Portland State University Athletics

OGDEN, Utah — The first win of a new era was never going to be easy.
 
The Portland State football team found a way Saturday, delivering the first win under head coach Chris Fisk after Joshua Hossmann Lees hit a 41-yard field goal as time expired to beat Weber State, 44-41, at Stewart Stadium.
 
It capped a resilient showing from the Vikings (1-4). They led by as many as 21 points in the first half and 17 points in the second half before the Wildcats (2-3) stormed back to tie it late. The comeback brought back memories of the Vikings' season-opening loss to UC Davis when they led 21-0 at halftime but lost 31-24.
 
Fisk said his team needed to learn how to win after that loss. Saturday, they corrected those mistakes and made the plays to win. No play was bigger than an interception and 32-yard return from Terahiti Wolfe with Weber State driving in Portland State territory with less than a minute remaining. Wolfe's pick – his second of the day – flipped the field for the Vikings and gave the Vikings a chance to drive for the winning field goal.
 
Delon Thompson rushed twice for 21 yards – capping the first 200-yard game of his career – to put the Vikings at the Weber State 24-yard line with two seconds remaining. Hossmann Lees then stepped up and put the ball through the uprights for the win.
 
It was the first time the Vikings had won on a game's final play since Oct. 15, 2005. Coincidentally, that game also ended 44-41 and was also won on a last-second field goal. Twenty-one years ago, it was Eric Azorr delivering the win. Saturday it was Hossmann Lees.
 
The game-winner and the plays that led up to it were indicative of the mental toughness the Vikings showed throughout Saturday's game. Weber State out-gained the Vikings by close to 300 yards (703-to-409) but the Vikings countered with six turnovers between three fumble recoveries and three interceptions. They also twice stopped the Wildcats on downs within their own five-yard line.
 
The six turnovers are the most by a Viking defense since Nov. 20, 2004, when they also forced six turnovers in a 38-21 win over UC Davis. The last two turnovers both ended drives into PSU territory in the fourth quarter.
 
Besides Wolfe, Marcellous Ryan picked off a ball early in the third quarter that set up a PSU touchdown two plays later. Jaxton Helmstetler recovered two fumbles while Brogan De'Asis got the other. Avery Ducsik forced two of the three fumbles, while Isaac Redford – who also led the Vikings with 13 total tackles (10 solo) – forced the other.
 
The Viking offense, meanwhile, ate up yardage on the ground behind Thompson. The junior running back set a career high with 213 rushing yards while scoring three touchdowns on the ground. Thompson had three rushes of 20+ yards during the game. That included touchdowns from 35 and 33 yards out, as well as a long of 57 yards in the fourth quarter.
 
The Vikings finished with 248 total yards on the ground Saturday. That was more than double their previous season high of 111 against North Dakota on Sept. 12. Besides Thompson, Cru Newman rushed five times for 46 yards, including a 34-yard gain that helped set up the Vikings' final score of the first half.
 
The Vikings also got big plays out of their special teams as Zui Shelton took a kickoff back 95 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter that answered Weber State's first score of the game. Shelton became the first Viking to return a kickoff for a touchdown since Christian Grubb took one back 99 yards against Cal Poly on Sept. 23, 2023.
 
John-Keawe Sagapolutele finished 9-for-24 for 161 yards and a touchdown while starting at quarterback. Terence Loville caught five passes for a career-high 130 yards from Sagapolutele, including a 58-yard touchdown that gave the Vikings their largest lead of the game at 28-7 with 5:33 remaining in the second quarter.
 
Weber State clawed back within seven by halftime. The Vikings pushed the lead back out to 17 with a field goal and a 33-yard touchdown from Thompson within the first four minutes of the second half. Weber State freshman quarterback Nate Dahle led the Wildcats back from there. A 30-yard touchdown from Dahle to Noah Kjar tied the game at 41-41 with 1:53 remaining.
 
A three-and-out by the Vikings on three quick incompletions gave the Wildcats the ball back with 1:24 remaining and a chance to drive for a winning score from their own 33-yard line. But Wolfe, Thompson and Hossmann Lees answered the call down the stretch.
 
Another question that lingered over the Vikings ahead of Saturday's game was how they would come out of their four-game gauntlet to open the season that saw them play two FCS top 10 teams (UC Davis, North Dakota) and two FBS programs (San Diego State, Oregon).
 
The answer? Just fine. A resilient win over the Wildcats – the first of a new era – showed that.
 
GAME NOTES:

• The Vikings improved to 16-25 all-time against Weber State and 10-15 against the Wildcats in Big Sky play following Saturday's win. It was the Vikings' first win over the Wildcats since a 30-18 victory over a ranked Weber State team in 2021. That win also came at Stewart Stadium.
• Thompson became the first Viking to rush for 200 yards since Dante Chachere rushed for 202 against Idaho State on Oct. 12, 2024.
• Hossmann Lees finished 3-for-3 on field goals Saturday. The 41-yard game-winner was his second from 40+ yards in the game. He also hit a 42-yard field goal with 11:47 in the third quarter.

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