Football a hit again at Providence Park
Portland showed it can hold a different type of event downtown, still a cursed venue for Montana State
Montana State doesn’t have the best record at Providence Park.
The last time the Bobcats played in the venue, in 2015, Portland State hung 59 points on them, the most they’d surrendered in nearly a decade.
Facing Oregon State in the first football game played in the building since 2018, No. 4 MSU gave up its most points since 2008, falling to the Beavers, 68-28.
Oregon State, which entered as 17-point favorites, scored 10 touchdowns in the game and never needed to punt, controlling all three phases of the game. The Beavers defense held MSU to 101 yards passing and three interceptions and the special teams unit added a punt return touchdown for good luck.
Montana State had a few highlights, notably a 98-yard kick return for a touchdown by Marqui Johnson and three rushing touchdowns from fourth-string running back Sean Chambers. (Bozeman Daily Chronicle recap/Skyline Sports recap)
The stadium was the star of the show, with most fans praising the noise level and atmosphere at the historic stadium.
There were notable concessions made by the field crew in preparing the field.
The midfield logo, while large, was only laid out in white, making it easier to remove and less likely to stain the turf. The same went for the yard markers and field numbers, placed only in outlines. The sidelines and endlines were laid as thin as possible.
That would seem to be easily replicable for Portland State, whose colors already fit the profile and whose logo is more vertical and would use less paint.
The Portland Timbers and Thorns both played away matches on the following day, so reports of field quality complaints will have to wait at least until Wednesday, when the Thorns return to play the first of two games in a week at the venue.
The reminder that Providence Park is a fantastic football stadium in addition to being one of the nation’s best soccer venues should help grease the wheels in City Hall, though whether Portland State will be the beneficiary of this weekend’s spectacle remains to be seen.
What’s clear is football is viable in the remodeled Providence Park and it can clearly draw crowds downtown. There’s no reason that five games can’t be played there every fall.
ACROSS THE BIG SKY
The newest Big Sky power rankings are out and tiers are starting to form ahead of Big Sky play opening next weekend.
No. 3 Montana cruised to a 49-14 victory at Indiana State on the back of another tremendous defensive performance. It was just their fifth ever regular-season trip to the Eastern Time Zone, most of their appearances that far from home forced by the playoffs.
The Griz have outclassed every opponent on their schedule to date and look to be legit national title contenders, especially on defense. (Missoulian)
No. 12 Weber State backed up its drubbing of FBS neighbor Utah State by embarrassing its cross-state compatriots Utah Tech, 44-14. After blanking Southern Utah last year, it seems that in-state big dogs Utah and BYU might not be inviting the Ogden Cats to hang out any time soon. (Ogden Standard-Examiner)
No. 8 Sacramento State has been untouchable on offense and burned perennial power Northern Iowa 37-21 on the road on Saturday. (Sacramento Bee)
Northern Arizona nearly knocked off No. 22 North Dakota in the first meeting between the schools since the Hawks left the Big Sky, falling 27-24 on a touchdown in the final minute. (Arizona Daily Sun)
UC Davis had a record crowd of 14,392 fans on hand for a 43-13 beat down of San Diego. (Davis Enterprise)
After two close losses to FBS schools, Idaho finally notched a win in its return to the Kibbie Dome, dominating Drake in a 42-14 victory. (Moscow-Pullman Daily News)
Northern Colorado intercepted a Lamar pass with 15 seconds to play to seal a 21-14 victory, the Bears’ first win of the season. (Greeley Tribune)
Cal Poly couldn’t keep pace at South Dakota, falling on the road 38-21. (San Luis Obispo Tribune)
Vibes are pretty low in Pocatello, Idaho State losing its third straight game to start the season by dropping the home opener to Central Arkansas, 31-16, in a newly-renovated Holt Arena. (Idaho State Journal)
Thanks for reading Big Sky Valhalla. More later this week, including new additions to the men’s basketball roster and the volleyball team getting an early season bounce. Subscribe to the free newsletter to get all the latest directly to your inbox.