'Don't Label Yourself As 0-3': Viks look to regain form in home opener
Football turns page on tough September with opportunity to regain footing on three-game homestand
“We can win every Saturday from here on out.”
Bruce Barnum didn’t waver in his confidence of a team that has started the season 0-3 in the face of one of the toughest opening stretches in the Big Sky Conference.
Portland State is still has a lot to play for, and a lot of games left on the schedule, most against much more favorable competition.
“Our September was a bitch,” Barnum said in his weekly radio spot. “(The team) has to realize that. Don’t look at your record. Don’t label yourself as 0-3. You can’t. You have to have a short memory. We have eight games left, we can still earn more. Now you’re facing a team that isn’t ranked, that’s in your conference. Let’s go.”
A unique homecoming that coincides with the latest home opener since 2010, the Viks will be facing their first team unranked in the FBS or FCS polls in more than a month, hosting Northern Arizona at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium.
The Lumberjacks have had an up-and-down start to the season, beating 2020 national champion Sam Houston State in Texas after a payday loss at Arizona State, falling just short in a 27-24 loss against North Dakota, then getting demolished by Idaho, 27-10, last week in their Big Sky opener, dropping to 0-3 in the state of Arizona.
NAU is led by a young, talented lineup led by sophomore quarterback RJ Martinez, who is completing 62% of his passes this season. He has been uncharacteristically off the mark this season, throwing just three touchdowns to five interceptions after posting a 14-2 ratio as a freshman.
Slot receiver Colman Owen is his top target, though he’s also heavily targeted bigger outside receivers Hendrix Johnson and Jamal Glaspie.
The Jacks are last in the league in rushing and scoring offense but have held up surprisingly well on the offensive line despite those numbers, allowing just five sacks in four games.
This is the first time the two teams have met since 2019 and the first time ever NAU will play at Hillsboro Stadium, the Jacks last visiting in 2017 before the move to the suburbs.
ACROSS THE BIG SKY
Three Big Sky teams now occupy the top five spots in the FCS media poll, though none will square off this week.
The biggest game in the conference is one that could pose the biggest upset.
No. 4 Montana State, which has won a nation-leading 14 -straight games at home, will see that streak tested against UC Davis.
The Bobcats will be playing their backup quarterback after preseason offensive player of the year Tommy Mellott was sidelined with a head injury in last week’s victory at Eastern Washington. They’ll also continue to be out their top three running backs in a blow to the options for backup Sean Chambers.
The Aggies boast one of the most prolific passing attacks in the conference this season and have near upsets of No. 2 South Dakota State and No. 8 Weber State already this season, holding both to their lowest scoring outputs against an FCS side.
Elsewhere, No. 3 Montana brings its juggernaut into Pocatello against the team that least needs a visit from the Griz right now.
Northern Colorado will try to extend its two-game winning streak at an Idaho side that is flirting with the top 25.
No. 20 Eastern Washington is getting a big payday of $750,000 to travel to the other end of the map and play at Florida. The game was pushed back to Sunday to give the grounds crews time to prepare the Swamp and avoid any leftover weather from Hurricane Ian, which struck the region earlier this week.
Saturday, Oct. 1
No. 3 Montana at Idaho State, Noon PT, ESPN+
Northern Arizona at Portland State, 2 p.m., ESPN+
No. 5 Sacramento State at Cal Poly, 5 p.m., ESPN+
Northern Colorado at Idaho, 6 p.m., ESPN+
UC Davis at No. 4 Montana State, 7:15 p.m., ESPN+
Sunday, Oct. 2
No. 20 Eastern Washington at Florida, 9 a.m. PT, ESPN+
AROUND THE BLOCKS
Volleyball couldn’t keep its streak alive, losing to defending Big Sky champ Northern Colorado on Thursday. The Viks couldn’t recover after dropping a marathon opening set, losing 3-0.
They’ll get a chance to get back on the positive end at NAU on Saturday.
Golf had its best score in three years thanks to a blazing second round 68 from Tya Seth, who finished second overall at the Eagle Invitational in Spokane.
Seth finished a tournament-best 3-under on par 3s and Bayler Brundage hit one of five eagles at the event to lead the Viks to a third-place team finish in the nine-team field.
Cross country is headed to Salem for a pair of races on Saturday and the Viks soccer team will look to remain undefeated in conference play when it hosts Sac State on Sunday.
Softball heads down the coast to start its fall ball schedule, starting a campaign where they will once again be a favorite in the Big Sky.
The softball team is also the highlight of the incoming PSU Hall of Fame class, with standout pitcher Anna Bertrand and the 1991 team that finished third in the nation getting honored this year. Other inductees include Jeremiah Dominguez, who led the Viks men’s basketball team to a pair of NCAA appearances in 2008 and 2009, and Terry Charles, who helped lead the Viks to the FCS playoffs in 2000.
Speaking of PSU Hall of Famers, Ime Udoka is back in the news this week, though not for the coaching that brought him acclaim this spring.
The Boston Celtics suspended Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season for what has been described as an intra-office relationship gone wrong, though few other details have been released. Udoka has accepted the suspension and his staff, mostly Portland guys, seems to be sticking with him through the debacle.
It’s unclear if Udoka will keep his job after the suspension is lifted or if the Celtics will welcome him back next summer.
On a brighter note in the NBA, people who buy a ticket to the Portland Trail Blazers game on Nov. 2 will also receive a ticket to the Portland State football game against Northern Colorado on Nov. 5. A great bit of cross promotion from the biggest game in town.
On that note, the athletics department has brought on a marketing guru who will handle future ticket promotions and fan engagement campaigns.
The Viks also announced an NIL program called The Shipyard.
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