Jack Lewy
Senior safety Tyreese Shakir returns an interception in the fourth quarter of the Vikings win at Sacramento State.
Football
by Mike Lund
#9 IDAHO VANDALS (6-3, 3-2) at
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-6, 2-3)
Saturday, November 9, 1 p.m., Hillsboro Stadium (7,600), Hillsboro, OR
Television: ESPN+ • Play-by-play: Matt Richert • Analyst: Scott Hermo
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com
Game presented by the US Army
HEAD COACHES
Portland State: Bruce Barnum (Eastern Washington, 1987) • PSU Record: 37-62/10th year • Big Sky Record: 27-41 • vs. Idaho: 1-3
Idaho: Jason Eck (Wisconsin, 1999) • UI Record: 22-12/3rd year • Big Sky Record: 15-6 • vs. Portland State: 1-0
ALL-TIME SERIES
Idaho leads all-time 14-2 • Idaho leads 4-2 in Portland • Idaho leads 10-0 in Moscow
Idaho leads the Big Sky series 3-1 • PSU leads 1-0 in Portland • Idaho leads 3-0 in Moscow
ANOTHER BIG SKY GAME, ANOTHER TOP 10 OPPONENT
Coming off its best offensive performance of the season, Portland State will need to remain at the top of its game for a chance to beat this week’s opponent, ninth-ranked Idaho. The Vikings host the Vandals on Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium in a 1 p.m. game televised on ESPN+ and presented by the US Army.
PSU (2-6, 2-3) defeated Sacramento State on the road, 58-38 last Saturday. The Vikings played about as well as they could on offense, and got a couple of key defensive stops in the second half when they outscored the Hornets, 41-17. In all, the Vikings had 544 yards of offense without a turnover and the most points scored in the past 15 games.
Although the Vikings have a modest record, they have played well in the past month, winning games over Idaho State and the Hornets, losing by a single point in a controversial finish against ninth-ranked UC Davis, and taking a loss to third-ranked Montana State.
Which brings up another point: the Vikings will be facing their third top-10 opponent in their sixth Big Sky Conference game this week. Idaho is battling to earn another trip to the post-season in 2024. The Vandals (6-3, 3-2) can boast a win over FBS Wyoming and an impressive performance against #1 FBS Oregon.
The Vandals come to Hillsboro Stadium having won two in a row, with a bye last Saturday, and a 2-3 road record.
Idaho is the third of four straight playoff teams from 2023 to face the Vikings (Montana State, Sacramento State, Idaho, Montana). PSU plays at seventh-ranked Montana next Saturday, then closes the season with a home game against Northern Colorado on Nov. 23.
STORYLINES
- SOS: Portland State has the strongest strength of schedule (SOS) of any FCS team in the nation according to the Massey Ratings. Idaho will be the third of four top-10 opponents the Vikings have faced.
- A BRIEF BIG SKY HISTORY: This will be only the fifth meeting between Portland State and Idaho in a Big Sky Conference game, and only the second in Portland… the last time the Vandals came to Portland (2019), PSU shut out the Vandals, 24-0. That was the first shutout over a Big Sky Conference team since 2006 (34-0 vs EWU) – a span of exactly 100 league games.
- COMPARING SCHEDULES: Idaho and Portland State have only two common opponents: UC Davis and Montana State. Both teams are 0-2 against those Top-10-ranked opponents by similar scores (PSU, 26-27 and 14-44 respectively; UI, 26-28 and 7-38, respectively).
- BYE, BYE, BYE: Idaho is the third Portland State opponent this season to play the Vikings coming off a bye week.
NUMBERS GAME
- EFFICIENCY INCARNATE: The Vikings come off their best offensive performance of the season with 299 rushing yards, 245 passing yards and season-bests of 544 yards and 58 points against Sacramento State. The Vikings were 11-15 on third down, 1-1 on fourth down, 7-7 scoring in the red zone and did not commit a turnover.
- MILESTONE WATCH: SR QB Dante Chachere is on the verge of three milestones: 5,000 passing yards (4,993), 2,000 rushing yards (1,990 in his career) and 7,000 total yards of offense. (6,983 – eighth all-time at PSU)… with 1,990 rushing yards, Chachere has passed Connor Kavanaugh (1,956) for most rushing yards ever by a Viking QB.
- C-NOTE FOR BARNY: This Saturday’s game will be the 100th in the Head Coaching career of Bruce Barnum at Portland State. Only Tim Walsh (1993-2006) has coached more games on the Park Blocks (158).
- SO CLOSE, AND YET…: JR WR Branden Alvarez made six receptions for a career-high 105 yards at Sacramento State. He was just a few feet away from a pair of scores after being downed at the two- and one-yard lines after catches of 48 and 24 yards, respectively.
TEAM LEADERS
- PORTLAND STATE: SR QB Dante Chachere is 109-189 passing for 1452 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions this season. He also leads the team in rushing with 612 yards (698 positive yards) and 12 scores…. FR RB Delon Thompson is second in rushing with 96 carries for 463 yards and four TDs. SO RB Quincy Craig has 75 carries for 335 yards and two TDs… Craig has the most receptions for the Vikings with 30 for 233 yards and four TDs. JR WR Branden Alvarez has 29 receptions for 390 yards and four TDs, and FR WR Eric Denham has 21 catches for a team-leading 404 yards and three touchdowns… SO LBs Michael Montgomery and Peyton Wing lead the Vikings with 66 tackles each. Wing has a team-high six tackles for loss. Montgomery has a sack and four pass breakups… PSU’s balanced attack is averaging 191.3 yards rushing, 196.3 yards receiving and 387.5 yards per game… the Vikings are allowing 237.8 rushing yards, 323.5 passing yards and 561.3 total yards per game… PSU has a -2 turnover ratio.
- IDAHO: The Vandals have a balanced offensive attack, averaging 158.2 rushing yards and 205.7 passing yards per game. Idaho scores 25.2 points while allowing 23.8 points. The defense gives up 134.7 rushing yards and 238.2 passing yards per game… the pass rush has been effective with 20 sacks, led by a Big Sky-best eight sacks from Keyshawn James-Newby… Jaxton Eck, son of Head Coach Jason Eck, leads the team with 73 tackles… on offense, quarterback Jack Wagner has passed for 1,184 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. However, he did not play in Idaho’s most recent game. Sophomore Jack Layne started in the win over Eastern Washington, throwing for 235 yards, two touchdowns and one interception… Elisha Cummings is the top rusher for the Vandals with 88 carries for 476 yards and a touchdown. Nate Thomas has 69 carries for 326 yards and five scores… Jordan Dwyer is the top receiver with 40 receptions for 560 yards and six TDs. Mark Hamper has 26 catches and a 21.1 yard average per catch.
CHACHERE NAMED BIG SKY PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR SECOND TIME
Something looked very familiar on Saturday night in Sacramento as Portland State quarterback Dante Chachere led his Vikings’ team to a 58-38 victory over the Sacramento State Hornets.
Chachere turned in a performance that was remarkably similar to the one against Idaho State on Oct. 12 when the senior from Fresno had 418 total yards and six total touchdowns. That led to a Big Sky Conference and National Offensive Player of the Week honor. Against the Hornets, Chachere had 410 yards of total offense and accounted for five touchdowns, once again earning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week.
Chachere led the Vikings to a 41-17 advantage in the second half against Sacramento State, erasing a 21-17 halftime deficit and leading PSU to the win. It was the most points for the Vikings in the last 15 games.
Chachere rushed 14 times for 165 yards and four touchdowns. And each rushing score was different. The first was a dart-and-dash, stop-and-go run of 27 yards around left end. The second was a bruising, up-the-middle, broken-tackle score from 13 yards. The third was a trademark Chachere break-the-pocket-and-outrun-everyone-up-the-middle sprint of 54 yards. The final score was a casual two-yard trot in which the defense went one way and Chachere went the other.
Through the air, Chachere completed 14 of 27 passes for 245 yards and one touchdown. He might have had three passing touchdowns (and seven total), but wide receiver Branden Alvarez lost his balance and went down at the two-yard line on one 48-yard pass up the slot. A second throw, also to Alvarez, came down on the goal line pylon and was originally ruled a TD. A review overturned it, placing the ball at the one, and the Vikings scored a play later.
Nonetheless, it was a brilliant 410-yard, five-TD effort that was just shy of the 418-yard, six-TD game in Pocatello.
This is Chachere’s fourth Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor in his career.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
- THE NUMBERS: Portland State is averaging 387.5 yards of offense per game, 191.3 on the ground and 196.3 through the air… the Vikings average 28.8 points per game and have seven turnovers… PSU had its best offensive output of the season against Sacramento State with 544 yards, including 299 rushing, and 58 points… PSU’s top passing game was a 306-yard effort at Chattanooga, and top rushing game was 300 yards at Idaho State.
- DANTE’S DATA: SR QB Dante Chachere has passed for 1,452 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 612 yards and 12 touchdowns… Chachere completed 19-30 passes for a career-high 306 yards at Chattanooga (9/29) with one touchdown and two interceptions… he rushed for a career-high 202 yards and three touchdowns in the win at Idaho State (10/12)… Chachere pulled off a PSU first when he passed for 200 yards (216 with three TDs) and rushed for 200 yards (202 with three TDs) in the same game. In the game, Chachere had runs of 62, 48 and 53 yards, and a pass completion of 50 yards. Chachere was named National and Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week… he was nine yards shy of the PSU QB rushing record of 211 yards by Connor Kavanaugh… Chachere then came close to matching that at Sacramento State (11/2) with 245 yards and one touchdown passing, 165 yards and a career-high four touchdowns rushing for a total of 410 yards and 5 TDs. Once again he was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week… with three TD passes against ISU, Chachere has seven games of three or more in his career… Chachere has 76 career touchdowns (45 passing, 31 rushing) which is third all-time at Portland State behind Neil Lomax, 1977-80 (13 rushing, 106 passing, 119 total); and Davis Alexander, 2017-21 (25 rushing, 63 passing, 88 total)… Chachere is on the verge of 5,000 passing yards (4,993), 2,000 rushing yards (1,990 in his career) and 7,000 total yards of offense. (6,983 – eighth all-time at PSU)… he has the most rushing yards of any PSU quarterback in history and is about to become the 12th Viking in history to pass 2,000 rushing yards.
- Q RATING: SO RB Quincy Craig has battled back from a knee injury suffered in game six of 2023 to once again become the Vikings’ key offense weapon. Craig has 604 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns this season. He is third on the team in rushing (75-335-2) and leads in receptions and receiving touchdowns (30-233-4). Craig has 36 kickoff return yards and a 28-yard pass completion for good measure… with a 10-carry, 103-yard rushing game at Chattanooga (9/28), Craig now has four 100-yard games in his career.
- YOUTH SHALL SERVE: In addition to Craig’s production, Portland State’s other youthful skill players are shining as well… RS FR Delon Thompson has 463 rushing yards and four touchdowns to rank second on the team. He led the Vikings with 15 carries for 96 yards at Washington State (8/31) and 12 carries for 68 yards against UC Davis (10/5), adding 84 yards and two scores at Sacramento State (11/2)… RS FR Eric Denham has 21 receptions for a team-high 404 yards and three touchdowns. He had career-highs of five receptions, 127 yards and two touchdowns in the win at Idaho State (10/12)… SO WR Jaylen Lynch has 11 receptions and 199 yards… even JR WR Branden Alvarez – while an upperclassman – has caught 29 passes for 390 yards and four TDs. He went for a career-high 105 yards on five catches at Sacramento State (11/2).. SO TE Tanner Beaman has 16 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown.
- MORE YOUTH, UP FRONT: Last season, SO OL Isaac Perez earned a spot in the starting lineup as a true freshman. This year, true FR OLs Pule Leatigaga and Shaun Torgeson broke through up front earning starts at guard.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
- THE NUMBERS: Portland State is allowing 237.8 rushing yards, 323.5 passing yards and 45.1 points per game… the Vikings have 33 tackles for loss, four sacks, and five forced turnovers… against UC Davis (10/5), the Viking defense made seven tackles for loss, two sacks, three pass breakups and forced two turnovers while allowing the fewest points (27) of the season… in the decisive second half against Idaho State (10/12), PSU’s defense stopped the Bengals on six of seven series, including three three-and-outs, and two fourth-down stops.
- SWEET 16: SO LB Michael Montgomery had a career-high 16 tackles at Weber State (9/7), which was the most by a Viking in six seasons. Montgomery, named a Freshman All-American by two media outlets last year, leads the Vikings in tackles with 66, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and four pass breakups… he had 10 tackles against UC Davis (10/5) to tie for the team lead… Montgomery ranks fourth in the Big Sky in tackles per game (8.3).
- WING STOP: SO LB Peyton Wing is tied with Montgomery with 66 tackles and leads in tackles for loss with 6. He had a career-high 13 stops at Weber State (9/7) and led the team in tackles with nine at Boise State (9/21) and 10 at Chattanooga (9/28)… Wing ranks fourth in the Big Sky in tackles per game (8.3).
- CAREER LEADER: SR CB Tyreese Shakir picked up his sixth career interception in the win at Sacramento State (11/2). He is the Vikings leader in several categories among active players… he has 168 career tackles, 13 pass breakups, six interceptions and three fumble recoveries – all of which ranks first among active players. His 11.5 tackles for loss ranks second and three sacks ranks third… Shakir had a team-high 10 tackles and three tackles for loss against UC Davis (10/5)…
- YOUTH SHALL SERVE, PART 2: Among Portland State’s top seven tacklers, six are freshmen and sophomores.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
- FOOTWORK: JR K Mathias Uribe is 6-7 on field goal attempts this season (43, 42, 35, 40, 23, 30)… 20 of his 42 kickoffs have been touchbacks… SO K Fedya Henrichs-Tarasenkov handled all three second-half kickoffs at Idaho State (10/12) and all three were touchbacks.
- DON’T EVEN TRY: JR P Tony Johnson is averaging 40.2 yards per punt. He bombed a season-best 69-yarder at Weber State (9/7). Most important, Johnson’s punts are not being returned with any effectiveness. In 20 returns this season, opponents have netted only 77 yards. Boise State (9/21) had four attempts for -4 yards.
- IT’S A SNAP: FR TE Kristian Ingman has started seven games at long snapper, while FR LS Brock Fleming started in game three.
- GRUBB HUB: SR RB Christian Grubb had a season-best 71-yard kickoff return at Sacramento State (11/2). He is averaging 23.0 yards on 20 returns this season.
- YOUTH SHALL SERVE, PART 3: FR RB Jordan Herron surprised everyone when he picked up a UC Davis (10/5) punt on the bounce and raced 40 yards up field before being tackled in his first career play as a Viking. Not a bad start as the true freshman was given the punt returner role against the Aggies.