Portland State University Athletics

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A 14-0 lead gave the Portland State football team a peek at an upset of No. 8/10 Northern Arizona Saturday. But the Lumberjacks revved it up from there to beat the Vikings, 38-25, at Findlay Toyota Field.
 
The Vikings (2-5, 2-2) could not have asked for two better drives to start the game. They bled just under 14 minutes off the clock between both drives, going 75 yards on 14 plays on their opening drive, then 60 yards on 12 plays on their second. The Vikings were 5-for-5 on third down between both drives, including two conversions on third-and-goal for their first two touchdowns.
 
The two drives sandwiched around a fourth-down stop from the Viking defense. The Lumberjacks (6-2, 4-1) went for it on fourth-and-2 from the PSU 40-yard line on their opening possession but dropped a sure conversion to give the Vikings the ball back.
 
The Vikings were out-gaining the Lumberjacks 155-to-35 by the end of their second offensive drive. Their 155 yards of offense were split evenly between 86 rushing yards and 69 passing yards. Additionally, the two long drives meant they had possessed the ball for nearly 14 of the first 17 minutes of the game.
 
But the Lumberjacks adjusted from there, outscoring the Vikings 38-8 and out-gaining the Vikings 460-to-184 the rest of the way.
 
It was still tied at 17-17 entering the fourth quarter. The Vikings had tied it with a 42-yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining in the third quarter. An interception from Jaxton Helmstetler – the first of his career – set the Vikings up for the score, giving them the ball back on the NAU 46-yard line. A big hit from Isaac Redford popped the ball loose on the play, and Helmstetler was in the right spot for his fourth total turnover of the season.
 
The interception was the lone turnover of the game for either team. That marked a win for the Vikings who became just the second team to win the turnover battle against an NAU team that came into the game leading the FCS with 18 total takeaways this season.
 
But NAU forced the Vikings to settle for a field goal rather than a touchdown that would have put them back in the lead. The Lumberjacks then scored touchdowns on their first three drives of the fourth quarter to put the game away.
 
Delon Thompson set the Vikings up for a final touchdown with a 63-yard run with less than two minutes remaining. But NAU recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock from there.
 
Thompson finished with 127 rushing yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Tyrese Smith ran for 44 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown while going 16-for-29 for 157 yards through the air.
 
NAU quarterback Ty Pennington followed his six-touchdown game in the Lumberjacks' upset of Montana last week with three total touchdowns and 334 yards of total offense against the Vikings.
 
Pennington found Joey Stout for 163 receiving yards on nine catches and a score. Stout totaled 271 all-purpose yards as he also gained 30 yards on the ground and 78 on punt return. His first return went for 44 yards and helped set up the Lumberjacks' first touchdown of the game.
 
The Vikings were attempting to pull off their first upset of a top 10 team since Oct. 15, 2005, when they beat a ninth-ranked Montana State team, 44-41. A win would have also given them their first over a ranked opponent since Nov. 6, 2021, when they beat a 24th-ranked Weber State team, 30-18.
 
They'll have to wait a little longer for both now. But everyone knows the potential is there after a hot start against the Lumberjacks.
 
GAME NOTES:

• The Vikings have lost two in a row to the Lumberjacks after Saturday's loss. They still lead the all-time series between them and the Lumberjacks, 19-8.
• The Vikings have scored first in five of their seven games this season. They have led by two scores or more in four of those five games.
• The Vikings finished 10-for-17 on third down. The 58.8 percent conversion rate was the best of the season for the Vikings.
• Gio Kafentzis led the PSU defense with 12 total tackles.

  Read Full Article