Viking Football Set For An Intriguing November Schedule - Portland State Vikings

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Game 9

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (4-4, 3-2) at #24 WEBER STATE WILDCATS (4-4, 3-2)

Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, 1 p.m. MT/Noon PT, Stewart Stadium (16,073), Ogden, UT
LIVE STREAMING: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: https://weberstatesports.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

Game notes in pdf

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MONTH OF NOVEMBER BRINGS INTRIGUE FOR VIKINGS

The Portland State Vikings may be on the outside looking in right now, but they have positioned themselves for what could be an exciting November of football.
     
PSU comes off a 42-21 victory over Cal Poly last Saturday which improved its record to 4-4 overall, 3-2 in the Big Sky Conference. That leaves the Vikings in a four-way tie for fifth place with three games remaining in the regular season. This week's game comes against one of those tied teams, 24th-ranked Weber State (4-4, 3-2), in Ogden. The Vikings will follow with a game at 16th-ranked Sacramento State (6-2, 5-0) on Nov. 13, then host fifth-ranked Eastern Washington on Nov. 20 (7-1, 4-1).
     
So, November is a gauntlet of games against top competition, but also an opportunity to prove just how good the Vikings are.
     
Portland State is coming off a pair of convincing home wins by a combined 73-31 score. The defense forced nine turnovers and nine sacks in the two games and held the opponents under 300 yards average total offense. Meanwhile, the Viking offense has shown great balance, averaging 167.8 rushing yards and 241.0 passing yards over the past four games. For the Vikings to manage the November wrecking ball of a schedule they will have to continue to produce similar numbers in those two areas.
     
Weber State shares the same record as PSU. The Wildcats have also won two in a row and three of their last four. Their marquee victory was knocking off then-second-ranked Eastern Washington, 35-34, on Oct. 23.
     
This week's game, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden, kicks off at 1 p.m. MT/Noon PT. The game will be available for viewing on ESPN+.

STORYLINES

• Weber State has had a share of the Big Sky Conference Championship each of the last four seasons.
• Portland State and Weber State have not played since 2017. However, they have met 36 times throughout the all-time series. The Wildcats lead the series, 22-14, and the Big Sky series, 12-8. They have won the last two meetings.
• The 2007 meeting between the teams in Portland is the highest-scoring Division I regulation football game in college history with Weber State winning, 73-68. Amazingly, that was NOT the most points by either team in the series. Weber State earned a 74-6 win in 1965. A Mouse Davis-coached Portland State team won 75-0 in 1980. A 65-43 win by the Vikings in 2001 in Portland was the highest-scoring game in PSU history by two teams, combined, until the 2007 contest.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS

Weber State came into the 2021 season with a great recent resume, having won or shared the Big Sky Conference title in each of the last four seasons. However, they took three losses in their first four games of 2021. The Wildcats have righted the ship with wins in three of the last four, and now are working hard to get back to the post-season.
     
Weber State's defense continues to be strong as in past seasons. The Wildcats allow only 307.4 yards and 21.6 points per game to opponents. WSU averages 25.1 points and 373.3 yards per game.
     
The Wildcats are number two in the Big Sky in pass defense (164.9) and number one in third-down defense (29% conversion rate for opponents).
     
Rashid Shaheed, the Wildcats star kick returner, set an NCAA record last week with his seventh career kickoff return for touchdown and was named Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.     

QUICK SNAPS
 
WALKER NAMED BIG SKY co-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

The hard running of Malik Walker was rewarded as the Big Sky Conference named Portland State's senior running back as co-Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. Walker rushed 14 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns last Saturday in the Vikings' 42-21 win over Cal Poly.
     
Walker, a 6-foot, 195-pounder from Corona, CA, has been on a tear of late. In his last four games he has 416 rushing yards and four touchdowns. In the win over the Mustangs, Walker opened the game with an 18-yard touchdown run. He tacked on a 25-yard score later as the Vikings rolled to their second straight victory and the fourth in their last six starts. Walker's effort was part of a season-best 207-yard, 5-TD rushing day for the Vikings.
     
For the season, Walker has started all eight games. He has 130 carries for 642 yards and seven touchdowns. Walker has also caught 14 passes for 58 yards.
 
Walker shares his Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honor with running back Kevin Daniels of Northern Arizona. Morgan Vest of NAU was the Defensive Player of the Week, and Rasheed Shaheed of Weber State was named Special Teams Player of the Week.
     
Walker was also named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week earlier on Sunday by College Sports Madness. 

LAST GAME: ANOTHER CONVINCING HOME VICTORY

The Vikings were brilliant early, sloppy in the middle, then opportunistic at the end as they beat Cal Poly, 42-21, on Saturday. The 42 points were a season-high and the Vikings have won their last two games at home by a combined score of 73-31... PSU forced four turnovers, scoring three touchdowns off them. However, they made four of their own. Fortunately, the Mustangs could only capitalize on one for a score... the Vikings had 207 yards and five touchdowns rushing in the game as senior Malik Walker and freshman Jalynnee McGee had big days. Walker went for 116 yards and two scores, while McGee had 63 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Davis Alexander added two short rushing TDs to go with 198 yards passing and one passing touchdown... on defense, the Vikings got another strip-sack forced fumble from defensive end VJ Malo, his third in two games. Malo had a monster day with eight tackles, including five tackles for loss... linebacker Parker McKenna led the defense with 10 tackles, including one for loss and a pass breakup. In all, the Vikings made a dozen TFLs and held Cal Poly to 50 yards rushing. Spencer Brasch threw for 287 yards in the game, with a lot coming while the Mustangs were in catch-up mode, but he also threw three interceptions... PSU's defense held Cal Poly to 337 total yards. More importantly, the Vikings stopped the Mustangs on third down (2-11) and fourth down (2-5) at a high rate all day... JR CB Anthony Adams picked off his third pass of the season and the ninth in his career. He has five total takeaways this year (3 INT, 2 FR) and 12 in his career... SR S Ty Apana-Purcell made his second interception of the season... JR WR Beau Kelly had eight receptions for 101 yards. His fourth 100-yard game of the season. 

BIG PLAYS ON DEFENSE CONTINUE, VIKINGS REAP REWARDS

It's no coincidence that when the Portland State defense is productive, the Vikings win games. In PSU's four wins this season, the opponents have scored 7, 13, 10 and 21 points, and averaged only 284 yards of offense.

• The Viking defense has produced nine turnovers and nine sacks in the last two wins… PSU held Cal Poly to 2-11 on third-down conversions and 2-5 on fourth-down conversions and made 12 tackles for loss.
• MALO-IFICENT TO OFFENSES: Perhaps most impressive has been the play of JR DE VJ Malo, who had eight tackles, five of which were tackles for loss, and a strip sack of the quarterback against Cal Poly. Malo has three strip sacks in his last two games. He now has 17 tackles for loss on the season and 9.5 sacks. Each rank eighth all-time for a season in PSU history and Malo still has three games to play. The 9.5 sacks are the most by a Viking since 2006... Malo ranks first in the Big Sky and fourth in the nation in tackles for loss, and second in the Big Sky and seventh in the nation in sacks.
• All-American JR CB Anthony Adams continues to make big plays as well. Adams intercepted his third pass of the season against Cal Poly and now has five takeaways for the Vikings. In his career, Adams has nine takeaways (9 INT, 3 FR)… also making interceptions were FR ROVER Tyreese Shakir (his second) and SR S Ty Apana-Purcell (also his second), while JR DE Jake Porter recovered a fumble and had a sack… FR LB Parker McKenna had 10 more tackles, a sack and a pass breakup.

MORE DIAMONDS ON DEFENSE

• The Vikings allowed only 106 yards in the first half and 278 yards total in their home-opening win over Western Oregon (9/18). PSU had nine tackles for loss, four sacks and six pass breakups in the game. SR LB Broderick Harrell led the way with 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup.
• Portland State allowed 267 yards in the 20-13 win at Southern Utah. On the T-Birds final drive, they moved to a first-and-goal at the PSU 9. The T-Birds rushed for no yards, then got a quarterback scramble for five yards. With third-and-goal at the four, PSU forced two incompletions. The second came on fourth-and-goal when JR CB Xavier Bell swatted away the pass in the endzone with 3:05 to play... Bell finished with six tackles, an interception and a pass breakup.
• THREE TIMES FIVE: PSU's defense forced a season-high five turnovers against Idaho State and allowed a season-low 259 yards of offense. The Vikings made five sacks and five pass breakups.
• This season, the Viking defense has forced 17 turnovers and made 23 sacks, which ranks second in the Big Sky Conference.
• LEADERS: FR LB Parker McKenna leads the Vikings with 67 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble and a pass breakup... JR DE VJ Malo is second in tackles with 36, has 17 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and three forced fumbles... JR CB Xavier Bell also has 34 tackles, a tackle for loss, four pass breakups and an interception... JR CB Anthony Adams has 31 tackles, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and two pass breakups... SR LB Nicolas Ah Sam has 31 tackles and five tackles for loss.
• ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS FOR TACKLES: JR CB Anthony Adams, 144; SR LB Nicolas Ah Sam, 115; SR DT Semise Kofe, 105.

WALKING THE WALKER

Portland State had been averaging only 88 yards on the ground per game through the first four. However, the Vikings have rushed for 156 yards, 164 yards, 144 yards and 207 in the past four games - an average of 167.8 per game.

• SR RB Malik Walker rushed 26 times for a career-high 132 yards against Idaho... on Oct. 30, he rushed 14 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns, earning Big Sky Conference co-Offensive Player of the Week... Walker has 74 carries for 416 rushing yards over the last four games... he ranks fifth in the Big Sky Conference with 130 carries for 642 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
• FR RB Jalynnee McGee has struggled to stay healthy this season, but he has proven to be a solid complement to Walker when he is healthy. McGee rushed 17 times for 63 yards and a score against Cal Poly..he had seven carries for 78 yards at Southern Utah. Both of those games were wins.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT

SR QB Davis Alexander is climbing the charts among Portland State's all-time passing leaders. And that is no small feat when you consider some of the great signal-callers that have gone through the Park Blocks. Alexander has a chance to finish his career second in virtually every passing category behind Viking legend Neil Lomax. Here is a sample of what Alexander has achieved through seven games this season and 33 career starts (see page 22 of these notes for career lists).

• Alexander is 180-302 passing for 2,206 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Alexander ranks second in the Big Sky in passing yards per game (275.8) and total offense (295.8)... he also has five rushing touchdowns this season.
• Alexander has moved into second place all-time at PSU for total offense behind only Neil Lomax (1977-2000, 13,345). Alexander now has 9,601 yards.
• With 8,346 career passing yards, Alexander is now in third place in PSU history. He trails only Neil Lomax (1977-1980, 13,220) and Jimmy Blanchard (1997-2000, 8,455).
• With 16 passing touchdowns, Alexander is now third all-time with 58 in his career at PSU. He has accounted for 82 career touchdowns (including 24 rushing). With 24 rushing touchdowns, he ranks eighth all-time at PSU.
• Alexander has moved into second in completions in Portland State history. He is now 622-1,092 in his career.
• Alexander now has eight 300-yard passing games, which ties for fourth-most in PSU history. His three 400-yard games ties for third-most. 

BEAU KNOWS RECEIVING, PASSING, RETURNING, RUSHING...

JR WR Beau Kelly continues to be an all-around contributor for the Vikings. He has 871 all-purpose yards for the season (108.9). He has gained yards receiving, rushing and on punt returns. And he is 2-2 passing for 56 yards.

• Kelly leads the Vikings and ranks first in receptions (54), first in touchdowns (8) and second in receiving yards (741) in the Big Sky Conference... he also has 15 rushing yards, 115 punt return yards and 56 passing yards this season.
• He ranks 12th in the nation with 92.8 receiving yards per game.
• Kelly leads the Big Sky Conference with a 14.4 punt return average.
• Kelly had back-to-back career games in the first two of the season. He went for 6-132-1 at Hawai'i, then 10-152-1 at Washington State... his third 100-yard game came at Idaho (7-119-2)... he racked up 101 receiving yards on eight catches against Cal Poly for a fourth 100-yard game.
• For his career, Kelly has 100 receptions for 1,394 yards and 11 touchdowns in 29 games. He also has 221 career punt return yards, 103 career passing yards (on 3-4 completions), and 70 career rushing yards. 

ALL-AMERICAN BOY

All-American JR CB Anthony Adams is having a familiar season. Though opponents have notably stayed away from his side of the field, Adams has 31 tackles, one tackle for loss, two pass breakups, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

• Adams now has 12 career takeaways (3 FR, 9 INT)... his 28 career pass breakups ranks sixth all-time at PSU.
• Two of his takeaways - the fumble recovery at Hawai'i and the interception at Washington State - came when the opponent was inside the Vikings' 10-yard line.
• In 2019, Adams led the nation in passes defensed at the FCS level in 2019 (5 INT, 19 PBU) earning consensus first team All-American honors.

WIDEOUT PRODUCTION

Portland State figured to have a very strong wide receiver group in 2021. That has come to fruition even with some injuries to key members.

• JR WR Beau Kelly leads the team in receptions (54), receiving yards (741) and touchdowns (8).
• Though he missed the Idaho game with illness, FR WR Darien Chase has become a starter and has 31 receptions. He has 356 receiving yards, a touchdown and had a 100-yard game at Hawai'i.
• FR WR Nate Bennett has 35 receptions for 491 yards and four TDs and has started all eight games. He picked up his first 100-yard game with six receptions for 106 yards against Western Oregon... Bennett was recently named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List for National Freshman of the Year.
• JR WR Mataio Talalemotu was unavailable for three games and played briefly at Southern Utah. He came back strong at Idaho, making career-highs of 12 receptions for 196 yards and two touchdowns, including a 71-yarder. He passed 1,000 career receiving yards at Hawai'i. Talalemotu now has 84 receptions for 1,282 yards and 10 TDs. 

EXTRA SPECIAL TEAMS

Vikings special teams are strong once again in 2021:

• SR P Seth Vernon continues to impress. He has a 45.1 yard average and nine punts of over 50 yards. He ranks fifth in the Big Sky. Vernon had a long of 59 yards at Hawai'i, 56 yards at Washington State, 58 yards against Western Oregon, 55 against Montana State and 65 at Southern Utah.
• JR K Cody Williams will miss the remainder of the season due to a hip injury. Williams started the first 26 games of his career. This season he made 10-10 extra points, extending his school-record streak to 93 in a row... Williams hit a 46-yard field goal at Washington State. That was the 27th successful three-pointer in his career, tying him for seventh all-time in PSU history (Mike Cajal-Willis, 2001-02).
• FR K Gianni Smith took over for Williams late in the Western Oregon game. Since then, Smith has gone 20-20 on extra points and 4-6 on field goals. He made a 41-yard field goal against Montana State, then 35 and 28 yarders at Southern Utah, and a 20-yarder against Idaho State.
• FR CB Tyreese Shakir recovered a pair of fumbles at Hawai'i. The first came in the third quarter when Shakir recovered a muffed kickoff return by the Rainbow Warriors in the endzone. Later in the fourth, when the Vikings were attempting a desperate comeback, Shakir recovered a fumbled onside kick.
• JR WR Beau Kelly had a season-best 30-yard punt return at Southern Utah and averages 14.4 for the season. He leads the Big Sky Conference. 

FRESHMEN IMPACT

Portland State started five freshmen at Washington State, and all have become key players for the Vikings. FR OL Richard Estrella starts at right tackle and Head Coach Bruce Barnum believes he can become the Vikings top man up front with a little experience. FR LBs Parker McKenna and Justice Pagan not only started, but rank 1-2 in tackles for the Vikings. FR WRs Darien Chase and Nate Bennett are starters and rank 2-3 in receptions for the Vikings.
     
FR CB Tyreese Shakir has started the last four games at rover, becoming the sixth first-year man to get a start.
     
FR OL D'Angalo Titialii started at Southern Utah to be the seventh first-year starter.
     
A total of 23 freshmen - true or redshirt - have seen action this season.

• TOP VIKING FRESHMEN SO FAR:  WR Nate Bennett (8 starts, 35 receptions, 491 yards, 4 TD); LB Parker McKenna (8 starts, team-high 67 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1 FR); OLs Richard Estrella (8 starts) and D'Angalo Titiali'i (4 starts); WR Darien Chase (5 starts, 31 receptions, 356 yards, 1 TD); LB Justice Pagan (4 starts, 30 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 1.5 SKs, 2 PBUs); DB Tyreese Shakir (5 starts, 22 tackles, 1 SK, 2 INT, 2 FRs, 2 PBUs, 1 TD); K Gianni Smith (4-6 FGs, 20-20 PAT).

2021 SEASON HIGHLIGHT REEL
 
ISLAND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Portland State didn't get the win at Hawai'i (9/4), losing 49-35, but they won the final three quarters, 35-21. Along the way, some impressive numbers went up. SR QB Davis Alexander completed 23-47 passes for 400 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. It was the second 400-yard game of his career. JR WR Beau Kelly had a career-high of six receptions and 132 yards with a touchdown. JR CB All-American Anthony Adams continued his fine play with a fumble recovery and an interception. FR CB Tyreese Shakir recovered a fumble in the end zone in the touchdown and another on an onside kick. 

BACK-TO-BACK BEAU

JR WR Beau Kelly had back-to-back career games to open the season. He set career-highs with six receptions for 132 yards at Hawai'i. Kelly followed that with a career-high 10 receptions for 152 yards at Washington State (adding a 25-yard pass completion and 12-yard punt return for 189 total yards). He had a touchdown in each of the two games. After two weeks, Kelly led the Big Sky in receptions (8.0) and yards per game (142.0). 

DOMINANT DEFENSE TAMES THE WOLVES

Portland State's defense shutout the Western Oregon Wolves for 56 minutes before settling for a 21-7 win in the Vikings home opener (9/18). The Vikings allowed only 106 yards in the first half and 278 yards total. PSU had nine tackles for loss, four sacks and six pass breakups in the game. SR LB Broderick Harrell led the way with 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup. 

BARNY BEERS

Portland State Head Coach Bruce Barnum promised to buy beers for Viking fans if they came out to the home opener on Sept. 18 against Western Oregon. Needless to say, the fans took him up on it. Barny's Beer Garden, adjacent to the stadium, gave away 2,064 beers. Barny's bar tab was $14,448. 

DEFENSE HAS ITS DAY

Portland State's defense was the catalyst for the Vikings' 20-13 win at Southern Utah (10/2). The 267 yards allowed by the PSU defense were the fewest this season. Southern Utah had only 136 yards after the first quarter and averaged just 2.8 yards per rush... When the Vikings drove to the SUU one-yard line, threatening to score the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter, they fumbled the ball away. But the defense forced a three-and-out and Southern Utah had to punt from its own five-yard line. It was returned by JR WR Beau Kelly to the SUU 20, and a penalty moved it to the 10. One play later SR QB Davis Alexander rushed in for the go-ahead – and eventual winning – touchdown... On Southern Utah's final drive, the T-Birds moved to a first-and-goal at the PSU 9. They rushed for no yards, then got a quarterback scramble for five yards. With third-and-goal at the four, PSU forced two incompletions. The second came on fourth-and-goal when Xavier Bell swatted away the pass in the endzone. FR LB Parker McKenna, from Beaverton, had a team-high nine tackles and one tackle for loss... Bell made six tackles with an interception and a pass breakup.

BIG NUMBERS, NOT ENOUGH POINTS

Portland State had its best offensive performance of the season at Idaho (10/9) despite not getting the win. The Vikings had season-highs of 588 total yards, 424 passing yards, 164 rushing, matched the season-high with 35 points and did not turn the ball over... SR QB Davis Alexander passed for a career-high 424 yards on a career-best 32-48 attempts. He had four touchdowns and no interceptions... JR WR Mataio Talalemotu, making his first start since game one due to injury, had career-bests of 12 receptions for 196 yards and two touchdowns... SR RB Malik Walker rushed 26 times for a career-high 132 yards... JR WR Beau Kelly had another big game with seven receptions for 119 yards and two scores. 

ANOTHER DEFENSIVE GEM SETS THE TONE

Portland State got off to the best start possible against Idaho State (10/16), jumping to a 17-0 first-quarter lead and never looking back in a 31-10 win. The tone was set when the Vikings forced turnovers on the Bengals first three possessions, and forced five turnovers on the day. The defense also allowed a season-low 259 yards of offense. JR DE VJ Malo had two strip sacks in the game among five total sacks. 

BE LIKE RICE

On Oct. 27 FR WR Nate Bennett was named to the 2021 Jerry Rice Award Watch List by Stats Perform. Bennett is one of 22 true and redshirt freshmen from across the nation that are currently being considered for the Jerry Rice Award, which is presented to the national freshman of the year at the FCS level. Bennett, a 6-3, 195-pound wide receiver from Simi Valley, CA, has started all seven games for the Vikings going into this weekend's contest against Cal Poly. Bennett has 33 receptions for 471 yards and four touchdowns, ranking second on the team in each category. He is seventh in the Big Sky Conference in receiving yards, sixth in receptions and tied for fifth in receiving touchdowns. Bennett has played well against top competition. He had five receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown in the season-opener against Hawai'i of the Mountain West Conference. Bennett followed that with six receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown against Washington State of the Pac-12. He has at least four receptions in every game this season.

WALKER, MALO HELP TAME THE MUSTANGS

The Vikings were brilliant early, sloppy in the middle, then opportunistic at the end as they beat Cal Poly, 42-21 (10/30). The 42 points were a season-high and PSU forced four turnovers, scoring three touchdowns off them. The Vikings had 207 yards and five touchdowns rushing in the game as SR RB Malik Walker (14-116-2) and FR RB Jalynnee McGee (17-63-1) had big days. Walker went on to earn Big Sky Conference co-Offensive Player of the Week honors... on defense, the Vikings got another strip-sack forced fumble from JR DE VJ Malo - his third in two games. Malo had a monster day with eight tackles, including five tackles for loss... in all, the Vikings made a dozen TFLs and held Cal Poly to 50 yards rushing. The Vikings stopped the Mustangs on third down (2-11) and fourth down (2-5) at a high rate all day.
 
 
 
 

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