Viks look to answer questions at weekend scrimmage
Football solidifies starting roles with two weeks until opener; Soccer, Volleyball open seasons
There hasn’t been much clarity surrounding Portland State football’s biggest questions this offseason.
We think Dante Chachere has got a hold on the top quarterback position after wresting it in spring practice and getting most of the attention this summer. But, Chachere has been used primarily as a running threat in glorified Wildcat plays the last two seasons, never given a real chance to open up the offense in the shadow of Davis Alexander.
What does Chachere’s offense look like? It will have to incorporate a receiver room that is at least five deep with all-conference talent. So, while the Viks return an experienced offensive line, a run-heavy playbook would seem to be off the table.
Do the coaches try to get all the outside talent on the field at the same time with empty sets? How much run-pass option will be utilized and to what degree? Who is even the top running option?
We know how good Anthony Adams will be on the back end of the defense and that VJ Malo is set up to wreak havoc on opposing offensive lines again, both getting recognized again as two of the top players in the country, but who will step up to allow those two the freedom to operated at their best?
A host of those questions will have hints at the answers this weekend, when Portland State holds its first full scrimmage of the season on Saturday at Stott Field.
While you can expect most of the script to be vanilla, should any scouts be present, an extended look at what coaches deem to be the first teams will provide clues into how the Viks will line up on September 1 in San Jose.
Meanwhile, Beau Kelly, snubbed by Big Sky voters last fall after leading the league in catches, yards and touchdowns in the regular season, is getting some credit nationally ahead of this season.
Kelly was named the best player in the country to wear lucky number 13 by Hero Sports:
The good folks at Skyline Sports did a deep dive into recruiting in the Big Sky Conference and how schools in so many different situations try to bring in talent to their programs.
Barnum, always candid, said that the pandemic and its lingering effects have changed the draw of Portland. The staff has traditionally tried to play up its proximity to high-end internships and connections with some of the top companies in the world, but has had to shift its focus the last few years as it tries to reconfigure its approach:
One thing that could ease the recruiting headache near campus is the most recent NCAA rules change:
The Vikings’ sole NFL representative this preseason is back in the free agent market after limited time in his first game on the job.
Seth Vernon made three punts for 134 yards, including a long of 57 yards, while planting two of the kicks inside the 20-yard line during Atlanta’s 27-23 win at Detroit on Friday.
It wasn’t enough to secure the starting gig, however, the Falcons choosing veteran Bradley Pinion as their primary punter and opting not to field a backup on the 53-man roster.
Vernon did get a glowing review on his exit:
Elsewhere in the pro ranks, former Vikings defensive tackle Kenton Bartlett was a part of the Indoor Football League champion NAZ Wranglers:
Big Sky season previews are continuing to roll in, this time from new outlet Gridiron Heroics and the Idaho beat guys at Tubs at the Club.
HOOPS SCHEDULE LEAKS
The men’s basketball schedule is slowly making its way into the public, with the only publicly announced dates occurring at the Phil Knight tournament over Thanksgiving.
Before that, the Viks now have confirmed dates at Seattle U on Nov. 13 and at Oregon State on Nov. 19, which could be a preview of a potential seventh-place game at the Phil Knight Legacy. Each of the last three meetings have been decided by single digits.
The Viks will also start a home-and-home series against Air Force on Dec. 3, hosting the Falcons this season and playing in Colorado Springs in 2023-24. PSU also has December dates at home against Santa Clara on Dec. 13 and UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 17.
That leaves up to four games still to be scheduled, not including the annual Rose City Rivalry against Portland, which is slated to be on The Bluff this season. That game figures to be either the season opener on Nov. 10 or stuffed into the two open weeks on Dec. 6-10 and Dec. 20-24.
(EDIT: The school released the full schedule a few hours after this was published. See below.)
AROUND THE BLOCKS
Soccer City USA welcomes back the Vikings this week after a long offseason, with PSU kicking off the regular season on Thursday against San Francisco. They follow up on Sunday with a home match against Western Oregon.
Optimism is high around the team despite Big Sky coaches tabbing the Viks eighth of nine teams in the preseason poll. With talent losses at the top of the league the Big Sky could be as open as it’s ever been this season.
On the topic of Vikings riding high, former PSU forward Daniela Solis helped the CF Monterrey women beat the Portland Thorns in the Women’s International Champions Cup on Wednesday at Providence Park, toppling the event’s defending champions, 3-2, on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in regulation.
Solis scored one of three goals for the Rayadas from the spot, sending the Mexican squad to the finals on Saturday, Aug. 20, against French and European champion Olympique Lyonnais, which topped English champion Chelsea on penalty kicks earlier in the day.
Solis was also the first to congratulate her keeper after the clinching save. Look for No. 20 in the pile up:
Volleyball serves up its first exhibition match this weekend, hosting Central Washington on Saturday.
The Viks bring back most of their heavy hitters from last season’s title push, including the first-team All-Big Sky trio of Ellie Snook, the two-time defending Big Sky libero of the year, and outside hitters Makayla Lewis and Parker Webb.
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