The Vikings ran through 75 minutes of drills and acclimation. It looked much like pre-pandemic football practice except for masks and a few other social distancing measures. Head Coach Bruce Barnum was not able to bring his team together for pre- and post-practice huddles. So he aired out his lungs with instruction and encouragement as the players spread out over a portion of the field.
PSU will practice again on Saturday morning, then Monday through Saturday mornings over the next three weeks prior to game week. A single spring game will take place on April 17 at Montana.
A RE-INTRODUCTION TO VIKING FOOTBALL
Like every college football program Portland State will enter the 2021 season with great uncertainty. The Vikings are confident with their team, their talent and their plan. It's the great unknown of a global pandemic that has put everything into perspective, and left PSU (and everyone else) wondering how a full football season will be impacted.The FCS is competing this spring and the Big Sky Conference created a six-game league schedule. However, the Vikings and four other teams in the Big Sky opted out of competition. PSU will be able to play one non-conference game with Montana in April that will help set their bearings for the full season of 2021 to come.
Portland State has deepened its offensive skill positions, has filled the appropriate gaps on defense and expects to be a team to contend with in the Big Sky Conference. Now 16 months distant from PSU's last full season, it will be hard to predict anything.
PSU returns 43 letterwinners to the 2021 roster. Ten others gained game experience in 2019, but were able to maintain their redshirt status. The Vikings have six starters back on offense, five on defense, as well as their kicker and punter. In addition, two starters on defense and one on offense who missed most of 2019 due to injury also return. So, the Vikings may have its most experienced roster in the past four seasons taking the field.
Including redshirts, the Vikings should have approximately 70 players back from the 2019 season. PSU signed 25 players in 2020 and six more in 2021, including a handful of key transfers on defense that should increase depth and experience.
The Vikings do have about a dozen players that have opted out of spring practice but will return in the fall. However, the Vikings will have close to 80 players on the field this spring, which is still above the usual number.
2021 PREVIEW
Head Coach Bruce Barnum begins his sixth season at the helm. The Vikings were 5-7 in 2019, 3-5 in the Big Sky Conference. PSU averaged 34.7 points and 453.8 yards of total offense while allowing 30.0 points and 408.6 yards on defense.
OFFENSE
Senior quarterback Davis Alexander (6-0, 195), who has started 25 career games for the Vikings, will lead an offense loaded with talented receivers. PSU led the nation in time of possession last season, as Alexander's superb pass-run skills led him to 3,445 yards of total offense and 30 total touchdowns for the Vikings. As effective as he has been, Alexander will look to improve his 57% completion mark in 2020.There is a wealth of depth at quarterback behind Alexander. Redshirt freshman Dante Chachere (6-3, 170), sophomore Jalen Chatman (6-0, 185) and junior Nathan West (6-3, 220), all of whom saw brief action in 2019, will compete for a backup role. Redshirt freshman DeMontre Thomas (6-1, 210) also returns after being scout team quarterback in 2019.
Alexander has a big arm and plenty of weapons from which to choose. He has three key wide receivers returning in juniors Beau Kelly (5-9, 165, 31-442-3) and Mataio Talalemotu (6-1, 180, 31-459-4) and senior Emmanuel Daigbe (6-1, 210, 40-651-7).
George McCorley (6-2, 200), another experienced receiver returns. Kick return specialist Deion Malone (5-7, 150), a junior college signee from Los Angeles Southwest College, should also offer depth at slot receiver, as will Job Dockery (5-11, 190), a junior transfer from Oregon State. Jerad Toman (5-10, 165) returns at that position as well.
At the outside receiver, the Vikings made a big pickup with the transfer of wide out Darien Chase (6-1, 200), who spent the 2019 season at Nebraska, but is originally from Vancouver. 2020 signee Nate Bennett (6-3, 195) brings excellent size to the group.
One area the Vikings need to shore up will be tight end. PSU lost All-American Charlie Taumoepeau. The Vikings have plenty of candidates to play and will benefit from the return of AJ Ruffin (6-5, 250), who was a redshirt in 2019. As a sophomore backup in 2018, he had 15 receptions for 177 yards. Other returning letterwinners who will need to expand their contributions are junior Malik Thirdgill (6-4, 250), senior Daniel Giannosa (6-10, 255) and sophomore John Schulte (6-5, 230). Junior college signee Anthony Rodriguez (6-3, 235), who arrives in the fall, and redshirt freshman Elias Spence (6-4, 220) are wildcards in the mix.
At running back, young players Jobi Malary (5-11, 215, 12-93-1 in one game) and JoJo Siofele (5-10, 205, 2-6-0 in one game) will step into primary roles along with returning senior Malik Walker (6-0, 195, 66-284-4) and junior Bishop Mitchell (5-9, 180), who returns from an injury season.
A pair of signees may also have something to say about playing time when they arrive in the fall. Jarmar Julien, a sophomore from San Francisco City College, gives the Vikings the big back (5-11, 230) that Coach Barnum has been looking for. Jalynnee McGee (5-10, 195), a freshman from Skyview High School in Vancouver, was the Greater St. Helens League Offensive Player of the Year in 2019.
Redshirt Ahmir McGee (5-11, 185) and newcomer Treyvon Easterling (5-10, 220) gives Portland State a stable of eight backs heading into the season.
The Vikings will have veterans up front in returning senior starters Babak Ghadaksaz (6-2, 290), Carlos Barraza (6-3, 300) and sophomore Shiloh Ta'ase (6-3, 290), as well as experience in juniors Tyson Pauling (6-5, 310) and Brady Brick (6-5, 290), and seniors John Krahn (6-10, 410) and Tommy Laverde (6-5, 290). Redshirt freshman Richard Estrella (6-4, 315) will also compete for a starting role.
Barazza and Ta'ase finished the 2019 season as the starting tackles, bracketing the offensive line. Ghadaksaz spent the year at guard, but is likely to move over to center to replace the graduated Garrett Stauffer. Estrella started the season finale at right guard and played well. Brick and Pauling also have starts in their careers at guard, while Krahn and Laverde are experienced players as well.
The Vikings can add redshirt Alex Rockwell (6-3, 270) to the depth on the line, while graduate transfer Carlton Lorenz (6-4, 290) from Vanderbilt and redshirt freshman transfer Bubba Wa'a (6-2, 295, 4 games, 2 starts at Hawai'i in 2019) should compete to start as well. Signees from 2020, Hayden Engel (6-5, 285) and Jernias Tafia (6-3, 305) are also ready to be added to the mix.
One thing is certain on the line: the Viking coaching staff will experiment throughout the spring moving players to different spots from practice to practice to see which combination and locations work the best.
DEFENSE
All-American defensive back Anthony Adams (6-0, 185) is the feature player on a Viking defense that returns five starters. In addition, the Vikings benefit from the return of starters at safety, Ryan Lesch, and defensive end, Noah Yunker, who missed most of 2019 due to injury, effectively giving them seven starters back.Yunker (6-4, 255, 9 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 1.5 SKs in four games) and Jake Porter (6-4, 250, 35 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, 4.5 SKs, 3 PBUs, FR), fellow Oregonians, are experienced defensive ends with 30 career starts between them. They will be pushed to improve the Vikings' pass rush in 2021. Sophomore James Thomas (6-1, 245, 10 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 1 SK) will push those two for playing time, as will redshirt freshman Kennedy Freeman (6-2, 240).
Senior Cody Brown (6-3, 250) and redshirt sophomore Jayson Pace (6-1, 240) will be counted on to contribute at defensive end as well.
PSU will miss defensive tackles Kenton Bartlett and Anthony Del Toro, who have graduated. Senior defensive tackle Semise Kofe (6-2, 315, 30 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 2.5 SKs) is the most experienced returner and should lead up front with 32 career games and 12 career starts.
Junior Boogie Davis (6-3, 255, 17 tackles, 3 TFLs) is the only other experienced player at the tackle spot. So the coaching staff has brought in transfer defensive tackles Holden Williams (6-0, 285, Bakersfield College), VJ Malo (6-1, 270, Golden West College) and Tiano Tialavea (6-3, 315, UTEP). All three should compete right away for significant playing time.
Depending on their development, redshirt freshman Ethan Tela-Porter (6-2, 285), true freshman Martin Salazar (5-10, 275) and sophomore newcomer Serge Rusnak (6-2, 280) may find time on the field at tackle as well.
Linebackers Nicolas Ah Sam (6-1, 250), Dylan Hanley (6-2, 225) and David Joseph (6-1, 200), who ranked 3-4-5 in tackles for the Vikings in 2019 are also back.
Hanley (45 tackles, 2.5 TFLs), a senior, sophomore Zack Mandera (6-1, 220, 27 tackles, FR) and junior Robert Holt (6-2, 215, 29 tackles, 2 TFLs, INT) all had starts at middle linebacker in 2019. Hanley is slated to work out at buck linebacker, while Holt will be at the whip and Mandera will stay in the middle. They should all battle for significant playing time in 2021.
The whip linebacker spot returns a pair of experienced players. Ah Sam (36 tackles, 7 TFLs), a senior who has 16 career starts, will likely hold down the spot again. However, junior Moses Finau (6-1, 240, 17 tackles, 1.5 TFLs) earned two starts at the whip in 2019. He is likely to move to the Buck and compete with Hanley and redshirt freshman Justice Pagan (6-2, 220) for playing time. Redshirt sophomore Monquel Glasow (6-2, 235) adds depth at linebacker as well.
Senior Steffen Jacobsen (6-2, 215), a talented player who has managed only 16 career games due to a variety of injuries, will get a look at middle linebacker once again. He was slated to compete to start there in 2019 before injuries limited him to two games late in the season. Sophomore Isaiah Henry (5-11, 205) is another experienced player who will compete for time in the middle.
Defensive coordinator Payam Saadat will have a lot of options at linebacker as he added to the mix junior college transfer Tevita Tuitavake (6-0, 215) and 2020 signee Parker McKenna (6-0, 215) from Beaverton High School.
The rover back position lost third-leading tackler Romeo Gunt, who has graduated. But Joseph (39 tackles, 4.5 TFLS, FR), a sophomore, actually had the most starts at rover with seven. He should hold down that spot in 2021. Benton Hoge (5-10, 180), a sophomore, played almost exclusively on special teams in 2019 and should back up at rover.
Adams, a junior, will provide leadership in the defensive backfield after a banner sophomore season. He led the nation in passes defensed in 2019 with five interceptions and a school-record 19 pass breakups. He also made 56 tackles to rank second on the team. Due to the Vikings inexperience at cornerback, Adams is expected to move over to boundary cornerback, a position he played in high school. As a result, Saadat will evaluate senior Arin Mannery (6-0, 180, 10 tackles), sophomore Greg Oliver (5-10, 165, 2 interceptions) and senior KJ Walker (6-0, 185) at the strong safety (Sam) position when they return from their spring opt-out.
Lesch (6-1, 200, 13 tackles, 1 INT in three games) would have been one of the Vikings' key players in 2019 had he not gone down early with an injury. A senior, Lesch was able to take a redshirt season. His 14 games of experience, including 10 starts, includes 55 tackles and two interceptions. Along with Adams, their experience will be vital alongside an inexperienced cornerback group.
The Vikings made a big pickup at the safety position with the addition of Arizona transfer Xavier Bell (6-2, 200). Bell played in 22 games for the Wildcats over two seasons. Another transfer, De'jon Fort (6-0, 190, Foothill College), joins the competition at safety as well, as does senior transfer Broderick Harrell (5-11, 200) from UTEP.
Redshirt freshman Karsonne Winters (6-3, 195) will bring excellent size to the competition for playing time at free safety along with Ty Apana-Purcell (5-9, 185).
Perhaps the most interesting position battle will be at cornerback (Adams notwithstanding) as no less than four redshirt freshmen vie for a starting role as well as some 2020 signees.
Davion Gaines (6-0, 170), Semaj Bolin (5-10, 170), Michael Jackson (6-2, 185), and Travis West (5-6, 155) are among the redshirt group competing at cornerback. Daluan Bright (5-10, 160) and Tyrese Shakir (5-10, 175) are ready to go after signing in 2020.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Portland State can boast two of the best special teams performers in the Big Sky Conference. Junior kicker Cody Williams (5-10, 190) booted 15 field goals in 2019 and holds three PSU records, including longest field goal (56 yards) and consecutive extra points made (82).Senior punter Seth Vernon (6-5, 230) averaged 43.2 yards per punt in 2019, ranking 12th in the nation.
Freshman Ryan Alvidrez (5-11, 210) has come in to be the Vikings' new long snapper.
PSU has added to its return game as well with transfer Deion Malone (5-7, 155). He averaged 39.8 yards per return, scoring two touchdowns in 2019 in junior college.
In addition, wide receiver Emmanuel Daigbe was named 2019 first team All-Big Sky Conference at the special teams position with 11 tackles, a fumble recovery and a 19.5 yard kick return average.
"football" - Google News
March 18, 2021 at 02:00PM
https://ift.tt/3f6r7rc
FB Portland State Spring Football Preview - Portland State Vikings
"football" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ST7s35
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "FB Portland State Spring Football Preview - Portland State Vikings"
Posting Komentar