One more rough football loss
Vikings have two games to try for victory and avoid any losses
Heather Mathews
hmathews@vg.pdx.edu
The Portland State football team can’t afford another conference loss. The team comes home to PGE Park after being defeated by Big Sky’s Idaho State last Saturday. The Vikings will play the first of their final two home games against the Weber State Wildcats on Nov. 8.
Weber State’s ground game has proven to be money in the bank after the Wildcats’ win over Idaho State two weeks ago. Nick Chournos led the team in rushing with 227 yards for 38 carries and a touchdown against the Bengals. As a team, Weber State walked away with 306 yards rushing but had only 69 yards in passing.
Although the Wildcats don’t have the strongest passing game, they do have a fully loaded defense. In fact, Weber State’s defensive end, Brady Fosmark, was named last week’s Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week after his performance against Idaho State. Fosmark claimed three sacks and a 22-yard touchdown off an interception. The Wildcats are 5-4 on the season and 2-3 in the Big Sky.
Portland State had its chance against the Idaho State Bengals last weekend, but did not come away quite as victorious as Weber State. The Vikings gave Idaho State its 11th straight win at home with a final score of 30-20.
Portland State put up a fight. Ryan Brown caught an 82-yard pass from quarterback Joe Wiser for the game’s first touchdown. Brown and Wiser both played strongly against the Bengals. Brown caught five passes for 178 yards, and Wiser passed for two touchdowns and 308 yards.
The Vikings defense was not bad, either. In fact, Portland State’s linebackers held the Bengals back on several occasions. Tolo Tuitele had 13 tackles, three for loss, and a sack, while Gary Torre forced a fumble and had 11 tackles, including two for loss.
However, Idaho State’s passing game was just too strong for the Vikings to handle. Idaho quarterback Mark Hetherington threw for an impressive 323 yards and three touchdowns. He went 30-for-44 attempts. Basically, he was a throwing machine.
The Vikings did not help themselves by only rushing for 69 yards against the Bengals. With a season record of 4-5, and 1-4 in conference play, the Vikings will now have to win both of their final two games in order to walk away with a winning season. Portland State will have to invest a little more in its rushing game if it is going to come out victorious this season.
The Vikings face off against the Weber State Wildcats this Saturday at 6 p.m. This will be a big game for the Vikings. If the Vikings win, they will have one more shot at a winning record. If they lose, they will only have one more shot to put one last win in conference play.