KICKOFF
The Portland State football program continues its four-game gauntlet to open the season with a road contest against in-state powerhouse Oregon Friday (7:30 p.m. kickoff, Big Ten Network) at Autzen Stadium.
 
The Vikings will get an angry Duck team coming off an upset loss to Oklahoma State the previous week, as the then-sixth-ranked Ducks fell to the Cowboys, 39-31, in Stillwater, Okla. The loss dropped the Ducks down to 21st in the AP Poll and 18th in the AFCA Coaches Poll heading into Friday's game.
 
Playing a ranked opponent will be nothing new for the Vikings, though. The Duck game will be the last in a four-game stretch to open the season that will have seen the Vikings play two FCS top 10 teams (UC Davis and North Dakota) and two FBS teams (San Diego State and Oregon). San Diego State was even receiving votes in the AFCA Coaches Poll at the time the Vikings played them.
 
The Vikings have shown some strengths in the early part of the season despite the tough schedule. Passing has emerged as a strength of the Viking offense. The Vikings rank fourth in the Big Sky and 21st in the FCS with 260.3 passing yards per game. They had 250+ passing yards in their first two games of the season, a benchmark they passed only three times last season.
 
Gabe Downing has started the last two games for the Vikings and has recorded career highs for completions (31, against San Diego State), passing yards (280, against San Diego State) and passing touchdowns (3, against North Dakota) during that time. Downing's four touchdown passes this season have gone to four different receivers between Darius Bailey, Tanner Beaman, Terence Loville and Cru Newman.
 
Loville and Beaman have traded off career weeks for the Viking pass catchers the past two weeks. Against San Diego State, Loville set career highs for receptions (10) and receiving yards (119) while catching a touchdown. Against North Dakota, Beaman caught a career-high eight passes for 55 yards and a touchdown.
 
The Vikings have also gotten some timely stops from the defense via turnovers. Isaac Redford picked off his second pass of the season last Saturday. He now ranks second in the Big Sky and sixth in the FCS with 0.67 interceptions per game. Redford also ranks third in the Big Sky and 21st in the FCS with 1.33 pass breakups per game.
 
The Vikings have gained five total turnovers as a team, leaving them level in turnover margin this season. That's a significant improvement over last season when the Vikings averaged minus-1.25 turnovers per game.
 
They'll still hope to be better defensively against the Ducks than they were against North Dakota last Saturday. UND totaled 627 yards of total offense against the Vikings between 291 on the ground and 336 through the air.
 
The Ducks have the firepower to put up similar numbers. Quarterback Dante Moore was projected for a high pick in last year's NFL draft but opted to come back for another year at Oregon. The Ducks also returned players at several key skill positions between Jordon Davison (running back), Dierre Hill Jr. (running back), Jeremiah McClelland (wide receiver), Dakorien Moore (wide receiver), Evan Stewart (wide receiver) and Jamari Johnson (tight end).
 
The Vikings will have to slow them down while also protecting their own against an Oregon defensive line that returned starters Teitum Tuioti, Matayo Uiagalelei, Bear Alexander and A'Mauri Washington off last year's team that made the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.
 
Two simple asks, right? But it's nothing the Vikings haven't been asked to do before during their preseason gauntlet.
 
GAME DETAILS
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (0-3) vs. OREGON (1-1)
INFO: Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m., Eugene, Ore. (Autzen Stadium)
TV: Big Ten Network (Ch. 610 on DirecTV; Ch. 403/726/1313 on Xfinity)
LIVE STATS: GoViks.com/LiveStats
SCOUTING OREGON:

• The Oregon Ducks are coming off an upset loss to Oklahoma State, 39-31, in Stillwater, Okla., last week.
• The Ducks came into the season ranked No. 2 in the AP and Coaches polls, but have dropped to 21st and 18th, respectively, after their loss to Oklahoma State. They initially dropped from second to sixth following a close win, 34-27, over Boise State on Sept. 5.
• The Ducks came into the year with several key pieces back off a team that made the semifinals of the College Football Playoffs last year. Quarterback Dante Moore opted to come back to the Ducks despite being projected to be a high NFL draft pick. Running backs Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr., are also back, as well as skill guys Jeremiah McClelland, Dakorien Moore, Evan Stewart and Jamari Johnson. Defensively, the Ducks returned their entire starting defensive line in Teitum Tuioti, Matayo Uiagalelei, Bear Alexander and A'Mauri Washington.
• Through two games, the Ducks rank 13th in the Big Ten with 389 yards per game of total offense. They rank seventh in the conference with 284.5 passing yards per game, while they're 16th in rushing offense with only 104.5 yards per game on the ground.
• Defensively, the Ducks rank 17th in the Big Ten in total defense, allowing 414 yards per game. They had two interceptions that were either returned for a touchdown or set up a touchdown last week against Oklahoma State. Those are their only two turnovers gained this season, however.
• Moore ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 17th nationally in passing yards per game (284.5).
• Jeremiah McClellan leads the Ducks with 170 total receiving yards. Out of that, 150 came against Boise State while Oklahoma State held him to one catch for 20 yards.
• Davison leads the Ducks in rushing with 113 yards (56.5 per game), ranking him 20th in the Big Ten Conference.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Ducks lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 6-0. The latest meeting between the programs came in 2023, which was an 81-7 Oregon victory.
• The Ducks have been ranked for five of their previous six meetings with the Vikings. They'll be ranked again this Friday (21st in the AP, 18th in the Coaches polls).

VIKINGS VS. FBS OPPONENTS:

• The Vikings are 4-51 all-time against FBS opponents. They have lost 19 in a row since their last FBS win in 2015 over North Texas, 66-7. The 59-point margin of victory is still the largest by an FCS team over an FBS opponent.
• The Vikings already played one FBS opponent this season, losing 53-20 at San Diego State on Sept. 5.
• The Vikings are 0-11 against ranked FBS opponents. Out of those 11 losses, five came against ranked Duck teams.
• The Vikings' other FBS wins came against Hawai'i (45-20 in 2000), New Mexico (17-6 in 2006) and Washington State (24-17 in 2015).

QUICK STORYLINES

• NEW ERA: The Vikings are competing in their first year under head coach Chris Fisk. He came to the Vikings after winning three conference titles in six seasons coaching at Central Washington.
• IMPROVING ON LAST YEAR: It's early, but the Vikings have made some quick improvements already on last season. Among the key statistical changes from last year:
  • The Vikings are averaging 260.3 passing yards per game, ranking them fourth in the Big Sky and 21st in the FCS…Last season, the Vikings averaged just 201.2 passing yards per game.
  • The Vikings are even in the turnover battle (5-to-5) through three games…Last season, they averaged minus-1.25 turnovers per game.
  • The Vikings are allowing 6.33 tackles per loss. San Diego State only had three against them on Sept. 5…Last season, they allowed 7.5 tackles for loss per game.
• STARTING IN THE GAUNTLET: The Vikings open the season with a four-game gauntlet that features two FCS top 10 teams in UC Davis (Aug. 29) and North Dakota (Sept. 12), and two FBS opponents in San Diego State (Sept. 5) and Oregon (Sept. 18). Despite the tough start, the Vikings nearly pulled off an upset in their opener. They led UC Davis 21-0 at halftime when they were out-gaining the Aggies 257-to-84. But the Aggies, ranked sixth in the FCS at the time, outscored the Vikings 31-3 in the second half to complete a 31-24 comeback win.
• RANKED OPPONENTS: As the rankings stand now, the Vikings are scheduled to play five teams ranked in the STATS Perform FCS Top 25 and AFCA FCS Coaches Polls between Montana (3rd/2nd), North Dakota (6th/6th), UC Davis (11th/11th), Idaho State (16th/18th) and Northern Arizona (20th/19th). Additionally, Southern Utah is receiving votes in both polls. Oregon is also ranked in the AP (21st) and Coaches (18th) polls within the FBS. San Diego State was receiving votes in the FBS coaches poll when the Vikings played them.
• NEW JERSEYS: The Vikings will be wearing new uniforms this season designed in collaboration with Van Horne Brands. Founder Todd Van Horne has designed every Oregon Duck uniform since 1997 as well as the 1990s rebrand of the Denver Broncos. He also served as Creative Director for the new Hayward Field in Eugene and led the team for the 2015-20 Nike Campus Expansion which included the creation of the Seb Coe Building, Serena Williams Building, Lebron James Building and Coach K Fitness Center. Van Horne described his work for the Vikings as being "for Chris" in reference to Chris Crawford – the Vikings' quarterback for the 1987 and 1988 NCAA Division II championship games and a PSU Hall of Famer who passed away in 2019 from Leukemia. Van Horne worked with Crawford at Nike.
• NEW FACES ON DEFENSE: The Vikings returned only one starter on defense in senior linebacker Jaxton Helmstetler. Unsurprisingly, Helmstetler is the Vikings' top returning tackler from last season when he ranked third on the team with 71 total tackles. He also ranked second on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss a year ago.
• OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: The Vikings named their five captains for the season on their second day of fall camp. Tanner Beaman and Terence Loville will captain the offense. Jaxton Helmstetler and Brogan De'Asis will captain the defense, while Brock Fleming will captain the special teams.
• MEN OF STEELE: Five Vikings made the Phil Steele Preseason All-Big Sky teams announced in early August. Cru Newman made the list three different times, earning second-team honors as a kick returner to go with third-team honors as a wideout and all-purpose player. Terence Loville joined Newman on the second team as a wideout, while Delon Thompson, Tanner Beaman and Brock Fleming earned third-team honors at running back, tight end and long snapper, respectively.
• THE ROSTER: Portland State returned 41 players from the 2025 roster, including 29 letterwinners… seven starters return on offense and one starter returns on defense… 12 redshirts return, including five with game experience… the new coaching staff has signed 67 newcomers, 34 freshmen and 33 transfers.
• STARTING OVER: Portland State will strive to be healthier than it was in 2025. The Vikings have eight returning players on the roster for 2026 who never had a chance to compete in 2025 due to preseason injuries. Included in that group were returning lettermen tight end Tanner Beaman, linebacker Davin Beason and defensive end Elijah Eason, all of whom were projected to start last season.

 
COACHES NOTES

• NEW CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP: Chris Fisk was named the 15th Head Coach in Portland State Football history when his hiring was announced on Dec. 12, 2025. Fisk comes to Portland State following seven seasons as Head Coach at Central Washington University. While in Ellensburg, Fisk compiled a 48-22 record, including 38-7 in conference play. He won three conference titles (Great Northwest Athletic Conference and Lone Star Conference) and led four teams to the NCAA playoffs. Fisk was named GNAC Coach of the Year twice and selected as the NCAA II Region IV Coach of the Year in 2025 after leading the Wildcats to a 10-2 record, including 9-0 in Lone Star play… in all, Fisk spent 10 years at Central Washington. Prior to that he worked at Southern Oregon (2011-15) where he was Co-Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach. From 2002-10, Fisk coached at the University of Mary as Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach. He is a 2001 graduate of Jamestown University.
• FIRST MATES: Joining the Portland State Football staff are five coaches who worked for Fisk at Central Washington. They include: Grant Torgerson (Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers), Alex Kastens (Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line), Jared Gallatin (Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties), Patrick Belony (Defensive Line), and Brady Crane (Director of Player Personnel)… Matt Adkins (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks) joins the Vikings after working at Arizona. He coached with Fisk at Southern Oregon… Kiante Goudeau (Cornerbacks) comes to PSU from Montana State. He worked for Fisk in a similar role in 2023… Caleb Moore (Wide Receivers) worked previously at Arizona as an Offensive Assistant and in conjunction with Vikings OC Matt Adkins… Nick Kernaghan (Defensive Quality Control) comes to PSU after coaching linebackers for three seasons at Linfield… Dominick Mazotti (Tight Ends) worked last season as an Offensive Analyst at Mercyhurst. He played previously under Vikings Coach Alex Kastens at San Jose State… Chase Coalson (Defensive Quality Control) played under Fisk at Central Washington and finished his All-Conference career in 2025… CJ Jordan (Offensive Quality Control) spent the last two seasons on the Vikings team and is joined by Travis Fenton (Offensive Quality Control) on the offensive side.
• OLD AND NEW: Portland State Football has added the role of General Manager in 2026. Taking charge is Rashad Floyd, a former Viking All-American and PSU Athletics Hall of Famer. Floyd, a private businessman and founder of Emmy-Award Winning Heart and Hustle Productions, will spearhead efforts in NIL development, branding, strategic planning for the football program and creating a long-term vision.
• BABY BOOM: The Portland State football family has expanded over the past year. Not just with new coaches and players, but with seven new babies born to Portland State coaches since Jun 2025. Five of the seven babies were their family's first child, and three of those were born to coaches who followed Fisk from Central Washington. The full list of new babies is below:
  • Defensive Coordinator Grant Torgerson and wife Olivia had baby boy Cooper, their first child together.
  • Offensive Coordinator Matt Adkins and wife Krista had baby girl Lily, their third child together.
  • Special Teams Coordinator and Safeties Coach Jared Gallatin and wife Miranda had baby boy Colby, their first child together.
  • Cornerbacks Coach Kiante Goudeau and girlfriend Alexis Hernandez had baby boy Trey, their third child together.
  • Defensive Quality Control and Assistant Defensive Line Coach Nick Kernaghan and girlfriend Ashley Doldolea had baby boy Niko, their first child together.
  • Director of Player Personnel Brady Crane and wife Isabella had baby girl Franklin, their first child together.
  • Associate Director of Sports Medicine and Head Football Athletic Trainer Max Munson and wife Teresa Wong had baby boy Caleb, their first child together.

 
OFFENSE NOTES

• AIRING IT OUT: The Vikings passed for 250+ yards in each of their first two games of the season, while they went for 233 yards last Saturday against North Dakota. For comparison, the Vikings only passed for 250+ yards three times last season. The Vikings head into this week ranked fourth in the Big Sky and 21st in the FCS with 260.3 passing yards per game.
• DEEP QUARTERBACK ROOM: The Vikings have started two different quarterbacks in their three games this season. Both played well. Tyrese Smith went over 300 yards of total offense against UC Davis, finishing 23-for-36 for 268 yards passing while rushing for 33 yards and two touchdowns. Gabe Downing, meanwhile, has started the past two games and is completing 59.3 percent of his passes for 256.5 yards per game and four total touchdowns. He has set career highs for completions (31, against San Diego State), yards (280, against San Diego State) and passing touchdowns (3, against North Dakota).
• SCORING FIRST: The Vikings scored first in their first two games of the season. They built a 21-0 lead on UC Davis before the Aggies finally scored in the third quarter. They also led San Diego State 6-0 behind two early field goals before the Aztecs scored. North Dakota became the first team to score first on the Vikings this season as they built a 17-0 lead before the Vikings broke through.
• T-LOVE WAS T-MONEY IN SAN DIEGO: Senior wide receiver Terence Loville, nicknamed T-Love, had a career game at San Diego State on Sept. 5, setting career highs for receptions (10) and receiving yards (119). It was Loville's third-career game with 100+ receiving yards for the Vikings. He followed up with a team-high 71 receiving yards against North Dakota, including a 49-yard pass that set up the Vikings' first touchdown in the game.
• BEAMAN IS BEAMING: Junior tight end Tanner Beaman proposed to girlfriend Tori Forst – herself a member of the Portland State track & field team – a week before fall camp. Beaman proposed to Forst on the same beach that Forst's parents got engaged in Longboat Key, Florida. The happy home life has translated to the football field where Beaman is making his return from injury this season. He set a career high with 63 receiving yards on four receptions at San Diego State. He followed with a career-high eight catches for 55 yards and a touchdown against North Dakota. He ranks eighth in the Big Sky in receptions (5.33) and 17th in receiving yards (52.3) per game.
• ALWAYS THANK YOUR O-LINEMEN: The Vikings only gave up three tackles for loss against San Diego State on Sept. 5. That's an impressive number considering FBS teams usually overpower FCS teams at the line of scrimmage. The Vikings head into this week ranked eighth in the Big Sky and 75th in the FCS while allowing only 6.3 tackles for loss this season.
• NEED TO FINISH: The Vikings were better in the red zone against North Dakota than they were against San Diego State. The Vikings scored touchdowns on two of their three trips against UND, after going just 2-for-5 against San Diego State. Through three games, the Vikings have scored a touchdown on 6-of-11 (.545) trips to the red zone while their opponents have done so on 11-of-16 (.688) trips.
• OUR OBSESSION WITH POSSESSION: The Vikings have won the time of possession battle in all three games so far this season. Against UC Davis, their advantage was 33:56-to-26:04. Against San Diego State, it was 33:25-to-26:35. Against North Dakota, it was narrower, but the Vikings still won the possession battle 30:13-to-29:47. The Vikings head into this week ranked third in the Big Sky and 25th in the FCS in time of possession.
• EXPLOSIVE VIKS: The Viking offense has produced nine plays of 20+ yards through three games this season. Terence Loville, Cru Newman and Delon Thompson all have two explosive plays each. Newman's two includes a 78-yard punt return touchdown at the end of the first quarter against UC Davis. That was the longest punt return touchdown since 2005, when Brendan Ferrigno took one back 91 yards against Eastern Washington.
• WE ROW WITH CRU: Sophomore all-purpose wideout Cru Newman set career highs for all-purpose yards (177), receptions (7) and receiving yards (66) against UC Davis. He followed up with 51 all-purpose yards on nine total touches against San Diego State. Newman totaled over 1,000 all-purpose yards last year as a freshman when he received freshman All-American honors from FCS Football Central and Stats Perform.
• DEPEND ON DELON: An Iron Man for the Vikings in the backfield, Delon Thompson has 1,563 career yards and 15 career rushing touchdowns. Thompson posted the biggest game of his career in the Vikings' win over Cal Poly last season, totaling 184 yards and three touchdowns on the ground to go with 54 yards and a score through the air. So far this season, he ranks seventh in the Big Sky with 62.0 rushing yards per game. He also ranks 17th in the conference with 80.0 all-purpose yards per game. He's averaging 3.80 yards per carry, ranking him 12th in the Big Sky.
• MERRY CHRISTMAS, YA OL' BUILDING AND LOAN: Junior transfer wide receiver Darius Bailey was a 1,000-yard receiver for NCAA Division III Puget Sound last season. He caught 64 passes for 1,028 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Loggers. He caught his first touchdown pass for the Vikings last Saturday, reeling in a 39-yard bomb from Gabe Downing. He has five receptions for 83 yards so far this season.
• BIG PLAY DA: Sophomore wide receiver Devon Anderson caught six passes for 99 yards in his Viking debut against UC Davis. His 38-yard reception in the first quarter helped set up the Vikings' first touchdown of the game. He started against San Diego State but was injured early in the game.
• A LYNCH-PIN: Senior wide receiver Jaylen Lynch is the active career leader for the Vikings in games played (39) and games started (17). Lynch ranks third among active players for the Vikings with 518 career receiving yards.
• EXPERIENCE IS A PLUS: On offense, the Vikings have experience. In fact, all three quarterbacks who saw significant action, the top running back, two of the top three receivers and top tight end return. In addition, three starters on the offensive line and one part-time starter are back… Junior quarterback John-Keawe Sagapolutele (148-261-16-1,623-4TD), sophomore quarterback Tyrese Smith (40-69-4-551-2TD, 98-405-6 rushing) and junior quarterback Gabe Downing (15-26-2-140-0) are experienced signal callers… Junior running back Delon Thompson (191-662-7 rushing, 22-217-1 receiving) led the Vikings in rushing and has over 1,300 career yards on the ground… Senior wide receiver Terence Loville (33-517-1) was given an NCAA waiver for an additional year of eligibility after leading the Vikings in receiving yards last year… Sophomore wide receiver and kick returner Cru Newman (29-302-0, 12-70-1 rushing, 669 return yards) proved to be the Vikings top all-purpose player, earning Freshman All-American and Honorable Mention All-Big Sky honors… Junior tight end Tanner Beaman was a 2024 second team All-Big Sky Conference selection and preseason All-Big Sky choice in 2025. Unfortunately, a foot injury ended his season before it started. He will be back to full health in 2026… the offensive line returns starters senior James Minot (12 starts), sophomore Pule Leatigaga (11 starts), senior Semisi Latu (8 starts) and redshirt freshman Juan Pasillas-Stanton (4 starts).

 
DEFENSE NOTES

• BALL HAWKS: The Vikings have forced five turnovers already this season between three interceptions and two fumbles. The five total turnovers rank them fourth in the Big Sky and 25th in the FCS for turnovers gained.
• STOUT START AGAINST UC DAVIS: The Vikings' 21-0 halftime lead against UC Davis on Aug. 29 was thanks to a standout defensive effort through the first 30 minutes of the game. The Vikings held the Aggies to just four first downs and 84 total yards in the first half.
• BEND DON'T BREAK AGAINST UND: Through two games, Portland State opponents were scoring touchdowns on eight of their 10 trips to the red zone. But the Vikings held UND to just three touchdowns on six trips last Saturday. UND kicked a field goal on one of the other three trips, while the Vikings got an interception and a stop on downs on the other two.
• RUSH DEFENSE: The Vikings' rush defense opened the season by holding UC Davis to only 87 yards despite the Aggies returning All-Big Sky honorable mention running back Jordan Fisher. The Vikings' last two opponents have had an easier time of it, though. San Diego State rushed for 237 yards and four touchdowns against the Vikings, while North Dakota netted 291 yards and two touchdowns on the ground last Saturday.
• LEADING TACKLERS: Junior linebacker Logan Lisherness leads the Vikings with 22 total tackles this season. Jaxton Helmstetler and Lono Solomon rank tied for second with 19 total tackles each, while Isaac Redford is fourth with 17.
• WE LIKE IKE: Junior safety Isaac Redford – nicknamed Ike – has picked off passes in back-to-back games. He had one in the first quarter against San Diego State, then followed with a third-quarter interception last week against North Dakota. Redford now ranks second in the Big Sky and sixth in the FCS with 0.67 interceptions per game. He also ranks third in the conference and 21st in the FCS with 1.33 pass breakups per game.
• SONG OF SOLOMON: Freshman safety Lono Solomon recorded the first 10-tackle game by a Viking this season with 10 total tackles against North Dakota last Saturday. Solomon had 1.5 tackles for loss while adding two pass break ups Saturday. He now ranks tied for eighth in the Big Sky with 0.33 sacks per game, while he's tied for 18th in the conference with 6.33 total tackles per game.
• DUCSIK IS A DUDE: Freshman defensive end Avery Ducsik ranks second on the team with 2.0 tackles for loss through the first three games of the season. He had a sack against UC Davis on Aug. 29, while he recovered a fumble against San Diego State.
• BIG MAN INTERCEPTION: Junior defensive tackle Eddie Vega collected a tipped ball from Brogan De'Asis against UC Davis for the first interception of his career. The interception came along with three tackles for Vega in the game.
• NEW LOOK DEFENSE: On defense, the Vikings lost a number of players to graduation and the transfer portal, particularly on the line. Including redshirts, 20 players return on that side of the football… leading the way is veteran senior linebacker Jaxton Helmstetler (71 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, fumble recovery for touchdown), a starter in all 12 games… the Vikings return eight defensive backs… three of the eight returning defensive linemen were redshirts in 2025… two of the six returning linebackers were also redshirts.
• CENTRAL MEN: The Vikings added two transfers from Fisk's former team at Central Washington that figure to make an impact on defense. Junior linebacker Logan Lisherness and senior defensive end Brogan De'Asis both followed Fisk to Portland State. Lisherness was a second-team All-Lone Star Conference selection last season when he ranked third on the team with 49 total tackles. Lisherness also ranked tied for second on the team with 9.0 tackles for loss. De'Asis, meanwhile, played in all 12 games last season, totaling 19 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.
• SAFETY MEASURES: The back of the Vikings' secondary will be a sea of new faces as the Vikings added transfers Terahiti Wolfe (Montana), Isaac Redford (Eastern Washington), Gio Kafentzis (Utah State) and Nash Burkart (Sacramento State). Redford had two interceptions for the Eagles last season. Kafentzis recorded a pick for the Aggies against Washington State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
• D3 TO D1 ON D: The Vikings added three additions on defense from NCAA Division III schools in the Portland area. Two came from Lewis & Clark in Solomon McDaniel and Kekama Cosma, while a third came from Pacific (Ore.) in Quincy Springs.

 
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• EMILIANO IS EAGER TO PROVE HIMSELF: The most resilient kid on the team through three weeks of the season may be freshman punter Emiliano Rodriguez. He shook off two sour games to start his season – a fumbled snap on a punt against UC Davis, and two blocked punts against San Diego State – to record a strong game against North Dakota. Rodriguez had five punts go for an average of 49.0 yards, two of which were downed inside the five. He had a career-long 57-yard punt downed at the one. Rodriguez now ranks sixth in the Big Sky with an average of 42.0 yards per punt.
• A MAN WITH THREE NAMES GETTING US THREE POINTS: Junior kicker Joshua Hossmann missed field goals from 42 and 36 yards last Saturday against North Dakota. He had been 3-for-3 before that with a long of 35 yards against San Diego State. Hossmann Lees still ranks fourth in the Big Sky and 32nd nationally with 1.00 field goals made per game.
• ONE MAN WRECKING CRU: Sophomore all-purpose wideout Cru Newman took a punt return 78 yards for a touchdown in the Vikings' season opener against UC Davis. Newman leads the Big Sky and ranks fifth in the FCS with a punt return average of 22.2 yards per attempt.
• NOT SO NICE: The Vikings' two blocked punts at San Diego State mean they rank 11th in the Big Sky for blocked kicks allowed.