“Every time you win the next week is bigger.”
Portland State football coach Bruce Barnum knows the challenge that is ahead of his team the next few weeks, beginning with a trip to No. 24 Weber State on Saturday.
The Viks have powered through the last month, scoring at least 30 points in their last three games while posting enviable stats on both sides of the ball.
Beau Kelly leads the Big Sky in every countable receiving metric. VJ Malo is first or second in sacks, forced fumbles and tackles for loss. Anthony Adams and Tyreese Shakir are among the league leaders in takeaways. Davis Alexander is second in passing. Malik Walker was averaged more than five yards a carry the last three weeks and was just named Big Sky co-offensive player of the week. Nate Bennett was named to a list of the top freshmen in the country.
The Viks (4-4 overall, 3-2 Big Sky) have won three of their last four football games but it’s come against four teams with a combined two wins in conference this season.
The competition turns starkly this weekend, beginning with the four-time defending Big Sky champs on the road and continuing with two teams currently ranked in the top 20 nationally, No. 16 Sacramento State and No. 5 Eastern Washington.
“I’m curious to see how we play against this type of team,” Barnum said.
“We had an opportunity (against Montana State). That was a close game. We needed to make a couple less mistakes to get the win. Now we have that opportunity three weeks in a row. It starts in Ogden with Weber.”
Weber State (4-4, 3-2) enters with the same record as the Viks but got there in a far different manner.
The Wildcats opened the season with a brutally tough schedule, playing four teams currently ranked in the top eight nationally (No. 3 James Madison, No. 4 Montana State, No. 5 Eastern Washington, No. 8 UC Davis), going 1-3 in that stretch, including 0-3 in Ogden. They were close in each contest, losing two by one possession before finally getting over the hump in a 35-34 win at EWU.
Weber appeared to slog through a game against Idaho State last week, leading the winless Bengals by only three points midway through the third quarter, but flipped the game on its head when kick returner Rashid Shaheed went coast-to-coast. The Wildcats would eventually run away with a 40-17 victory.
Wildcats coach Jay Hill called Shaheed a, “demoralizing weapon” to have on hand.
Barnum is aware of the threat he poses in the game.
“I’ve watched every game,” Barnum said. “Some teams have surprised me with how they handle him. Maybe I’m not a very good coach. To me this game is too simple. I’m going to try not to let him touch the football. Why do I want to test that guy?
“That’s the gameplan. They’re probably wondering how we’re going to handle him. I’ll tell Weber right now. I’m going to do everything in my power to not have him touch the football.”
An equally dangerous threat is the Wildcats defense, which has held Big Sky opponents to 17 points or fewer in four of five contests this season. The only team to crack the unit has been EWU, the nation’s best offense led by a likely Payton Award winner at quarterback.
“Everybody on their defense runs to the football,” Barnum said. “They’re strong, they’re aggressive. They’ll intimidate. They start off in man and if you can’t beat it, they’re going to run it the rest of the game. They’re going to run it until you can get them out of it. That’s the challenge.”
In a quirk of scheduling, this will be the first time the Viks have played Weber State since 2017, a 63-17 Wildcats win at Providence Park, the Viks last loss downtown.
While on paper the game would tend toward a lower-scoring affair, this series has been littered by shootouts. The teams have combined for more than 65 points six times in nine meetings since 2007, the year the teams met in the highest scoring game in Division I history, a 73-68 Weber State victory.
AROUND THE BIG SKY
There’s another top five matchup in the Big Sky this week, with No. 4 Montana State (7-1 overall, 5-0 Big Sky) and No. 5 Eastern Washington (7-1, 4-1) returning from an off week to battle in a clash of styles on the red carpet in Cheney.
The last time the two met it was eventful:
Many of the league’s top teams are on the road this week.
No. 8 UC Davis (7-1, 4-1) is at Northern Arizona (4-4, 3-2) in a late test for the Aggies, who have had a run of close games the last month.
No. 11 Montana (6-2, 3-2) will play at Northern Colorado (3-6, 2-4) a week after the Bears nearly knocked off Big Sky-leading Sacramento State.
The No. 16 Hornets (6-2, 5-0) host in-state rival Cal Poly (1-7, 0-5) and Idaho (2-6, 1-4) hosts Southern Utah (1-8, 0-6).
Idaho State (1-7, 1-5) will head south to Provo to play FBS No. 15 BYU (7-2) in the last nonconference game of the season.
Saturday, Nov. 6
No. 11 Montana at Northern Colorado, 11 a.m. PT (ESPN+)
Portland State at No. 24 Weber State, Noon (ESPN+)
No. 8 UC Davis at Northern Arizona, Noon (ESPN+)
Idaho State at FBS No. 15 Brigham Young, 12:30 p.m. (BYU TV)
Southern Utah at Idaho, 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
No. 4 Montana State at No. 5 Eastern Washington, 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
Cal Poly at No. 16 Sacramento State, 6 p.m. (ESPN+)
NEW BALL FIELDS IN PORTLAND
Among the biggest hurdles facing the Portland State team is its stadium conundrum.
The Vikings would like to be playing downtown, like they had for more than 70 years before being ushered to the western suburbs in 2018.
A last-ditch effort to piggyback on construction at Lincoln High School, across the street from Providence Park, fell apart a few years ago and the team solidified its deal to play full time in Hillsboro.
Just last week, Portland Public Schools heard a proposal to build three new “athletic hubs” in the region, one each in Southwest, Northeast and Southeast Portland, opening up another opportunity to bring home events, including track and soccer, into Portland proper.
Portland State President Dr. Stephen Percy addressed a few of those concerns on the radio but affirmed his commitment to the contract with Hillsboro Stadium, which is set to last at least another three seasons.
SOFTBALL DIAMONDS
The Big Sky champion Portland State softball team was presented with its championship rings during a ceremony at halftime of Saturday’s football game.
The rings, which feature the usual diamonds and white gold, have a few other distinguishing notes:
FIRST PLACE SPIKE
Make it 13 wins in 15 matches for the Portland State volleyball team, which has vaulted itself into first place in the Big Sky following a 3-1 victory over Weber State on Saturday.
Genevieve Florig earned conference defensive player of the week honors, her second time earning the award this season.
After topping their top two competitors for the top seed the last two weekends, the Viks get another test this week, hosting Sac State on Thursday, the only team to beat PSU in the last 11 matches, a stretch that dates back to late September.
BASKETBALL IS BACK
The Portland State women opened the basketball season with an exhibition on Sunday, throttling Multnomah in the Viks first game in front of fans since Leap Day 2020.
Both the men and women open the official portions of their schedules on Tuesday, the men traveling down the road to Pac-12 champion Oregon State and the women welcoming crosstown foe Warner Pacific.
RUNNING INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
Two Portland State runners set or tied school records at the Big Sky cross country championships last week at Meriwether National Golf Club in Hillsboro.
Viks soccer players Sienna Higinbotham and Lucy Quinn were named honorable mention All-Big Sky this week.
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