since the Vikings had seven at San Jose State in the 2022 season-opener - a span of 35 games... JR DE Spencer Elliott was in on two of those sacks as he recorded a career-high 10 tackles and total 2.5 tackles for loss.

 

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• FOOTWORK: The normally reliable SR K Mathias Uribe (11-12 on field goals last season) is 0-3 on field goals this season - though two of them have been from 50+ yards. His 54-yarder attempt against Tarleton State hit the left upright and bounced away. His 37-yard attempt was wide left. A 57-yard try at BYU was blocked... Uribe's .917 field goal percentage last season was a PSU record.
• PLACEMENT POLICY: JR P Tony Johnson is averaging 41.7 yards per punt with 17 tries this season... five have been placed inside the 20 with a season-high 63-yarder at BYU.
• 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 189 return yards, while Miller has 58 return yards. They also both play slot receiver for the Vikings and have combined for five receptions.

 

NEW VIKINGS

• GETTING STARTED: Portland State had nine first-time starters against Tarleton State. They were: SO QB Gabe Downing, JR OL James Minot, JR OL Semisi Latu, SO TE Kristian Ingman, JR CB Dionte Thornton, JR CB Carsten Mamaril, SO LB Lonnie Burt, SR LB Aedan Seiuli, JR DT Daniel Matagi... making their first-ever starts as Vikings at BYU were SR QB CJ Jordan, SR RB Jacques Badolato-Birdsell and FR LB Jerome Roberts... making first-ever starts at North Dakota were SO TE Brooks Ferguson, SO QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele and JR WR Zachary Dodson-Greene.
• YOUNG, YES...: Portland State played just four seniors on offense and five seniors on defense against in the opener against Tarleton State... in all, 12 seniors have played for the Vikings this season. Fourteen freshmen, 11 sophomores and 20 juniors have played.