Can Viks sneak up in Seattle?
Washington poses Portland State football biggest test of the season; XC dominates Rust Buster
Bruce Barnum joked that this would be a recruiting trip. Field-facing play cards, meant to keep the offense humming and the opposition confused in hurry-up sets, would be adorned Saturday at Husky Stadium in Seattle with opposing backups and NIL deals featuring Dot’s Pretzels.
A lighthearted hint at the talent advantage held by Washington, the quip hides the very real threat that Portland State poses this week.
Undone by late penalties and poor decisions in the season opener at San Jose State, the Viks showed they are more than good enough to knock off an FBS opponent. Big Sky compatriot Montana showed last season that the Huskies, still with many of the same players on the roster, can be pushed around by a game FCS side.
Barnum backed away from any comparisons to Montana when asked this week, citing the change in coaching staff at Washington and the different type of personnel on his roster from the squad in Missoula, but with Washington staring down a massive game against No. 14 Michigan State next week, could this be the time to catch the Huskies?
If the Huskies are vulnerable at all, it will likely be in the defensive secondary, a key matchup with Portland State’s strength in the skill positions and pass protection. Both of Washington’s starting corners from last season were drafted in the top 40 picks of the NFL Draft this spring as underclassmen, leaving the position thin. It was only made thinner when UC Davis transfer Jordan Perryman went down with an injury in the opener, a knock that could limit the two-time All-Big Sky corner this week despite being listed at the top of the depth chart.
UW is unlikely to break out any new schemes or packages ahead of the game against Michigan State, while the Huskies coaching staff said they aren’t hiding anything this week, Barnum said what he saw is still very impressive.
“Watching them from snap one, you saw a disciplined football team that didn’t make a lot of mistakes,” Barnum said. “I like their quarterback. And they’re fast. They have make-up speed. Not just one of their guys. All across the board.”
Washington’s pass protection was stellar last week against Kent State, not allowing a hit on starter Michael Penix, something that will be tested against a Portland State front that wreaked havoc in San Jose.
The Viks combined for seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss and held SJSU to 49 yards rushing in the game, an average of just 1.7 yards per carry.
While its line played great against the pass rush, Washington netted just 132 yards rushing against Kent State.
Portland State also has things to clean up. In addition to the penalties, the Viks would like to get their own run game going, with most of the rushing yards coming from quarterback Dante Chachere. PSU expects to have a few more running backs healthy for this week which could add to the fray.
With 18 players from the greater Seattle metro area on the roster, the Viks are expected to bring more players than usual on this trip to experience the hometown crowd.
The game is scheduled to kick at 1 p.m. PT and will be televised on the Pac-12 Network. Audio of the game is available online here.
PRO VIKS
Montreal has given a vote of confidence to former Portland State quarterback Davis Alexander.
Even as the Alouettes hesitate to play the rookie signal caller in the regular season, he’s performed well enough in practice for the Als to clear out a roster spot for him. Montreal traded former Eastern Washington quarterback Vernon Davis to BC last week, making Alexander the designated backup to veteran Trevor Harris.
“It shows what the coaches think of me. But hey, I still have a ton of things to learn. I will try to evolve as an athlete with Trevor and Dominique (Davis) while making sure to push them,” Alexander said in an interview this week.
Later in the article, he also noted he’s not sold on poutine just yet. So, I’d say mixed results on the Montreal experience, so far.
Former Viking Kameron Canaday worked out as a long snapper for the Falcons this week, looking to potentially join the reserve roster.
Currently, there are no Portland State players on an NFL roster for the first time since 2004.
ACROSS THE BIG SKY
Idaho put a scare into its FBS neighbors Washington State last week, and much like Portland State, will look to finish off their second paycheck game of the season at Indiana.
The Vandals, who come in at No. 5 in the initial Big Sky power poll, present the most obvious candidate for a major upset this week, but the conference will have a number of hacks at the FBS, including: Eastern Washington at Oregon; and Weber State at Utah State in a Beehive State clash.
UC Davis will have a chance at a different kind of upset, playing at No. 2 South Dakota State in one of the nation’s best FCS games of the week.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 10
South Dakota at No. 3 Montana, 12:30 p.m., ESPN+
Morehead State at No. 4 Montana State, 12:30 PT, ESPN+
Northern Colorado at Wyoming, 1 p.m., themw.com/watch
San Diego at Cal Poly, 2 p.m., ESPN+
NAU at Sam Houston State, 3 p.m., ESPN+
Weber State at Utah State, 4 p.m., themw.com/watch
Idaho at Indiana, 5 p.m., BTN
Idaho State at San Diego State, 5 p.m., themw.com/watch
No. 12 EWU at Oregon, 5:30 p.m., Pac 12 Networks
UC Davis at No. 2 South Dakota State, 6 p.m., ESPN+
IDLE: No. 7 Sacramento State
SATURDAY, SEPT. 3
Montana State 40, McNeese State 17
Montana 47, Northwestern State 0
Sacramento State 56, Utah Tech 33
Eastern Washington 36, Tennessee State 29
Cal 34, UC Davis 13
Houston Baptist 46, Northern Colorado 34
Washington State 24, Idaho 17
AROUND THE BLOCKS
A special feat deserves a special honor.
Junior distance runner Tatum Miller became the first PSU athlete to win the annual season-opening Rust Buster meet, leading the Viks women to a first-ever sweep of the individual and team titles at the event.
For her troubles, Miller was named conference athlete of the week:
Keynan Abdi finished second overall in the men’s event to lead the Viks to second place team finish behind University of Portland.
Volleyball had another tough weekend that ended in a 1-2 record against a field of high-ranking programs. They’ll get another tall task on Friday against Utah State, which is receiving votes in the national poll.
Soccer hosts Hawaii and North Dakota this weekend looking to breakthrough with its first Division I win of the season.
Golf is back and headed to slightly cooler weather in the higher elevations:
Women’s basketball added another name to the staff, bringing in Kaylynn Bush as director of basketball operations. Bush is a former grad assistant at Bushnell University in Eugene. The Viks now have a full five-coach bench for the first time since 2019-20.
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
Fittingly for this week’s opponent, the first time Portland State played a Pac-10 team was 29 years ago to the date on Sept. 10, 1983, when the Viks lost to Oregon State, 51-14, in front of a then-record 26,102 fans at Civic Stadium in Portland.
Portland State didn’t play the Beavers again until 2005 and wouldn’t play Oregon until 1994.
The Viks have lost their only two meetings against Washington, falling 52-13 in 2012 and 41-3 in 2016.
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