Big Plays Burn Viks
Idaho scores five first-half touchdowns, holds off Portland State in thriller
Portland State scored on five of its last seven possessions, mounting a furious comeback against Idaho that fell inches short on a Hail Mary attempt, sending the Viks to a 42-35 loss at the Kibbie Dome.
The Viks fell behind early, unable to pin down Idaho in the first half. The Vandals ripped off touchdowns of 41, 42 and 46 yards in their first four possessions and scored two other touchdowns that were aided by a 46- and 22-yard runs into the red zone.
In total, the Vandals scored five first-half touchdowns in six possessions and took a 35-7 lead.
“We started slow again," PSU coach Bruce Barnum told GoViks.com. "We all have to find a way to get off the bus, hit the stadium and go. We have to find a way to start like we end, offense, defense and special teams.”
“We have to be able to bring four quarters together, from an energy standpoint and the speed of the game. We're a good team when we play four quarters. When we slog through the early parts, it hurts us. We know the problem. We can fix it. We can score. We can stop people.”
Portland State used an untimed down at the end of the half to their advantage, with Davis Alexander finding Beau Kelly for an 11-yard touchdown on his favorite play, waiting for the speedy, 5-foot-9 receiver to work free under the goalposts and firing a pass through a jumbled defense for the score, cutting the Vandals lead to 35-14 at the break.
That score was the beginning of a run for the Viks, who finally locked down on defense and began to break through the Idaho front.
Alexander opened the fourth quarter with a short touchdown run, then, after a three-and-out, found Mataio Talalemotu for a 71-yard touchdown and cut the Idaho lead to one score.
Idaho briefly broke the Viks mojo, getting loose for another big play that set up a short touchdown to extended its lead back to 42-28.
Alexander turned to Talelemotu again, connecting with the speedy junior three times for 54 yards, the last a 26-yard touchdown to get back within a touchdown of the Vandals.
With Idaho milking the clock and PSU out of timeouts with just 35 seconds remaining, VJ Malo forced a fumble to get the Viks the ball back. Alexander quickly pushed the ball to midfield and had a heave towards the end zone but it was knocked short.
Alexander finished with a career-best 424 yards passing and four touchdowns. Talelemotu, earning his first start since the opener at Hawaii after dealing with a hamstring injury, finished with 196 yards receiving, the most by a Viks wideout since 2013. Beau Kelly had seven catches for 119 yards and still leads the Big Sky in catches, yards and receiving TDs. Malik Walker ran for 132 yards, breaking the century mark for the first time this season.
Portland State (2-4 overall, 1-2 Big Sky) had 588 yards of offense, outgaining Idaho (2-3, 1-1) in the loss, but will need to shore up its defense ahead of next week’s game against a newly-intriguing Idaho State squad.
AROUND THE BIG SKY
Chaos reigned in the FCS on Saturday night and the Big Sky wasn’t immune.
Previously winless Idaho State (1-4 overall, 1-2 Big Sky) knocked off No. 7 UC Davis 27-17 in a game that wasn’t all that close. The Bengals dominated the first half, leading 24-3 at the break, and never let up, securing their first win over a top-five opponent since 2005. (Idaho State Journal)
UC Davis (5-1, 2-1) joined a slew of top-ranked FCS teams to fall on the night, with No. 8 Southern Illinois beating No. 2 South Dakota State, 42-41; No. 11 Villanova beating No. 3 James Madison, 28-27; and No. 18 Rhode Island beat No. 9 Delaware 22-15.
The losses leave a case for a number of Big Sky teams to make a leap in the rankings this week, led by No. 4 Eastern Washington (6-0, 3-0), which dominated Northern Colorado (2-4, 1-2) in a 63-17 rout. It’s the first 6-0 start for the Eagles since 1967. (Spokane Spokesman-Review)
No. 10 Montana State (5-1, 3-0) also made a case to make a substantial jump this week, staying unbeaten in FCS play with a 45-7 win over Cal Poly (1-5, 0-3). The schedule picks up for the Bobcats next week, when they play at No. 19 Weber State on Friday night. (406 Sports)
No. 6 Montana (4-1, 1-1) led Dixie State just 3-0 at halftime but pulled away for a 31-14 victory behind the arm of reserve quarterback Kris Brown. (Missoulian)
In the late game, Sacramento State (3-2, 2-0) held Southern Utah (1-5, 0-3) to just 43 yards rushing in a 41-20 blowout victory. (AP)
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