Portland State is going to be a tough game for us. They are very athletic and have put together two competitive games against FBS school. They didn't do much offensively against BYU, but they managed to keep the score close. Their offense exploded for 515 against an Oregon State team, that has been projected to be bottom of the barrel in the Pac 12, and almost sent it to overtime but missed the game tying field goal. After this last weeks win over USD, Massey has moved UC Davis up to #37 and Portland State sits at #33 and they predict PSU winning 34-28.
Some guys to watch out for on PSU:
QB Jalani Eason (FR) - We actually had an offer out on Jalani and we made it to his final 2 choices, but he ended up picking the bad guys here. He strode into PSU and snatched up the starting job for the Vikings. He's averaging around 150 yards passing per game and has thrown 3 TDs and 3 INTs in the season, but that's not what makes him dangerous. He is a true dual threat QB. He has run for just over 120 yards on the season and has added 2 TDs there. He's very athletic, so we're going to have to keep a LB covering him just in case if he makes a break for it.
RB Za'Quan Summers (SR) - He's their starting back and is currently averaging just over 80 yards per game. He's not a very big guy standing at 5'9 175 pounds, but I would expect him to get a lot of action against the Ags. PSU wants to pound the ball. On the season, they have rushed the ball 90 times compared to only 52 pass attempts. We got burned against SDSU's run game (although they have one of the best backs in the country) but this should be a good test to see how we do against a running team that's a little bit more comparable physically speaking.
TE Charlie Taumoepeau (SO) - He seems to be the main target in terms of receiving for the Vikings. He leads the team in receptions with 10 as well as yards with 125. Size-wise he's not the most intimidating TE that I've ever seen, listed at 6'3 240, so hopefully that will help some of our guys in the middle cover him.
? Josh Kraght (SR) - Kraght seems like a jack of all trades offensive player for the Vikings. He's 2nd on the team in receptions and yards from the WR position, but he's also taken snaps at QB and running the ball. He's seems very versatile and will have to be a guy that we keep our eyes on cause he could be doing a wide array of different things.
S Beau Duronslet (SR) - Leader in the defensive backfield for the Vikings. Leads the team in total tackles, interceptions, and fumble recoveries. I would imagine that they will use him to try to cover or even double cover Doss deep.
DE Davond Dade (SR) - He's going to have to be the guy that we have to cover on the line. USD was able to get pressure on us using a lot of blitz's, but this guy has the ability to beat us with just raw power. If our line doesn't clean up this guy is going to cause problems for us. He leads the team in sacks and tackles for losses.
With PSU coming close to beating Oregon State they continue to get a lot of positive press up here. This will be the first game all my kids attend (6, 7, and 9 years old) so I'm pretty excited.
"The Aggies are 1-1 going into this week's game. UCD defeated the University of San Diego 35-7 in its home opener last week. The Aggies lost their season-opener 38-17 at San Jose State."
"Portland State has won five in a row against UC Davis dating back to 2010. Last year, the Vikings rolled to a 51-29 victory in Davis. Of those five wins, only one of the games was played in Portland. PSU leads the all-time series, 11-4."
Some guys on the PSU forum were saying that the coaches said Eason was struggling with dehydration against OSU and will 100% be ready to go versus us. For his low number of pass attempts he does seem to have a slight issue with interceptions, but he's also a freshman and played 2 FBS defenses. I fully expect PSU to be ready to go on Saturday, not to mention our record against them is less than stellar even in years where they have struggled.
Unfortunately, "hungry" might be an understatement about PSU. I think they are going to be revved up and ready to go after two frustrating loses to two FBS teams to start their season. They feel like they had a legitimate chance to win those games but came up short. Now they are back home and will be ready to take out their frustrations on the Ags.
This will be a stiff test for this young Aggie team. They will need weather the Vikings' storm of energy early in the game, play smart and within themselves, execute crisply, minimize mistakes, and make some critical plays to give themselves a chance to win this one.
i think the key is to make their young QB uncomfortable. he's a talented guy, so if he has time and/or easy reads, they are going to be tough to stop. their DB's are really good. they shut down BYU's pass game completely.
He's also mobile. ... this is one reason why we brought in a veteran coaching crew, so we don't start lethargic, and have a gameplan that puts the players in a position to win.
It will be critical to improve our running game this week. PSU will not be giving up a lot of long passes. We'll need to rely heavily on short passes and chip away. I think the big plays will be few and far between.
Not to look ahead, gents, but I'm watching a replay of Weber State going toe-to-toe with Cal on the PAC-12 network. And we have North Dakota after that. Holy moly! This three week stretch is sure will be a test, but I bet Hawk and the players welcome the chance to prove themselves.
And then Eastern Washington! They're struggling right now, but I wouldn't be surprised if they turn up for conference play. Definitely a tough stretch here, but I'm excited to see how this team handles the pressure.
@movielover this is division I football! You are right - I think these guys are better suited for this test than under the previous management. But it will be quite a test (and I conveniently forgot to mention EWU).
Was there any other viable option beyond the Big Sky?
It does look like a number of Gould's young recruits are contributing this year. Thank goodness our offense is no longer sitting ducks where opponents can just t off on our O line and QB.
No option for us but the big sky; great fit (for now to quote Hawkins). I am not afraid of competition, and am sure Hawkins and the guys aren't either. Just slowly realized last night that this will be a serious stretch of games.
As just a QB, I would say Eason so far has been just okay for a freshman in D1. Only has completed 50% of his passes and is averaging 150 yards per game (again against FBS defenses). What makes him dangerous is his mobility. If we can find a way to contain him on the ground and make them beat us with more traditional sets I think our chances of a win improve immensely. That's easier said than done though. Defense was bending but not breaking for several drives against USD. They are going to have to step up big time this weekend.
Hopping on a plane north in about 24 hours...while I'm swinging a Friday interview, I'm looking forward to the game on Saturday. I think there's a pre-game Aggie get together, maybe at Henry's Tavern again...PortlandAggie, do you have the word on it, my email ticket is vague.
Bob Dunning wrote an interesting article about the long history of PSU's Providence Park Stadium "which is one of the oldest, continuous operating stadiums in the country." He also noted the following:
"Of the 13 teams in the Big Sky Conference, Portland State was dead last in attendance last fall with an average of just over 4,500, which is barely 20 percent of capacity."
There was virtually no one sitting in the north stands when I went. They only bothered to open 2 concession stands. It really hurts attendance that they don't have an- campus stadium of their own. It's more like they're just squatting there. Providence Park doesn't have any PSU personality.
Our first time taking all 3 kids to a football game, so with their limited attention span I think we'll unfortunately skip pre and post game festivities. We're sitting in section 119, row G
I doubt they are going Finn. I don't actually know one way or the other, but they have a tendency to not make the away trips anymore. Basically just Sac and CP.