Portland State University Athletics

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The differences between FBS and FCS teams get debated endlessly. But Saturday, the differences between San Diego State (FBS) and Portland State (FCS) came down to two key areas.
 
Special Teams. And finishing drives.
 
The Aztecs (1-0) did a better job of both as they rode that to a 53-20 victory over the Vikings (0-2) at Snapdragon Stadium.
 
The Vikings equated themselves well in other areas. They out-gained the Aztecs through the air (280-to-157), passed and rushed for more first downs (20-to-18), outscored the Aztecs off turnovers (17-to-7), and won the time of possession battle (33:25-to-26:35). But the Aztecs owned the ground, out-rushing the Vikings 237-to-95. They also put five of seven red zone trips in the end zone while the Vikings only did so twice on five trips.
 
The Aztecs benefited from some short fields. They blocked two punts, leading to touchdown drives of one and 30 yards, respectively. Additionally, the Aztecs returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown that pushed their lead back out to three touchdowns after the Vikings scored early in the third quarter.
 
The Vikings could have changed the outlook of the game early if they had found the end zone rather than settling for field goals. They got a stop on the Aztecs' opening drive of the game, then took the ball 60 yards to the San Diego State five-yard line before stalling and kicking a 22-yard field goal.
 
Isaac Redford intercepted a ball from San Diego State's Jayden Denegal on the ensuing drive. Back-to-back connections between Gabe Downing and Terence Loville went for 29 total yards and put the Vikings back in San Diego State territory. The two connected again a few players later that gave the Vikings a first down at the San Diego State 25-yard line. But the drive stalled from there and the Vikings settled for another field goal, this one from 35 yards.
 
The Vikings led 6-0 at that point, when they would have much rather been leading 14-0.
 
The Vikings drove into San Diego State territory again in the second quarter with the Aztecs leading 14-6. Downing and Loville connected for a 30-yard completion to set the Vikings up just outside the red zone. They then had a fourth-and-1 from the San Diego State 15, but two Vikings ran into each other behind the line of scrimmage, and they turned the ball over on downs.
 
The Vikings earned back some momentum early in the second half when Jonah Henry jumped on a muffed punt return at the San Diego State 10-yard line. Two plays later Downing found Loville for a touchdown that got the Vikings back within two scores at 29-13.
 
But the Aztecs immediately responded with their kickoff return for a touchdown, and the Vikings never got closer the rest of the way.
 
Downing went 31-for-52 for 280 passing yards and a touchdown while making just the second start of his career. He also rushed for a one-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Downing's 52 pass attempts were the most by a Viking quarterback since 2017.
 
Loville – Downing's primary target throughout Saturday's game – set career highs for receptions (10) and receiving yards (119). Tanner Beaman also finished with a career-high 63 receiving yards on four receptions.  
 
Logan Lisherness led the Viking defense with nine tackles. Lono Solomon and Jaxton Helmstetler followed with seven each.
 
The Vikings return home for their next game, as they host another top 10 team in the FCS in North Dakota. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sept. 12.
 
GAME NOTES:

• The Vikings fell to 0-2 all-time against the Aztecs. The only other time the teams had played was in 2007, a 52-17 Aztec victory in San Diego.
• The Vikings are now 4-51 all-time against FBS opponents. They have lost 19 in a row. Their last win over an FBS opponent was a 66-7 thrashing of North Texas in 2015 that's still the largest FCS-over-FBS win in the history of the two subdivisions.
• The Vikings battled to a stalemate (3-to-3) in the turnover battle for the second straight game. Besides Redford's interception and Henry's fumble recovery, Avery Ducsik had a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter.

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