Viks have a lot on the line this weekend
Football playing for playoff boost; Volleyball, Soccer aim to stay on top of the Big Sky
Portland State football has been playing great the last two weeks, freed from the shadow of its brutal opening month schedule.
The Viks have scored 83 points and more than 900 yards of offense in a pair of wins, opening up long scoring plays for quarterback Dante Chachere and his new favorite speed option on the outside, senior receiver Mataio Talalemotu.
The defense has turned a corner too, looking dominant outside a 10-minute stretch against NAU. They’ve been playing their best football of the season despite missing two of their most important players, All-American cornerback Anthony Adams and middle linebacker and leading tackler Parker McKenna.
That new cohesion, unseen since the opening week against San Jose State, will be tested this week.
Weber State is one of eight undefeated teams in the country, comes into Hillsboro with a nation-leading seven-game road winning streak, a No. 6 ranking, and a rejuvenated squad that has decimated every team it has played this season.
Wildcats quarterback Bronson Barron has led one of the most efficient offenses in the Big Sky and the Weber defense leads the nation in turnovers per game.
“They’re good,” Viks coach Bruce Barnum said. “They’re quality. They’re big up front. They play hard. They rotate them through on defense. Then, their system on offense, I think, has improved from last year. It’s productive and the kids are running it well. The quarterback is running it well.”
In fact, the last time the Wildcats looked beatable was against Portland State, last year in Ogden, when the Viks rolled in a 30-18 victory over then-No. 24 WSU.
The Wildcats haven’t lost since.
Even in the face of such a daunting opponent, the Viks seem confident in how their strengths match up.
“They’re a good football team,” Barnum said. “It’s a game you have to take care of the football, don’t make many mistakes, play your ass off and see what happens.”
This weekend’s game marks the second big opportunity for the Viks to chip off a ranked opponent in the Big Sky and the first time at home. A win would certainly reinvigorate Portland State’s playoff resume, with a handful of winnable games in the next few weeks.
The game is also big for Weber, who while sitting in a much more forgivable position at the moment, faces three massive games in the next three weeks: playing at No. 4 Montana State next week and following that huge contest with back-to-back home games against No. 2 Montana and No. 5 Sacramento State. Lose against the Viks and the wheels could fall off Weber’s playoff drive for a second-straight season.
Thanks to a scheduling quirk, this will be Weber’s first trip to Hillsboro, last playing at Portland State in 2017.
The game starts at 2 p.m. at Hillsboro Stadium, preceded by Viktoberfest, the school’s answer to last season’s beer promotion that features a branded mug and pretzels with paid admission.
ACROSS THE BIG SKY
Idaho, riding a three-game winning streak after two near-FBS upsets to start the season, gets its biggest Big Sky test so far, playing at No. 3 Montana for the Little Brown Stein.
The oldest rivalry game in the conference, and arguably the coolest trophy, the game has a storied history and memorable clashes over the years. Montana has won the last seven meetings but Idaho, on the fringe of the top 25 already, could crash the field of playoff contenders with a big win in Missoula.
All 12 Big Sky teams are in action this week, the other top teams are on the road, as No. 4 Montana State travels to Northern Colorado and No. 5 Sacramento State is at Eastern Washington.
Idaho State opens the day hosting Cal Poly in the dome and UC Davis looks to end its two-game skid, hosting Northern Arizona in the final game of the night.
Saturday, Oct. 15
Cal Poly at Idaho State, Noon PT, ESPN+
Idaho at No. 3 Montana, Noon, ESPN+
No. 4 Montana State at Northern Colorado, Noon, ESPN+
No. 6 Weber State at Portland State, 2 p.m., ESPN+
No. 5 Sacramento State at Eastern Washington, 4 p.m., ESPN+
Northern Arizona at UC Davis, 4 p.m., ESPN+
Last week’s results
No. 4 Montana State 37, Idaho State 6
No. 5 Sacramento State 55, Northern Colorado 7
No. 7 Weber State 45, No. 24 Eastern Washington 21
Portland State 48, Lincoln (Calif.) 7
Northern Arizona 31, Cal Poly 29
The conference also released a five-year strategic plan this week, looking to solidify the league’s reputation as a top brand in the FCS and continue to strengthen its standing nationally.
The plan, listed on the Big Sky website, looks to increase the league’s visibility and opportunity for postseason success by guaranteeing benchmarks throughout the league. In items that would take aim at schools attempting to run a bare-bones athletic department, [ahem], each member school has agreed to hire the maximum number of coaches in each sport, increase cost-of-attendance payments to student-athletes and hire health support staff, specifically employing at least one full-time mental health therapist and providing access to a nutritionist.
There is also a provision to strengthen basketball schedules, requiring each school to schedule at least three Division I home games each season.
Notably, outgoing PSU president Stephen Percy appeared in the announcement of the plan, laying out his thoughts on the agreement.
“We’re looking at where we are, we’re reflecting on tremendous experience and the challenges of the COVID pandemic, and what we’re trying to do now is figure out how we can align our conference to provide the best athletic experience for our students to create a competitive environment and to work together as different institutions in our conference to do the best we can to ensure that we’re a really strong athletic conference that supports our students, helps our universities and provides all of us an important way of enriching the lives of students,” Percy said.
Elsewhere in the administrative ranks, there is an ongoing shakeup at Providence Park that could open up opportunities for Portland State football.
The Portland Timbers and Thorns front office is embroiled in a workplace nightmare after multiple reports have been released on persistent sexual harassment and abuse in the building and years-long cover-ups to hide those improprieties.
So far, two executives have been fired and owner Merritt Paulson is slowly firing himself while trying to avoid calls to sell the teams this winter.
Paulson has been a major driver in growing professional soccer in the city and a major driver in making Providence Park a soccer-only facility.
While sorting out the allegations against Paulson and the PTFC front office are most important, any potential sale could alter the calculus for future football games downtown.
There’s no guarantee new ownership would be any more open to a time share for five Saturdays in the fall but there’s a strong likelihood that any new blood could be more accommodating to the idea of sharing the field in a limited capacity.
AROUND THE BLOCKS
Four straight wins and two consecutive sweeps have Portland State volleyball back at the top of the Big Sky.
The Viks opened a two-match road trip on Thursday by thumping Idaho State 25-17, 25-10, 25-22.
Portland State is second in the conference in hitting percentage and total kills and his holding opponents to the fewest assists and kills.
The Viks, now 6-1 in conference, hold a half-game lead on Weber State for first place and travel to face the Wildcats on Saturday. PSU swept the first meeting this season.
Soccer also sits atop the conference heading into the weekend, with a Big Sky-best 14 points as the final unbeaten team in the league.
The Viks vanquished Idaho State and Weber State in the final two home games of the season last weekend and close with a tough three-game road trip, starting at second-place Idaho on Friday. PSU heads to Cheney to play fourth-place Eastern Washington on Sunday before getting a week off to prepare for a trip to second-place NAU at altitude to end the regular season.
Last week’s home sweep guaranteed a spot in the Big Sky playoffs in the first week of November. The worst the Viks can currently finish is sixth, with a win in one of the two games this weekend clinching a spot in the top four and a sweep possibly clinching the top seed.
The cross country team is in a split invite weekend as it wraps up its final weekend before the Big Sky championship and NCAAs.
However, the marketing department already picked up a win this week, putting out the hype video of the year:
Women’s tennis heads to ITA regionals this weekend to open its season. The completely revamped men’s squad posted six individual winners at ITAs last weekend.
Softball hosts its penultimate fall ball weekend, with games against Western Oregon and Edmonds College on Sunday in Hillsboro.
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
Portland State has precedent for upsetting a top-10 team at home on October 15.
In 2005, the Viks topped No. 9 Montana State, 44-41, on a last-second 40-yard field goal from Eric Azorr.
Joe Rubin ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Viks in the shootout. Bobcats quarterback Travis Lulay, a future CFL superstar, finished with 384 yards passing and four touchdowns.
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